As a teacher, I instructed children all day long.
I told them how to sit, where to date their work, which bits should be underlined, in what colour and how they should start their sentences.
That kind of teaching didn’t come naturally to me so as a home educator I am incredibly conscious of letting our children lead their own learning.
I truly believe that children want to learn AND I believe that the education system we have established contributes to destroying that desire to learn.
So, my golden rule for teaching kids is to never ever force it.
I’m not saying that you have to agree with me but I am saying that it is OK not to follow the social norm.
It is OK to not be ‘doing school at home’.
It’s OK for your six year old to not be reading yet.
It’s OK that your five year old doesn’t sit down and practice letter formation.
It is OK to follow their lead.
I’ve learned that the safest path is not always the best path, and I’ve learned the the voice of fear is not to always be trusted. ~ Steve Goodier
Learning is so much more than ABC’s and 123’s.
Our 5 year old can start the day watching a film about early humans and by midday he will have drawn cave paintings outside using charcoal he found in the fire pit and started creating a papier mache cave for his playmobil caveman. based on one he’s seen in a book.
The wealth of learning that has happened in those few hours is huge and the excitement and energy to learn more is evident.
Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them. ~ The Audubon Nature Preschool
On other days a lot less happens but those days are important too.
So, why does someone who believes all this create learning projects?
I get several messages from parents who are struggling to know what to do with their children. Parents who are desperate to home educate but don’t know where to start or how to engage their children.
In reality, your child doesn’t need a project to learn or a folder full of Pinterest worthy activities.
However, the truth is, that the responsibility of home education tends to fall on the shoulders of one person and that can be daunting.
Planning activities takes a lot of time and energy which is something that a lot of parents are short of.
Our resources are kept as simple as possible, they are quick and can be extended easily if your child wants to explore for longer.
They’ll give you peace of mind that your child is learning something if you need it.
The most important thing that I remind myself often is that home education doesn’t have to be perfect to be the best choice for my family.
Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion has no hold on the mind. Therefore do not use compulsion, but let early education be a sort of amusement; you will then be better able to discover the child’s natural bent. ~ Plato
Do you have a golden rule for home educating?