Ways To Keep It Simple
SIMPLE AS
A, B, C...
Choosing to privately homeschool my children has been a blessing beyond belief. The time shared together and complete freedom has proven to be remarkable for our whole family. Starting off our homeschool journey I knew what I wanted our learning together to look like. So I began the fun and busy work of creating engaging lessons.
Challenging myself to keep things simple is often a task I just can't seem to master. I'm wired to 'go big' and preparing our homeschool lesson plans has proved no different. There are definitely times that suit that mentality, and likewise, times for when keeping the plans simple may need to take precedent.
1, 2, 3 ...
It's very easy to get carried away with planning your homeschool lessons. One idea may be a springboard for more to follow, and before you know it, the days are packed. Being a homeschool mom I want to show them and teach them all things possible, but teaching myself to slow down and reduce, has been a valuable lesson for all of us.
So, what's the magic formula to keeping things easy peasy?
Well, here's a great start to keeping your homeschool plans simple, and tips I remind myself to do as well.
One, Follow Their Lead
You already have built in guides as to what topics you need to cover and when- your children. Practicing topics and advancing them in the areas they show readiness is the simplest way to forming your curriculum. Remember that not everything will be mastered in a year, not everything will be taught in a year. Shake the pressures and dangers of comparisons and instead focus on where their learning level is at. Formulate your own goals on where they can be in a month, 6 months, a year, based on what they are demonstrating understanding of now. Just because a topic is in a workbook, doesn't mean it is time to cover it. Their pace is the right pace.
Two, Keep It Light
Overfilling the daily schedule is something I found my plans guilty of at times. We love all the extras- arts and crafts, kitchen creations, and learning games. There were more than a few times I found fatigue setting in. While they wanted to complete and participate in the activities, they just were worn out, so I quickly pulled back and altered things. Keeping time gaps, open, or free space on your lesson plans may seem counter-intuitive, but it really serves as an aid to reserve the beloved freedom of home school. Time that will be filled organically by their growing interests and hobbies, which are vital to their learning as well as any math exercise.
Three, Check Your Mirrors
A commitment such as home school can be all consuming. The year moves fast and you stay busy until the last day before break. It is imperative that you stop periodically to "check your mirrors" for more reasons than one. First, stopping to look back on where your children began and the strides that they have made is something to note. Ensuring that progress is happening is crucial and warrants some time of reflection to see if methods need to be shifted or modified. Second, take a look back in order to motivate yourself. Being in the thick of it will have you overlooking the amazing investment you have made. Take time to notice together what was achieved in the moment. Doing this will refresh you and keep your young learners growing.
While there's no one size fits all when it comes to homeschool, keeping this "one, two, three" in mind will help you turn from an over-scheduled over-thinker, into a prepared yet flexible homeschool expert,
EASY PEASY!
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