This year marks over 15 years of home educating for our family! During these years I have learned so much about what education is and what it is not. Here are some things I wished I would have known earlier in the homeschooling journey.
Fill your own cup first. You can not pour into others if you are an empty vessel! This includes your mind, body, and soul. Spend time with God daily. Read or learn something new every day, even if you only have 15 minutes. Just because you’re the adult doesn’t mean you’re finished learning! Equally as important is to move! Get some sort of exercise daily. A short walk is better than no walk at all!
Teach the bible and history extensively. It’s important for your children’s future that they spot “cycles of trouble” far off and understand how to avoid them. It’s also important for them to understand history and not repeat it!
Remember, prayer changes everything! Pray often. Let your children hear you pray. Encourage them to pray aloud for one another.
Don’t tolerate sibling rivalry. Do all you can to teach them to love one another. By doing this, you are teaching them to love others too. Especially those who are different!
Children are all different, and so are their learning style. What works for one child, won’t always work for another, no matter the amount of tweaking. The same workbook that is “fun” for my straight forward book learner is nothing but “toil and drudgery” for my kinesthetic learner. My social child cringes at solo projects, but it’s my introverted child’s delight. Adjust learning to fit the learner.
If this season of learning isn’t going so well, don’t worry, it won’t last long. A new chapter with new challenges is right around the corner! Be patient and count your blessings.
It’s ok to have a child who doesn’t enjoy doing art. It’s also ok to stop signing this child up for every art-related activity that’s available. You can’t force creatively to be as you envision. Children are most empowered when learning things that mirror their gifting.
There’s always one child in the bunch who breaks the mold and turns everything you think you know about learning upside down. Embracing this difference and not striving to fit him/her to your mold makes the day to day a joyful journey and not a life sentence.
These years are fleeting. Children eat too much and grow too fast! One minute you’re kneeling to get within their line of vision and the next they are stooping over in order to make eye contact with you! In the end, face each year with grateful expectations for not only what God will do, but how you and your children will grow in knowledge and understanding.
What are some things you wished you had known when you started your homeschool journey?
Check out more homeschooling resources at Rainbow Resource Center!
