Who Wants to be a Successful Homeschool Mom?!
Did you know successful, homeschool moms don’t just roll out of the bed in the morning, open a book and start teaching their kids?
Nah…it’s a little bit more complicated than that…ha!
To be a successful homeschool mom there has to be patience, dedication, a sense of humor, and most of all — kids. :)
Kids of all sorts…
With different learning styles…
And different personalities…
You absolutely need to have kids to be successful at homeschooling.
Sure, you could teach some stuffed animals, but not so sure you’d actually succeed in this homeschooling adventure without kids.
I know — I used to do exactly that when I was 7 years old…and those students never excelled!
But if unicorns fly…
Back to all seriousness though…
Let’s chat about the “why” of your family’s decision to homeschool.
Because you can’t become successful unless you have a passionate, powerful “why.”
Why Do You Want to be a Successful Homeschool Mom?
Maybe you’re homeschooling because your child is struggling in school.
Or you’ve chosen to educate your kids at home because you believe they will receive a better education at home.
Some moms absolutely love being at home with their kids and choose to homeschool so they have more hours together.
Maybe that’s you too!
Christian moms may choose to homeschool because public schools teach morals that loudly clash with Biblical ones.
And some of us choose to homeschool for a mix of those reasons mentioned above.
Thank You For Choosing to be a Homeschool Mom!
But let me take a moment and applaud you.
Those are all crazy-wonderful reasons to homeschool your child!
We’ve been homeschooling for 13 years and are completely confident we made the right decision.
And in another post on sanity-saving tips from professional homeschool moms you’ll hear from all types of moms who’ve successfully homeschooled for over ten years!
It’s a great read!
Even though our family knows we’ve made the right decision about educating our children, it’s not been easy.
Homeschooling is Never Easy!
There have been tears…
There have been financial sacrifices...
But there’s also been giggles, wonderful memories made, and homeschooling has been an influence over the super-close relationships we enjoy with our kids.
I truly hope your homeschool year is full of hands-on, totally nerdy conversations and lots of field trips!
Just remember, the homeschooling years won’t last forever…;0)
Focus on the good days and hold on to your life raft through the bad ones! <3
Or, you could join our All Things Mommy group and spill your homeschooling victories and frustrations.
We’re here for you! <3
Psst!
You can take or leave ANY of these things that successful homeschool moms do.
Your homeschool year should reflect YOUR family’s goals, lifestyle and routine. <3
18 Things Successful Homeschool Moms Actually Do
What Homeschool Moms Do #1: They make easy, low-prep meals.
I wish I had the freezer meal thing down, but I don’t.
(Update as of 2021….we’re finally crushing freezer meals at our house and will be sharing recipes and videos soon! It’s been a happy game-changer for this family! It’s a monthly event now and we’re ALL involved!)
But my friend Sharla swears by them and shares her recipes and tips here.
Instead, I have some easy, low-prep meals that we keep ingredients for.
We’re talking little mess, lots of variety and kid-friendly meals!
You’ll find my favorite, super simple, back to school dinner ideas here.
And, another fun idea is DIY lunch stations!
For moms who LOVE their slow cookers (waving my hands over here!) this is a HUGE list of easy, crockpot meals to make your life less hectic and waaaay more yummy!
What Homeschool Moms Do #2: They spend time with their younger children before school.
If you have toddlers or babies at your house, that takes homeschooling to a whole new level!
You have to plan on ways to keep your younger children, happy, safe, content and busy.
Not an easy feat, right?!
I remember reading a book about 15 years ago that mentioned spending time with your younger kids first thing in the morning.
We’re talking 7 am.
Read them books, have tickle fights, blow bubbles….whatever you need to do to let them know they have your attention too!
Then, when you begin school with your older children, you can give your younger children busy bags, an educational video to watch and even simple toys like Mega blocks, Little People etc.
**When using busy bags, make sure the materials inside the busy bags are only used during homeschool hours. If you use them during other parts of the day they’ll lose their “special” appeal!
What Homeschool Moms Do #3: They avoid social media during school hours.
It’s so tempting to check Facebook, email, or Instagram when your child is taking a test or involved in independent reading.
