Anxious about Starting to Homeschool? You’ve Got This!

We hear from many parents who say, “I would love to teach my kids at home, but I don’t think I could do it.” Homeschooling is definitely not for the faint of heart, but we can all agree–neither is parenting!

The list is long for reasons why we ‘can’t’ or ‘shouldn’t’ homeschool our kids, but let’s explore some of the most common ones, to test their validity:

1. “I’m not qualified to teach my kids.”
   If you really think about it, you were your child’s very first teacher. Did you teach them how to walk? How to talk? How to say ‘please and ‘thank you’? If you added up all the things you’ve taught them, leading up to their primary years, you’d likely be surprised at all you’ve accomplished together! Your kids need you! Plus, you don’t need a degree to give a hug to comfort or encourage, when needed. No teacher or authority can offer that to your child.
2. “My kids won’t have any friends”
   Just as we parents don’t acquire all our friends at work, kids may not find theirs at school, exclusively. We find fellowship from neighbors, family, church, youth groups, sports teams, and community groups. Even siblings can become great friends! Some children thrive with many friends, and some more introverted types enjoy a quieter life, with just a few..
3. “My kids will fight all day.”
   Your kids probably will fight from time to time, but as many veteran homeschool families have found, how better to learn conflict resolution than within the home! Your children may not have the opportunity to learn this valuable skill if they are separated at school all day.
4. “My kids won’t listen to me”
   As restrictions to discipline students are tightened in schools, teachers’ hands are limited when teaching kids the basics of manners and respect. Our kids should learn these valuable lifelong lessons first and foremost at home.Truthfully, as parents we don’t always want to go to work every day, but we need to, in order to earn a living. Kids may not enjoy doing school work each day, but still, it must be required.
5. “I can’t entertain them all day”.
   Nor should you! The average child can accomplish his or her core studies of math and language arts in a fraction of the time it would in a traditional classroom. This also allows time for students to pursue topics of interest beyond what the curriculum provides. The bonus here is, no more homework–so more time for family!

Kids are natural learners and will explore ideas on their own. Providing games, craft materials, books, puzzles, and dress-up clothes can open the door to independent learning and creativity.

So when you think about it, the home may be the very best choice for your family to learn and thrive!