Homeschooling has grown and is so much different than when I first started many years ago! There are more choices. Information, curriculum, ideas, you name it! But some of the best homeschooling days we’ve had are when we utilized some out of the box thinking. So here are some of our out of the box ideas that have worked well in our homeschool.
Dedicate purposeful time to all things home, home economics, that is! Take one day a week to concentrate on teaching how to do laundry from start to finish and giving out age-appropriate chore portions to cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, taking out the trash, meal planning, and preparation. It’s also a great way to plan and prep family meals for the week!
As time goes by, you’ll be needed less and less to instruct and can just oversee. You’ll help your offspring be confident and self-sufficient in the ways of running a household!
Boost your children’s reading abilities by doing this one simple thing – turn on the closed captioning to movies and videos! This is especially effective for dialogue in another language or watching shows with the sound turned off.
Let your wiggly kids wiggle! Invest in yoga balls for seat work, Legos, Play-Doh, and watercolors for read-aloud time. Kids don’t need to sit perfectly still to learn, but they do need to be focused. If they utilize all their energy on keeping still, there’s nothing left to help them learn and retain information. Allowing for movement can help them redirect and focus!
Don’t limit school to the four walls! When the weather allows for it, get outside! The outdoors is a beautiful place to learn. Enjoy your backyard and local parks for those days when learning needs to take place, but everyone wants to be outside!
I don’t know what it is, but everyone loves to erase the items off a to-do list. Your children are no different! So, manage those to-do lists with dry erase boards and markers. Then, the night before, take a few extra minutes and write out those to-do items, or train your older children to do it for everyone. You’ll see a definite improvement in attitudes and productivity when kids get the pleasure of erasing those items they have completed! It’s a win for all!
Each homeschool family has its unique blending of things they like to do and work well with their family. There’s always room for improvement or to try new things. These are a few of the ideas that have helped our household. What are some of the out of the box ideas that have blessed your homeschool?
Check out these homeschooling resources at Rainbow Resource Center!