But digging into your social media distracts you and eventually will slow your homeschool day down.
You may find yourself in a mom-to-mom chat, and then your child is waiting for instructions on his next assignment.
All those little pauses add up!
What Homeschool Moms Do #4: They schedule daily breaks — together.
Everyone’s brain needs little brain breaks here and there — especially successful homeschool moms and their homeschooling kids!
This tip follows the avoiding social media mention in order to encourage you to enjoy mental breaks — but only on scheduled times.
But don’t let the word “schedule” bother you!
You just want to follow a routine.
The tick of the clock doesn’t need to dictate your breaks.
(We’ll chat about routine in just a sec.)
And what’s best about scheduled breaks?
They’re taken together.
You and your child take breaks at the same time.
During these little breaks, you can grab a drink, answer texts, or watch a few funny Facebook videos together!
What Do Successful Homeschooling Moms Do?
What Homeschool Moms Do #5: They save deep cleaning for weekends.
One difference between teachers at a school and homeschool teachers is that homeschool teachers are in their own homes.
The temptation to reorganize the pantry or polish all the furniture during school hours can definitely be a distraction.
We also do “jack pot” chores on Saturday and the kids love it!
This gives us all an opportunity to tackle those deeper cleaning tasks without neglecting school studies
Check out the creative chore idea yourself!
Be sure to read our three easy cleaning tips for busy moms!
They’re simple and effective!
What Homeschool Moms Do #6: They take holidays.
Traditional schools make time for holidays — successful homeschool moms do too!!
This gives young your kids a nice break and some extra time to focus on fun.
Grab a school calendar and note all their holidays.
What Homeschool Moms Do #7: They follow their district’s school calendar.
Obviously, this is not a must, but it certainly makes planning and keeping track of your days much easier!
What Homeschool Moms Do #8: They use a printable planner for their homeschool journey.
This keeps report cards, attendance, and other super important records organized and easy-to-find.
What Homeschool Moms Do #9: They make sure their toddlers and preschoolers religiously nap.
This is not an impossible task.
Successful homeschool moms know that predictable, routine naps work magic in a homeschooling family!
Naps ensure that the younger kids are well-rested, less cranky and healthy!
You can read our BEST toddler nap tips here!
Older kids enjoy the benefits of finishing up school in a quiet, undisturbed manner.
And, this can be a nice break for the busy, homeschool mom too!
Think it’s just too tough to get YOUR toddler or preschooler to nap?
Join our SIX DAY Sneaky Naptime Course for Toddlers and Preschoolers.
Six days and your child’s nap time routine will be established, predictable and even anticipated!
We’ve included fun reward charts for sleep toddlers and preschoolers as well as the perfect daily routines that encourage rest!
You’ll also find do’s and don’ts of naptime as well as an entire lesson dedicated to nap time regression.
This typically happens if your family faces any serious lifestyle changes — such as moving to another home, a death in the family, sickness, divorce or the loss of a parent’s job.
All of those stresses can actually sabotage your child’s nap time routine.
And most of those stresses can’t be avoided..
In one dedicated lesson, we gently walk you through how to get back to the nap time routine your children loved!
We’re there for you! <3
Grab it today and join other moms who’ve loved and successfully used our sneaky naptime formula!
What are Other Things Successful Homeschool Moms Do?
What Homeschool Moms Do #10: They always budget for homeschool supplies and needs.
At the beginning of our homeschooling days, we didn’t budget for homeschooling needs.
Do you know what our non-budgeting tactics gave us?
Stress.
Loads of financial stress.
We learned the painful way that we absolutely have to budget for homeschooling expenses.
With six kids homeschooling, and five using homeschool videos, the dollar signs multiply quickly!
What Homeschool Moms Do #11: They refuse to say “yes” to everyone.
For some reason, homeschool moms are always the ones people ask to baby-sit, bake cookies, lead an after-school program, etc.
Successful homeschool moms have to ensure their homeschool journey stays a priority.
Even if you’re using a student-paced or self-paced curriculum, you still need to be there for your children to have someone ensuring they stay on task.
They also need your presence to answer questions and guide them through good research and study methods.
