I'm having trouble sticking to the daily school thing. This is my first year doing school at home, and it's boring at times. I know that they're only 2 and 3, but it is a crucial time for their brain development, so I take it pretty seriously. But homeschooling gets tedious and repetitive, and I don't believe that they should have to deal with that at such young ages. One of the main points of me teaching them myself (and I am planning to homeschool in a couple of years as well), is to have the freedom to teach them how I want.
So I've decided to incorporate learning into activities. I teach better that way because it's more engaging. And they learn better because it's more interesting. Everyone wins! I'm trashing the flash cards and I'm going rogue.
Every day we will read and do ONE worksheet that corresponds to the lesson: letters, number, color, shape. Do a verbal review and read a story. And then I'll just take it from there. We may do a craft. go on an outing, or watch YouTube videos. We may incorporate science, history, or even physical education. This should keep us all engaged enough; it gives me some much-needed spontaneity and them a schedule.
Last week, we went to McDonalds for lunch and to play. Because we were learning the letter C (we were and are still are way behind schedule), I had them do things that start with C. Chomp, chew, climb, crawl, clap, carry. We also reviewed things that started with C around us: cup, cars, car seat, chicken nuggets! By the end of the trip, Azariah (2) could tell me what sound C made and Skyland (3) could tell me the sound and list of things that started with C. This was fun because it didn't take a lot of focus. They spoke to me as we ate, and when they played I randomly asked them to do "c" words. I even joined them for a very short period.
I realized, anything can be an educational experience; it doesn't have to stay at the table. And I'm not going to go McDonalds everyday or every week, but I am going to apply what they are learning into everyday life.
So I've decided to incorporate learning into activities. I teach better that way because it's more engaging. And they learn better because it's more interesting. Everyone wins! I'm trashing the flash cards and I'm going rogue.
Every day we will read and do ONE worksheet that corresponds to the lesson: letters, number, color, shape. Do a verbal review and read a story. And then I'll just take it from there. We may do a craft. go on an outing, or watch YouTube videos. We may incorporate science, history, or even physical education. This should keep us all engaged enough; it gives me some much-needed spontaneity and them a schedule.
Last week, we went to McDonalds for lunch and to play. Because we were learning the letter C (we were and are still are way behind schedule), I had them do things that start with C. Chomp, chew, climb, crawl, clap, carry. We also reviewed things that started with C around us: cup, cars, car seat, chicken nuggets! By the end of the trip, Azariah (2) could tell me what sound C made and Skyland (3) could tell me the sound and list of things that started with C. This was fun because it didn't take a lot of focus. They spoke to me as we ate, and when they played I randomly asked them to do "c" words. I even joined them for a very short period.
I realized, anything can be an educational experience; it doesn't have to stay at the table. And I'm not going to go McDonalds everyday or every week, but I am going to apply what they are learning into everyday life.
Once you discover "how" a child learns, it becomes easier to teach them. Also homeschooling enables school to happen in your time and not necessarily between the hours of 8-3.
ReplyDeleteJust like life!!
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