YES, You Can Teach Your Child!

If the thought of teaching your child at home slightly terrifies you, that’s okay! You’re not alone. Maybe you’re thinking of homeschooling and wondering if you have what it takes. Maybe you just want to supplement some extra learning after school and you have no idea if you can add any value to what your child is already learning. The answer is YES! You do have what it takes, and you CAN teach your child valuable skills from your home. So put away all your fears, because we’re here to help!

4 TIPS FOR HOMESCHOOLING YOUR CHILD

Homeschooling is an awesome opportunity to spend more time with your children, and also really get to control what your kids are learning. Besides that, everybody could use a little extra time in their jammies in the morning, right? Homeschooling means you get to set your own schedule, move at your pace, and squeeze in a few extra extra hugs. Who wouldn’t love that? Here’s a few things you should do before deciding to homeschool your child.

1. Check Your State Laws

Visit your state’s “Department of Education” website to find homeschooling laws specific to where you live.

2. Join Homeschooling Groups

Facebook is a great resource to find other families that are involved in homeschooling. You’ll want to be a part of these groups so you can find activities for your child to be a part of outside of home. Your child can make friends, play sports, go on field trips, and it’s not uncommon for homeschool children to put on their own proms! Time 4 Learning Families is a great group where you can find out about these types of homeschooling activities, and they even have lesson plans you can use.

3. Choose a Curriculum

The most important thing when choosing a curriculum is choosing one that works best for your child. Pay attention to how your child learns and choose a curriculum they can excel with.

Have Fun Teaching is a great resource for homeschool families from pre-k to 6th grade. They have curriculum, songs, worksheets, organizers, activities, assessments, and so much more. You can start with a free membership but once you see all you can get, you might want to consider the $10 a month membership.

4. Start a Trello Board

Trello boards are a great way for you to create a daily homeschool schedule for your child/ren and start getting your lesson plans organized in one convenient spot.

7 TIPS FOR TEACHING YOUR PRESCHOOLER

Preschool is all about learning through play! This is such a great time to get hands on and silly with your child, while also teaching them valuable life skills. Some skills you can teach your preschooler at home are:

1. Simple Chores
2. Potty Training
3. Tying Shoes
4. Taking Turns
5. Washing Hands
6. Sitting Quietly
7. Being Kind

It’s also important to read to your preschooler every day! Pambarnhill has a great blog on why nursery rhymes are so important to your child’s development.

Getting Your Preschooler Ready for Kindergarten?

It’s Always Autumn has a great “get ready for kindergarten” checklist set you can use to get an idea of what your preschooler should know before they go to kindergarten. Here is another one you can use.

4 TIPS ON FUN LEARNING RESOURCES

These learning resources are so fun you will find yourself playing games while your child naps.

• ABCYA is an amazing place for educational games.
• Super Simple has children’s songs, shows, activities, recipes, crafts, science and so much more. You’ll also find parenting and teaching tips, as well as free printables!
• Sesame Street has super fun educational games, videos, and more! Be sure to create your free account to get access to everything they have to offer.
• Jack Hartmann’s YouTube channel has over 1,000 fun and educational songs to help children learn things like counting, reading, science, fitness, and more! This page will get your child up and moving and having a blast, while soaking in tons of important learning.

4 TIPS ON CURRICULUM

Unfortunately not all learning can be done through games. If you’re on the hunt for curriculum here are some great resources for you to look into.

• Core Knowledge has free downloadable curriculum for pre-k to 8th grade, for language arts, History & Geography, Science, and Math.
• Sight Words is a great supplemental reading resource to use alongside phonics.
• Spanish Kids’ Stuff is an awesome resource to teach your child Spanish. They have free resources, as well as a membership.
• NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) is all things early education.