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I’m bored! This is boring! Heard this before?
 Are
you finding it difficult to maintain interest in schooling at home?
My kids have begun to reach the age where suddenly the legos and blocks that
always excited them are torture.
They are torn between wanting to do big kid
things (like cooking and riding their bikes up and down the road without mom and
dad) and their desire to be with mommy and daddy. |
Along this same time comes the boredom with school. The excitement that they had
when they were starting Kindergarten and their new books has faded away and now
they groan over studying spelling words or working on penmanship.
As a homeschooling parent you not only have this, but you are also working with
kids of various ages and need levels. It is not unusual to have an infant or
toddler on your hip as you work through a reading passage with your third
grader. Coupled with this you also have different levels of attention
spans.
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So what can you do to keep them interested?
As a homeschooling mom of four children I know how exhausting this is. I
have come up with a few "fun learning" things that have worked for my kids,
maybe it will work to break the boredom for your family too.
1. Resist the urge to drag school on indefinitely.
Homeschooling is great because of its flexibility but it will become drudgery if
a child never feels they can leave the school [housewives understand this well].
Have set start and end times so that your kids, and you, can look forward to
when it is done.
2. As much as possible use supplemental materials. I let my
kids pick out one science and one history video from the library each week. That
allows them to feel that they have some control over what they’re learning. Then
after they watch the video they write a short synopsis for me. This ensures they
are paying attention and gives me something to add to their portfolio.
3. Stick to a schedule. Adults need to know when they have to
perform and when they have down time, kids are no different. In fact, research
has shown that kids thrive on structure and predictability [no surprise to those
of us who can sing the songs to EVERY Disney movie]. Let them know what they
have to do when. This will help them be engaged when they need to be. |
These are just a few suggestions, use them in addition to what you’re already
doing to help your homeschooler stay engaged. And for you, try to find local
homeschooling chapters and groups. You can also attend
Convention where you can connect to other
homeschooling parents for support, boredom breakers, and encouragement.
This link is to the
Midwest Homeschool Convention.
Here are hundreds of links to the
"boredom breakers. There is the
Educational fun
link, and the great discounts on
education toys & games
Need even more ideas, here is a great site to see.
Home-School-Ideas is packed with creative and inspiring ideas for
all ages of homeschoolers.
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