Can you be a busy home-schooling mom actually stay sane?
Definitely — if she knows these sanity saving tips from professional home-schooling moms!
The decision to home-school can be a scary one.
Questions of uncertainty often fill a mom’s mind as she embarks upon the new journey of home-schooling!
- Will I be the teacher my child needs me to be?
- Will I be able to teach all the concepts my child needs to learn?
- Will my child hate that I am her teacher?
- Will I be able to keep my sanity during the long, monotonous school days?
My heart goes out to moms starting this new learning adventure.
Before I got married, I knew I wanted to home-school my future kids.
In fact, I went to college and majored in elementary education for the sole purpose of getting a jump start on preparation for educating my future children.
I also took an assistant teaching job so I can get more of a hands-on experience when it came to teaching young children to read, write and count.
When my son was two, I was already comparing all the available curriculum on the market. I was ready for this home-schooling thing —or so I thought.
The truth is no matter how much we study and prepare to home-school our children there will always be hurdles that we never knew were a part of the home-school journey.
Digging into this professional home-schooling mom list will help you see how other moms have successfully jumped those crazy home-school hurdles! Grab a cup of coffee and tea and soak in the home-schooling wisdom!
19 Sanity Saving Tips from Professional Home-schooling Moms
- Tailor to your child’s learning style. Shannon Watts at Watts in the World.
- Listen to your child. Take time to observe what they are passionate about, and use that as a way into learning, across all topics. Everything is so much easier, happier, and more successful when they are studying something they love. Cathy James Nurture Store
- Follow their interests. Listen to their questions and plan your days around ways to find the answers. Kate at An Everyday Story.
- Give value to life-skills and character building. Shannon Watts at Watts in the World. Psst! Take this tip to the next level and check out a comprehensive life skills course that was created by parents for parents! You’ll love it — pinky promise!
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. You don’t have to complete every question on every single page in the book. If you’re child gets it, do a couple and move on. There’s also no such thing as the perfect curriculum. Don’t get hung up on what else is out there just focus on what works for you family and stick to it. You won’t end up having to fill in holes from changing curriculum so often. Monique from Living Life and Learning Monique
- Have fun! Definitely focus on fun but also try to stick to somewhat of a schedule no matter what method of schooling you use. Chen from Prototype Mama.
- Follow your child’s interests. I homeschooled my two kids through high school. What was most important for me was to follow my kids’ interests and to realize I didn’t need to be perfect. Deb at Living Montessori Now
- Consider nap-time home-schooling. Try home-schooling your older children during your preschooler’s and toddler’s nap-times. This will prevent distractions and give you time in the morning to get chores and meals done. Alison from Pint-sized Treasures.
- Plan for all your kids! Plan for your toddler or preschooler as well as your older children. It doesn’t have to be complicated! But planning out play activities and simple crafts for younger brother or sister really helps reduce the chaos! Sarah at Frugal Fun and Boys.
- Enjoy the Journey.Shannon Watts at Watts in the World.
- Start one year early. I started all six of my kids one year early. Making this decision gave us a cushion for when we had to make big moves or had an extended illness. To this day, our children are ahead in school because we started Kindergarten one year earlier than recommended.Alison at Pint-sized Treasures
- Plan for down time. No mom can function without some down time. Everyone can be quiet for an hour in the afternoon, even the ones who don’t nap anymore.Sarah at Frugal Fun and Boys.
- Choose read aloud books that are above your child’s reading level. By doing this, you will raise their listening comprehension level, which is so important! Sarah at Frugal Fun and Boys.
- Outsource with audio books. Jamie from The Unlikely Homeschool.
- Leave margin in your schedule. Unexpected things always seem to come up, and tasks take longer than expected, especially if you have three or more children. Don’t over-schedule. Sarah at Frugal Fun and Boys.
- Be open to the fact that things will change and be wiling to adapt. Shannon Watts at Watts in the World.
- Don’t forget about life skills! Find out how to dot every “i” and cross every “t” in life skills by checking out this comprehensive life skills course called Skill Trek that’s perfect for homeschooling families like yours! Let’s equip our kids for REAL life! Budgeting, gardening, cooking, sewing, hygiene — it’s all taught in a super-fun way with cartoon characters and even real-life rewards for kids as they conquer each life skill! You don’t want to miss this course that I wish I had taken as a kid. Let the fun, life-learning skill course begin!
- Wake up before the kids. When I say wake up before the kids,I’m not talking about five minutes before them – I’m talking at least an hour. Long enough to put on the coffee or tea and get into the Word and prayer well before the kids are tearing through the house. Marianne at Marianne’s UnderLand.
- Take time to restore your sanity periodically. Take a walk. Go out by yourself for a little while. Sleep in. Take a nap. Take a day off of school. Do something besides text books for a day. Call for a work day to clean up the house and consider it a day of school—real life training. Read a good book for the afternoon. Carrie Grub at Life Changing Seminars
Which tips really encourage you? What would you add?
Chat with us about it in our All Things Mommy group!
