I’m done homeschooling. My season of curriculum choices and co-op duties are done. I’m looking back at the patchwork of schooling formats we used across states, cities, and nations. We’re far enough beyond our homeschool days to look back and know if it worked.
I remember days when I begged God to help me help my kids learn well. Even with an education degree, I wasn’t a whiz in all subjects, and my flesh often mixed with my best intentions to be an A+ teacher. Did we learn enough and grow enough? I hoped so. If you’re just starting homeschooling or if you’ve been at it a while, you might have days when you wonder if your kids are learning or if you need to start saving for therapy.
Do you have 30 seconds, homeschool mom? I want to encourage you with what I know now that I didn’t know then. I had the 3 R’s of Successful Homeschooling all wrong, but God’s grace still allowed us to get it right.
The 3 R’s of Successful Homeschooling
R outine –
Don’t believe the lie that a routine homeschool day isn’t creative or exciting enough. More than enough change will enter our kids’ lives. Teach the value of ordering their day, planning where to put their time, and repeating what works. This will help with younger children, while teaching older ones, as well. I don’t get four stars when it comes to being disciplined, but I can see how our simple routines brought health to our kids in many ways. Consistent routines overflow into other areas of life and breed a peace of their own by instilling life’s rhythms.
R eading –
Both of our young adults have library cards by their own initiative. In addition to content reading, books were joy-filled destinations and places of discovery for us. If kids love to read, they will learn, and you can’t stop them. Successful homeschooling is less about getting lessons done and more about creating lifetime learners.
R est –
Sadly, in today’s world, this lesson is too often learned the hard way. Homeschool parents can make this a foundation stone in a child’s education, a lifetime skill to serve them well. I’m not talking about laziness, doing nothing, celebrating boredom or being unproductive. I’m talking about learning to yearn for good quality rest. That means mom has to figure that out too. When kids practice rhythms of rest, they are more likely to keep learning and keep growing.
The other traditional “R’s” matter too. But don’t let them rule your life as a woman or a mom or a homeschool teacher. I’m done with mine now, and I’m seeing the seeds that are bearing the most fruit.
- Cultivate a routine for your children, so they know the rhythms of life.
- Nurture a love of reading, so they want to use their minds.
- Instill a commitment to real rest, so your children will grow and learn for the long run.
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
Other resources to help you with homeschooling:
- 5 Lessons I Learned in 11 Years of Homeschooling
- The Truth About Moms and Schedules
- Why Homeschooling May Be An Option
- Homeschooling Sydney
- Detailed Homeschooling Records Made Simple
- Election Day and empowering, enduring truths for moms - November 8, 2016
- Loving People: How Moms can Make Life a Lesson in Loving - October 11, 2016
- A Child’s Heart and the Hidden Treasure of Talking Back - September 13, 2016
