Are you thinking about homeschooling, but don’t know where to begin?
Although being a homeschool mom is the most amazing adventure you can experience, it can also be full of worry!
A Google or Pinterest search for “homeschool” will give you thousands of results that can overwhelm and confuse a mom. Christian homeschool moms need encouragement and reminders of God’s faithfulness in their homeschool endeavors.
There’s a great responsibility raising kids in the Lord. We live in this crazy- full of distractions- world. To take on the added responsibility of your child’s education can seem impossible!
Homeschool moms worry that we will mess up our child’s ability to be productive citizens in life…. the struggle is real!
In the beginning, we could have benefited greatly from 5 important tips a Christian homeschool mom needs to know!
Questions that worry homeschool moms
“Am I capable of educating my child?”
“Will I be able to teach my child what they need to graduate?”
“My child struggles to follow through with simple tasks. How in the world will I be able to homeschool Math, English and Science?”
Worry begins when we are try to control something that is unknown.
The unknown is a mystery! Worry is also the result of trying to take care of the unknown ourselves without relying on God.
Trust God with Your Homeschool
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
There are many unknowns in homeschooling kids, but relying on God will bring you clarity.
Because it is such a great calling, we did whatever we could to homeschool our children. The blessings in return are immeasurable. Even though we didn’t know what we were doing, God provided answers to the “unknowns” that worried us. We share that knowledge with others.
Being a homeschool mom taught us more about nurturing our children’s hearts, their individual unique learning styles and a closer and deeper communication in our relationships.
5 tips you need to KNOW to homeschool.
1. Know your reason for homeschooling.
What are your reasons for homeschooling?
Taking a child out of public school and entering them into Christian school, homeschool tutorials, co ops, classes etc. does not take them away from unwanted influences. The world creeps in everywhere!
Homeschooling allows you to insulate your child so you can direct them in how God desires us to live. You are not isolating them from the world.
Why do you want to homeschool?
How do you envision homeschooling your child will be?
2. Know your goals.
Make a list of what you envision homeschooling will be for your family.
Keep that focus.
Do not compare. Comparing your homeschool goals to public school, private school, or even another homeschooling family will only result in you feeling lacking. God gave you these children and He will provide your needs.
For some, homeschooling begins as Christ centered and the importance of values. But then the pull for higher education, ACT scores, college prep, sports, scholarships or other distractions can entice a homeschool mom away from her original goal.
The measure of success for teaching your child becomes skewed in the shadow of these worthy goals.
Success is subjective.
Some days, getting out of bed, coffee in hand, still in your pjs, the laundry piled up, but kids are fed is success.
The kitchen can be a mess, the lesson plans are behind, BUT when you find a precious moment of your children loving on each other or helping one another through a problem….that’s successful homeschooling!
Know your homeschool goal and stay focused!
Your job in a Christian homeschool is to train your child in the LORD.
You serve God, not the world and its expectations.
● When your goal is to raise a doctor, then teach them about the Great Physician.
● If it’s to raise an astronaut, teach them of the One who created the stars and knows them all by name.
● For a goal to Christian homeschool, don’t get sidetracked from the most important learning.
To KNOW Christ.
3. Know how your children learn.
We don’t all learn with the same learning style. Some people are visual learners, some auditory, and other’s kinesthetic (hands on). You can probably already tell what style learner your children are individually.
There is rarely a one book homeschool curriculum that addresses all learning styles completely.
So when you attend a homeschool fair or shop online, keep in mind that the goal is to teach your children’s hearts and minds, not just the subject information.
Nina’s son, Michael, struggled with dyslexia which made reading challenging. Finding audio books and reading aloud to him made learning exciting.
Also know how your child processes information best. Your child might be an auditory learner, but process the information back to you in a visual way.
4. Know how YOU learn.
You may not share the same learning style as your child. This can be a challenge. You cannot teach a child in the way you learn if that is not their learning style.
Understanding your learning style and how you process information helps make teaching your child less complicated. It will also help you know what curriculum or books to use and not become overwhelmed.
If reading books is not how you learn best, a curriculum that is heavily book driven is going to feel impossible.
Finding a curriculum where you can teach your children and have the freedom to give them information in their learning styles is the goal.
Saxon Math is what we were both taught in public and private school. Because it was repetitive black and white, math problems and speed drills, Carrie did not do well with it. Math was not her strong subject.
As a result, her first year of homeschooling Math was tough. She thought the Math she was taught was the math she had to teach her kids. It wasn’t. Saxon Math is great for certain learning styles, but it wasn’t a match for Carrie.
After many Math breakdowns and hard homeschool mornings, she was able to find a math curriculum that she could present to both her kids in their learning styles.
Finding the right material or curriculum to teach or facilitate is so important.
5. Know that you are in control of your homeschool (with God being in control of you)
Money: You are in control of the money you spend, the places you go, and the people you expose your children to each day.
Curriculum: There is not a requirement as to what curriculum you must use. You are in control of what curriculum you use, how you use it, and changing what doesn’t work. This is the joy of homeschooling.
When you purchase a curriculum that isn’t working for you, sell it! There is no law that you must finish it. You don’t have to finish a book completely, do every chapter or write every assignment.
The only teacher: When you were in school, especially in high school, there was a different teacher for each subject. Why? Because rarely is one person able to be strong in every subject to teach it.
You don’t have to give test or teach every subject. Some subjects you can chose to farm out to co-ops, tutorials, a friend etc. When you are not a homeschool mom “teacher”, you can be the facilitator.
For the upper levels, dual at your local college for some of your high school courses! We were able to dual enroll our kiddos in college in their high school years. It was cheaper per course and they gained credit for high school and college at the same time!
Homeschool is More Than Home
Homeschool is more than home: You don’t have to homeschool school every week day. We chose to do “school work” 4 days a week and the 5th day was field trips, museums, crafts, visits, or fun things outside the home. (Still educational)
Van -school! We took school field trips and lesson plans on the road probably way more than we should have. Learning is not just from a book. Walmart grocery shopping became a school lesson…. and a life lesson.
Learning together is better!
You are in control of teaching all your children one subject together! Teaching your kids all together is an amazing experience. Because everyone can learn in their own style, they have something to bring to offer the group. Everyone has a different perspective. We call this an all inclusive homeschool.
Math and Spelling tend to build on concepts so you may have to divide kids individually for their level, but Science, Art, Reading, History and many other subjects can be taught as a one room classroom.
● Grab a subject.
● Gather as many resources and books as you can pile on the coffee table.
● Tell the kids to “dig in!”
It’s amazing how kids will teach themselves when the information is made fun.
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More tips to know about homeschooling!
We know these 5 things to KNOW didn’t tell you what books to buy, what classes to take or for what programs to register. But we hope you found some clarity to breathe on this homeschool mom journey.
When homeschool mom worry strikes, remember what you know
● The reason for homeschooling.
● Your goals and what you want to achieve.
● How your child learns.
● The way you learn.
● God is in control. Trust Him to guide you!
Most importantly, you know God has blessed you with your kiddos to raise them in Him. Stay focused on what matters most!
You’ve got this! We are here if you need information or encouragement! Gander through our homeschool blogs for more tips to Christian homeschool!
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