For the homeschooling season in your life, you will probably have to say “no” more than “yes” — and that’s perfectly ok.
Your child’s education should be a huge priority!
What Homeschool Moms Do #12: They celebrate victories!
Some of my favorite traditional school memories were when there were reward parties for kids who made certain grades and showed great character.
These were scheduled during school hours and required a special pass.
The special pass made me feel like royalty!
Side note: we use “special passes” for some of our Family Friday Nights and it makes a BIG difference!
Little things truly mean a lot to kids!
Since homeschooled children don’t have huge award ceremonies, field trips, etc. take time to celebrate victories or awesome report cards.
Plan a mini-vacation, a water park day, a family slumber party, or anything else your family would love!
Celebrating victories help kids see their hard work is truly appreciated!
Homeschool Moms are Creative and Know When to Have Fun!
What Homeschool Moms Do #13: They’re not afraid to switch to a different curriculum.
Even though a certain curriculum is touted as being “the most advanced education system” it doesn’t mean that specific resource is the best for your family.
We used a Mennonite curriculum for first and second grade.
However, when our kids started the third grade we switched to a video-based curriculum and that’s been the best decision for our family.
I have heard negative comments from some parents about “kids watching videos for hours” or “the parent isn’t REALLY teaching.”
But, those comments don’t bother me.
I know this choice has been the best for us.
My kids are retaining and applying information from their studies instead of memorizing facts just to make a good grade.
And to answer those two critical remarks towards video schooling… here are my thoughts:
- Most video schools choose teachers who live, sleep, and breathe the subject they’re teaching.
- I don’t live and breathe science of any kind.
- Geometry was never my strong point.
However, my kids have access to a teacher who has taught Geometry for 15 years and LOVES it.
While my kids do watch their school videos for approximately three hours per day, they watch very little entertainment — except on the weekends and road trips.
And I’m ok with that.
Because I’ve seen the end product. I have kids who LOVE learning and LOVE their video teachers.
And it’s a financial sacrifice for my husband and me to choose this type of education for them, but it’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make.
If you’re choosing to homeschool, don’t let all the naysayers discourage you from a curriculum that works for your family!
Homeschool Moms are Brave!
What Homeschool Moms Do #14: They stick to a routine.
Need help finding a routine that works for your family ” I highly recommend this Routines and Rhythms ebook from some friends of mine!
It breaks down routines in an easy-to-digest kind of way!
You’ll love it!
What Homeschool Moms Do #15: They set up a dedicated school station.
Successful homeschool moms know they need an area (or room) in their home that is completely dedicated to school.
All pencils, crayons, notebooks, textbooks, erasers etc. are stored there.
What Homeschool Moms Do #16: They get dressed.
Clothes absolutely affect our brains.
If we’re wearing our “comfy” clothes we automatically switch to an “unwind” mindset.
If we put on our work clothes, we’re ready to get scrubbing!
If we put on our favorite team’s shirt, we’re ready to cheer on the team!
Successful homeschool moms make sure their kids and themselves are dressed BEFORE they start school.
No jammies allowed!
What Homeschool Moms Do #17: They don’t compare their child’s academic success or failure to others.
Kids learn at different paces and via various methods.
Be careful to guard your words when speaking about other children.
You never want to compare your child to others at the expense of your child’s learning experience.
Just encourage your child to do the absolutely best she can.
What Homeschool Moms Do #18: They have quick “house swoops.”
Not sure what a house swoop is?
Check out our house swoop article, checklist, and printables here!
In summary, simply have super-quick, clean-up times in which the entire family spends 10-15 minutes straightening up the house!
This simple strategy keeps the house from overflowing with creative messes!
Doesn’t that Sound like a Successful, Homeschool Mom List?
And last of all, I want to say thank you.
Thank you for being willing to make the sacrifices so your child can learn at home.
No one truly understands the commitment until they begin the journey themselves.
And you’re homeschooling a kindergartener, I want to give you a huge set of printables to teach them the 52 sight words every kindergartener should know!
It’s a huge help to your emerging reader!
I truly hope your homeschool year bubbles over with awesome learning experiences and adventures!
Affiliate links have been added to make your homeschool journey the best yet!
