Top 10 Tips for Homeschooling |

Since I have never home schooled myself, I asked my mom for her top ten tips from her years of homeschooling.

Here is what she had to say:

(1) Always start fresh first thing in the morning (8:30 am) as children are awake and at their best for learning - and keeping to the same schedule gives them a routine to follow and teaches them time management and responsibility. It is important to start with prayer to start their school day as well.

(2) Teach them to sing Oh Canada and also teach them The Lord’s Prayer Sing and recite each morning

(3) Always get your child to start with the subject they struggle with the most (get it done and over with) then alternate by enjoyable subject and challenging subject throughout the day. OR Alternate them by day ex. If math is their weakness study it first one day then second the next.

(4) When students are learning to read record their reading so that as the weeks and months go by you can play back how they started off and how great they are progressing! Gives them a boost to their confidence to see how far they have come too!

(5) Alternate 'special' subjects like Science and Social Studies during the week. You could even have certain days for each 'special' subject i.e. Wednesday = Art Day - Thursday = Science Experiment day etc.

(6) Have a Treasure Box with little gifts in it to give students as tangible rewards for doing great work or trying their best. ( We all like to have praise for doing well and to have it acknowledged verbally is nice but getting little trinkets as a reward is wonderful )

(7) Having a chalk board, or white board, is wonderful as a teaching tool and children like to work on it as well.

(8) As your students get older do a 'ticket system' or a 'merit system' instead of the 'treasure box' now your students get tickets for doing well and can turn them in and purchase larger items for working hard. ( Doesn’t mean that every test has to be perfect but when they work hard to their greatest potential then they can be were rewarded )

(9) Remember - even though it is homeschool - School always has recess and a snack! It is important to give them mental breaks throughout the day, and to let them get out physical energy as well.

(10) School trips, music lessons, sports, and clubs at church are important to keep your students happy, active and socialized.

Thanks for sharing all of these great tips mom!