Whether you’re new to homeschooling or you’ve always been an ardent believer in the benefits of homeschooling your child, you might be looking for new ideas. Getting them away from books and into more hands-on activities can renew your child’s interest in their schoolwork. Keep in mind, playtime is essential for child development—it hones their critical thinking skills! Check out some ways to make homeschooling fun this year!
Games
Incorporating games into your day can be a much-needed break from reading and watching online lectures. Some parents strew games around their home, which is a technique that parents utilizing the unschooling method often try. Games are left out, and the children decide what to play.
You might be wondering, how are games considered schoolwork? Believe it or not, games can teach kids tons of skills:
- Literacy and math skills
- Effective communication
- How to cooperate
- Learning to handle losses—and wins, too!
- Critical thinking and problem solving
Music
Music can help to both motivate and calm anxious nerves before a test. Playing music in the morning can set the mood, and having impromptu dance parties can help them shake off any cobwebs from their studies.
Art
Break up the afternoons with an art project! Not only can your child express themselves creatively, but art classes can help them to view the world from different perspectives. Let them explore multiple mediums to find the one they love the most: drawing, painting, or sculpting.
Art can also help to keep kids from fidgeting through listening to a lecture or a read-aloud. Modeling clay, Legos, and even knitting is perfect for keeping them occupied.
Language
Did you know that most children in the world are fluent in more than one language? Take a few minutes out of the day to learn the basics of one language or various fun phrases in several! The younger children start to learn a language, the easier it is for their minds to grasp.
There are tons of ways to make homeschooling fun this year! Breaking up the day with hands-on activities will keep your children interested in learning!
Study Group
While you could teach your child many things at home, there are some skills that they need to learn for themselves, like socializing with kids their age. You can host study groups at your home with other kids in your neighborhood.
Study groups don’t need to be about the children’s schoolwork either. For example, if you’re a Christian, holding a Bible studies group will allow your child to meet with fellow Christians and discuss key aspects of the Bible and the Christian faith. Just be sure to equip your child with the right tools, such as their own Bible, a Bible study lesson planner for you and your kids, notebooks, pencils, and the like. By being a part of or holding study groups, your children will gain new friends and develop necessary social skills while learning new things in a more enjoyable and interesting way.
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 