4 Homeschooling Lessons I Learn the Hard Way

Written by Rebecca Reid

I've recently begun my fourth year of homeschool, and yet, I find myself learning the same lessons every year. Of course, every homeschooling family is different. You may find some of the things that never work for me do work for you. Nevertheless, I think I may not be alone in having to relearn these lessons frequently. Some day maybe I'll learn!
  • Ditch the checklist. It does not work for my kids. It gives me stress when we have not finished the day's assignments. It's true that I schedule and plan. But when things come up, we move on and forget it. That is what life and homeschooling is like with preschoolers (and soon to be a baby as well) underfoot!
  • Hug more often. I homeschool because I love my son. Why do I let other issues cloud that very important one? After I ditch the checklist, I need to hug and show love more often. I need to treasure the time with my son. Showing love, hugging, and providing positive feedback is one way to show just how grateful I am for this chance to teach him in my home day after day.
  • Play more games. My son learns most when he is playing. He loves to learn, and he loves to play games. Doing worksheets and checking off the boxes? No. That is not him. But playing learning games lets him thrive. I'm glad homeschooling lets me work games in to our daily mix.
  • Love my child for who he is, not what a grade-level guide expects him to be. This goes along with everything else. The point of homeschool is that I don't need to fit his education into a box. I take his education, his emotional needs, his social needs, and everything in to consideration. And I love him for whom he is.
To be a homeschool mom, I must be like a bendy straw. We take it as it goes. I hope as this year continues, I'll keep on remembering the homeschooling lessons I learn the hard way, the ones that for some reason I tend to forget when I sit down for a new school year. My son deserves it.  

Related Articles:

Essential Tips for Teaching Children at Home

A few years ago in British Columbia, there was a province-wide teacher strike. For months, the government and the teachers were unable to reach an agreement that would allow the teachers back in school. For the children, that meant that half a million school children remained home for the first few months of the school year.

Read More

Teaching Young Children about September 11

It is an unfortunate truth that we have to teach our kids about the horrors of the world, such as what happened in New York City on September 11, 2001. Doing so, however, should be a concept learned little by little, line upon line, as they grow. Here are some sensible ways to teach about

Read More

Emotionally Intelligent Parenting and Teaching

One of the most important things I can teach my children to prepare them for their futures as well-rounded adults is how to get along with other people and how to deal with the stresses of life. This concept is called “emotional intelligence.” Read on for ideas on encouraging kids to develop this intelligence.What is

Read More

Finding Alone Time While Homeschooling

I’ve been pondering the ways, over the years, that I’ve found “alone time” while in the midst of homeschooling my three kids. I get energy when I am alone, so finding alone moments is essential to my daily mental health. It hasn’t always been easy to find alone time while homeschooling, but I’ve found ways

Read More

Easy Homeschool Tracking

Disclaimer: I received compensation to write this review, but these thoughts are all my own. In fact, I plan to keep using the Homeschool Planet Online Planner as we move on to a new year of homeschooling. I recently brought my youngest back home from public school, midyear. She thrives on routine and order, but she’s

Read More

Sign up to get Hands-On Learning Ideas in your inbox!