Our Homeschooling Journey: Homeschooling Tips from One Mom to Another

Distance learning is the norm today. If you have a high school or a college kid, chances are it's a lot easier if they have already established their own learning patterns and techniques. To those who will be homeschooling a grade school or preschooler, the struggles will be very very real.

My sister brought her kids to me last month so they can have a headstart to their homeschooling journey. She knows how inclined I am into homeschooling, she thought it would help if they stayed with me and get a gist of how homeschooling works. In the span of a few weeks they were here in our house, we tried to figure out what kinds of learning patterns they have. I was just happy to help pique my nieces' interests in studying by themselves.

When my sister picked her kids up, it was like a turn over from one teacher to another. I know how much (or little) her patience is so I gave her some pointers and tips on how to win in this new normal homeschooling challenge.

Listen to your Children's Cues

Homeschooling is a lot easier for me and my daughter since we don't need to follow a module. Even though they are home-based, module-based learners still have to follow certain schedules like online meetups with their teachers, module submissions, exams, and quizzes. The good thing though is that children can now take advantage of the time they have in between those schedules. I observed that while there are children who prefer to observe a routine, there are still those that like to take their own sweet time in completing their tasks. I think that's still fine. As long as they are aware of their deadlines. Now that they are homeschooling, they have the freedom to choose which subject they'd like to learn first. They now have the power to control their own schedule.

Just like we as adults have our moods, children like to have a break too depending on their mood. Learning is more effective when both the learner and the teacher are ready physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Be Resourceful

Get ready to transform your house into a homeschooling facility. This is always easier said than done especially in our country. But when the resources are scarce, a little imagination and a twist of innovation could go a long way in your homeschooling journey.

Our white wall has been transformed into a whiteboard/freedom wall. Old milk cartons have been repurposed and recycled into flashcards, paper dolls, toy boxes and so much more in our household. Our fridge has become a math corner. Toys like her building blocks have been a great help with our counting, addition, and subtraction lessons. A lot of household items can turn into helpful homeschooling paraphernalia. All you need is a dash of resourcefulness.

Be Prepared

This does not mean that you should know all of the lessons of your child. Especially for module-based learners, it is important that you browse through their modules ahead of time. This way, you'll be able to spot any errors or typo and can have it corrected and discussed with their teacher even before your study time or their online meetup.

Should you see topics that you feel you are not equipped to discuss, don't be scared to ask your child's teacher, or your co-parents, or any member of the homeschooling communities all over the internet. Plus, there's always google on our side. If you are caught off guard on a question that you don't know the answer to, instead of just answering a plain "I'm sorry, I don't know," tell your kid that you both will try to find out the answer. You'll learn something new, and in the process, you show your kid how to find answers to their questions.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

I can only imagine how difficult, if not impossible, it is to homeschool a child. That would mean that the parent needs to be knowledgeable, resourceful, and well connected to the right people who can answer the questions for them. But now, the same is still needed, only it's much easier because all over the internet, there are various videos and programs that are useful in assisting parents in homeschooling.

I myself have a list of videos/channels/programs that are constantly on our daily watchlist.

Youtube:
Circle Time with Miss Monica
Caitie's Classroom
Wizz Explore
Preschool Prep Company

Netflix:
Story Bots
Super Why
Alpha Blocks
Number Blocks
Monster Math Club
Sid The Science Kid

These are just a few of the most commonly watched programs in our house. My favorite is Circle Time with Miss Monica because I learned a few techniques on how to teach the kids through her. My kid's favorite changed from Preschool Prep Company to Caitie's Classroom, Super Why (because of the superhero aspect), to Number blocks because of their cuteness and humor, to Sid the Science Kid. Every now and then we drop some videos and add new ones. My kid's learning pattern evolves and sometimes I feel her pacing is a bit fast, but her patience is also a bit low.

Make Their Learning Materials Easily Accessible

This works for me and my kid. She just turned 4 and our house is currently a big mess of toys, books, and coloring materials. We tried a schedule based study time, it worked out for a bit but she got bored as we went along. So now, I tried a playtime based kind of study time. And just to make sure she doesn't forget about learning, I made her learning materials within her arm's reach. It makes me the happiest when I see her holding her reading book and try to read by herself, asking me every now and then if she's doing it right.

Sure our house looks like a mess but I just assure myself that it's only going to be that way while she's young. Someday when she's too busy with her own life, our house will no longer have those cute little markings and stickers here and there. Might as well enjoy it while she's still young.

Conclusion

I understand that almost everyone in our country is new to the distance learning setup. My Facebook feed has been bombarded by parents complaining/ranting about how difficult, challenging, and impossible it is to adapt to this new normal. But there's one thing they're missing. This set up is actually an advantage. I bet all they need is time to adjust, and soon enough I'll be seeing people loving how convenient it is that they are the ones assisting their kids in their learning process.

After all, this is how learning should be: parents teaching their children in the comfort of their homes, studying during their most convenient time. We were actually given the gift of time. Time to spend with our kids, time to enjoy the small things, time to share the difficult moments, time to savor the victories together.

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@romeskie is a full-time stay at home mom juggling homeschooling, crocheting, and homemaking. A Business Administration graduate with a major in Marketing who ended up in the contact center industry, on the frontlines, climbing her way up to Workforce Management where she found her passion in real-time analysis and management. A once self-proclaimed careerwoman who soon realized homemaking was her real calling. Her passion varies from reading, writing, photography, and most of all, crocheting.

Connect with her through her Facebook Page: The Leftie Crocheter and on Instagram. Feel free to subscribe to her Youtube Channel: The Leftie Crocheter

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