It’s what we want as parents. It’s what our students want as learners. But how does it happen? How do we get our children learning and working without our direct guidance?

When we are teaching our younger children to read or learn early math skills, we expect to sit with them and lead the lesson. This is a high student-teacher interaction time, and it is not an option for a little one to learn on their own. They need us.

Then around age 8 or 9, our kids begin learning content. They are using those early reading skills to learn about science or history, for example. Something is changing, but they are not yet reading to be independent. As their reading and math skills improve, by about age 10-11, we are seeing signs of independence in their lives in many areas—including their education.

So, what are some simple ways to ease into independent learning? We don’t want to just toss them in over their head. A good place to start is to let them make some choices around age 9-11. Here are some ideas to try.

  • If you have students responding to a daily writing prompt once a week ask them to choose one writing assignment to revise. Correct spelling, opening sentence, vocabulary, etc.
  • When choosing a novel with a literature guide, you might narrow the choice down to 5 and let your reader choose the one to complete. This is a especially good approach for a reluctant reader.
  • When correcting their spelling lesson, let them use the teacher book and the pen of their choice to grade their work. Not only are they getting immediate feedback, but they are seeing those words one more time before closing the book for the day.
  • This approach can be used for math lessons as well. Sit with them as they correct their daily lessons. Ask questions about ones they missed and those where did well. The conversation will make them think about their math one more time and immediate feedback is always a good thing.
  • Assign some part of each lesson for them to complete without your help—even if it is a 5-minute task at first. You are building endurance for working independently.

The middle grades seem to be a natural break. As your students come into who they are, they want more autonomy. This can be a good time to bring in a video/online/co-op teacher for one course, composition for example. Your students are changing physically, mentally, and emotionally which can bring tension to the parent/child dynamic. A bit of novelty (learning from someone else) brings an external accountability that takes you out of the tension.

Remember, you can call our consultant team and talk through some options. We are glad to help! Contact us on website live chat, email us at consultants@rainbowresource.com, or call us at 888-841-3456. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Central Time. ~ Sara