9 Things I’d Tell a New Homeschooling Mom
So you thought about it…for a long time. You pondered it over with family and friends. You have had multiple glasses of wine as you weighed the options. And now, you have decided to take the giant leap to homeschooling.
Congratulations! I promise that once you get rolling, you will realize the countless benefits to home-educating your children and you will never look back. Being a seasoned homeschool mama, I have years of experience on this topic and want to share with you 9 little pearls of wisdom that will help you through your initiation into becoming a #homeschoolmom.
Make no mistake about it, the first few weeks will be the hardest. Finding your curriculums, programs, supplies, schedule and mostly your day-to-day rhythm is challenging. This is the hazing period of homeschooling. You will get past it and around week three things start becoming more turn-key. Just hold on tight for now and enjoy the chaos.
There is a blurred line between parenting and teaching when you are home-educating your child. Sticking to a schedule can help, that way you have set times for school and set times for parent/child bonding, family time and just doing things that are not “school-related.”
Make sure to take care of yourself, doing things that you enjoy, without the kids - and no, food shopping does not count. When you have a little “me" time, life is much easier to manage.
Every moment of every day can be a learning moment. That is what I love most about homeschooling. There are endless things to be inspired by and so many paths to explore. Everything that you want to learn about is only a click away and applying that research to your real-life experiences is unparalleled. That is the core of homeschooling. As long as your child is learning about the world we live in, they are growing.
Spend some time just playing with your children every day; not every second has to be about curriculum.
Allow your family’s needs to shape your homeschooling schedule. If you are a work from home parent, work school around your responsibilities. School isn’t mandated to be between certain hours or on specific days. Do what works for you!
Contrary to popular belief so much learning is done outside of the home when you homeschool your children. Take advantage of field trips and any opportunity for real-life or hands-on learning. That’s the very best part of homeschooling.
Don’t beat yourself up if you do not get around to “doing” school one day because you aren’t feeling well or have to take care of other responsibilities. This is your school—you are the teacher AND the principal.
Never forget about self-care. Feeling regular bouts of overload seems to be a rite of passage for homeschool moms, but just like they say on the airplane safety videos, put on your oxygen mask first before helping others. Whatever it is that you enjoy doing, make sure you still do it and take a little time for yourself every day.
My new book, Homeschool Happily: Yes, You Can! is available on the SHOP page
