As homeschooling mothers, this stay at home order is hard. Even though we’re used to schooling at home, still all our co-ops and classes have been cancelled. Our children are suffering. Many have anxiety.
I feel the pain because I’m right there with you. My son and I have experienced a great deal of agony. It’s been stressful to say the least!
So how can you keep homeschooling in the midst of these difficult times? Here’s some ideas…
1) Pray and cling to Jesus and get in His Word. If we don’t do anything else in a day, I know that I have succeeded if we have our daily devotional and prayer time. Sometimes in all the stress this is hard to remember. Just writing this reminded me how important it is!
2) Give yourself and your children grace. It may be that more meltdowns will occur. And I’m not talking about just kids. Grownups have meltdowns, too. It’s easy to get snappy when there’s so much uncertainty. Forgive quickly and move on.
3) Let your children pursue their interests. Give them plenty of time to research and study what they’re passionate about. They will learn far more this way! The other day my son started talking to me about how much he was learning. I realized that he had earned a half credit in Law! I was stunned by the knowledge that poured out of him. I could have never taught him all that he knows.
4) Play games. Gameschooling is a wonderful way of learning. Why not turn this stay at home order into a reason to play a ton of games? They will learn better and it will relieve stress for everyone.
5) Do unit studies and project-based/experiential learning. That’s what we’ve done for years. At this time, we’re studying Hebrew history. So we decided to celebrate Passover for the first time. It turns out that this Passover is a significant source of comfort and prayer to us during this time. It’s bonding us as a family. And participating in Passover will be more educational for my son then reading about it in a text book.
6) Of course take advantage of technology. Use Audible, Overdrive, and Web classes. As long as you make sure your child is safe, they can also meet friends over the Internet in these classes or help them stay in touch with their local friends through their classes. Have them play games together or even set up an online co-op class!
7) Get plenty of sunshine and take Vitamin C and D. It’s really important to get outside when it’s nice and to make sure your immune systems are strong. Make sure you and your kids get movement in your day.
We’re working on a few Web classes ourselves and we’ll be announcing it soon. We will have online jewelry classes, roleplaying campaigns, and roleplaying courses. Keep checking back! Better yet, subscribe to our feed so you can be up to date. Like our Facebook page so you know when they are available.
Keep your head up and use this time to enjoy one another. Love on one another and realize that education is not about a textbook or worksheet. Education is about LIFE-long learning.
Image by Adobe Stock
High angle portrait of young woman working at laptop with two kids painting beside her at table in modern apartment, copy space
By Seventyfour
