Yesterday, I talked about the necessity of having a plan for your homeschool year. As much as I like schedules, I don’t see school time as just cracking the books and checking off the boxes. One of the huge advantages of homeschooling is the ability to make school fun.
Certainly, parts of school won’t be so much fun. Some children just don’t like math or handwriting, but putting in the time to achieve competence is necessary. Learning to stick with unpleasant tasks is good for the character, too!
On the other hand, looking for ways to help a child enjoy learning more is always a good idea. Does your child like the computer? Maybe a computer-based drill program for math facts will bring him up to speed quickly. A colorful textbook might seem more enjoyable to your child than a black and white text. Most children like stories and can learn and retain as much or more from historical fiction or captivating biographies than from a text book. Having Mom read, or listening to a recorded book while they eat or draw might be more enjoyable than reading alone. We all enjoy learning more when it involves our preferred learning styles.
Hands-on science activities can bring topics to life. Yes, they can be messy and time consuming, .but experiments can turn a science-hater into a science-lover. Playing with water, balloons, sticky stuff, and building materials will entertain just about any child!
And games…there are so many educational games on the market, covering science, grammar, history, and more! It’s pretty easy to make your own games, as well. A deck of cards can be used for math fact games. Index cards can be cut in half to make question and answer cards or matching games to review history or science facts or vocabulary. You can see some of the games I designed for our home here. Super Star Games. Feel free to use the ideas for inspiration!
What do you do to make your school days more fun?
Read more about “Homeschooling Essentials” this week at the following blogs, or click on the banner below!
Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool Internet and Pinterest
Jennifer @ Royal Little Lambs Know Yourself
Sarah @ My Joy-Filled Life 12 Must-Have Books for Homeschool Moms
Lisa Marie @ The Canadian Homeschooler Understand The Rules
Laura @ Four Little Pengins Community
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses Magnetic Book Marks
Dinah @ The Traveling Classroom
Dawn @ Guiding Light Homeschool Essential Skills to Getting a Job
Erin @ Water on the Floor Individual Learning vs. Group Learning
FUN is something I'm just getting the conviction to actually DO. I've always been of the persuasion that we do the fun things after we do the MUST things, and we aren't very good at doing all of the MUST things, either. But, I'm learning. Great post!
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