by Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal
As a homeschooling parent, you are probably more often than not struggling to find a balance between structure and flexibility. A homeschooling parent needs to maintain structure and cover the necessary fundamentals within traditional curricula (like reading), but, at the same time, many of us like to play up one of the great virtues of homeschooling – the ability to focus on the individual child’s interests and strengths.
After all, unlike in a typical school setting, homeschooling can be customized to speak to and highlight your individual child's interest. So how does the conscientious homeschooling parent find that necessary balance between the need to cover the fundamentals and the desire to engage a child's interests? Here are some points to consider when addressing this classic homeschooling conundrum:
Implement creativity and flexibility by tweaking the tools, not the fundamentals – The fundamentals do not need to change to create a unique and customized experience for your homeschooled child. Yes, of course, teach reading, teach arithmetic, but imbue the experience with the creative elements your child responds to by employing unique tools that cater to your child's interests and strengths. If your child is interested in animation, for example, allow him or her to select a graphic novel for free reading on occasion. For a younger child still learning to read, consider learning alternatives like computer programs or games that mix visual and auditory stimuli into the learning process.
Introduce the element of choice – One small choice can make your child feel in control. While maintaining the overall structure of your day and curriculum, provide one option or one period of time with your day that is left as your child's decision. Maybe allow him or her to select the free reading book of the day, or even surprise him or her with the option of selecting the subject order of the day. These little gifts of choice once in awhile will allow your child to feel engaged in the process and keep the fundamentals exciting.
Ask your child – How many of us really remember to do this? So much of the core ethos of homeschooling is about responding to your child's needs and yet how many of us actually take the time to dial in and ask them their opinion? A direct question about what your child feels is working, or about what he or she enjoys best, may give you a perspective that you hadn't considered before.
Demonstrate that the fundamentals apply to everything – Simply put, there is no way to get by in modern life without a basic understanding of educational fundamentals like reading and basic mathematics. If your child is beginning to develop an interest or focus that he or she perceives as existing independent of the fundamentals - say, your child wants to be a visual artist – point out to your child and demonstrate that the fundamentals are necessary and critical no matter one's field of interest. You might even structure it as an exercise - for example, asking your child to write an essay or story on how learning fundamentals are used in an area that interests him or her. In this way, your child will learn to value and appreciate learning these basic building blocks more fully.
By incorporating a few of these techniques into your homeschooling program, you can provide your child with a flexible, creative environment that responds to his or her needs and interests, while still maintaining the cohesion and structure needed to keep your curriculum on track.
Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal is the founder of SkillaDo and the EasyPhonics™ reading program. Her mission as a teacher is to empower children by teaching them to read and control texts, allowing them to build strong self-images as readers and achievers. You can read more about teaching children, children & learning, and children & reading at the SkillaDo blog.
As a homeschooling parent, you are probably more often than not struggling to find a balance between structure and flexibility. A homeschooling parent needs to maintain structure and cover the necessary fundamentals within traditional curricula (like reading), but, at the same time, many of us like to play up one of the great virtues of homeschooling – the ability to focus on the individual child’s interests and strengths.
After all, unlike in a typical school setting, homeschooling can be customized to speak to and highlight your individual child's interest. So how does the conscientious homeschooling parent find that necessary balance between the need to cover the fundamentals and the desire to engage a child's interests? Here are some points to consider when addressing this classic homeschooling conundrum:
Implement creativity and flexibility by tweaking the tools, not the fundamentals – The fundamentals do not need to change to create a unique and customized experience for your homeschooled child. Yes, of course, teach reading, teach arithmetic, but imbue the experience with the creative elements your child responds to by employing unique tools that cater to your child's interests and strengths. If your child is interested in animation, for example, allow him or her to select a graphic novel for free reading on occasion. For a younger child still learning to read, consider learning alternatives like computer programs or games that mix visual and auditory stimuli into the learning process.
Introduce the element of choice – One small choice can make your child feel in control. While maintaining the overall structure of your day and curriculum, provide one option or one period of time with your day that is left as your child's decision. Maybe allow him or her to select the free reading book of the day, or even surprise him or her with the option of selecting the subject order of the day. These little gifts of choice once in awhile will allow your child to feel engaged in the process and keep the fundamentals exciting.
Ask your child – How many of us really remember to do this? So much of the core ethos of homeschooling is about responding to your child's needs and yet how many of us actually take the time to dial in and ask them their opinion? A direct question about what your child feels is working, or about what he or she enjoys best, may give you a perspective that you hadn't considered before.
Demonstrate that the fundamentals apply to everything – Simply put, there is no way to get by in modern life without a basic understanding of educational fundamentals like reading and basic mathematics. If your child is beginning to develop an interest or focus that he or she perceives as existing independent of the fundamentals - say, your child wants to be a visual artist – point out to your child and demonstrate that the fundamentals are necessary and critical no matter one's field of interest. You might even structure it as an exercise - for example, asking your child to write an essay or story on how learning fundamentals are used in an area that interests him or her. In this way, your child will learn to value and appreciate learning these basic building blocks more fully.
By incorporating a few of these techniques into your homeschooling program, you can provide your child with a flexible, creative environment that responds to his or her needs and interests, while still maintaining the cohesion and structure needed to keep your curriculum on track.
Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal is the founder of SkillaDo and the EasyPhonics™ reading program. Her mission as a teacher is to empower children by teaching them to read and control texts, allowing them to build strong self-images as readers and achievers. You can read more about teaching children, children & learning, and children & reading at the SkillaDo blog.
