6 ways to make homeschooling easier!
New year, new decade, Alhamdullilah.
Hi Ladies… to notify, 2022 is the year that Sugarscarf turns thirteen, and we will be rolling out 13th anniversary celebrations throughout the year! We’re also focusing on the next decade of growth and work, with new designs and perhaps new products for you as well as mapping out sustainability goals to improve our impact on the society :)
We know, as so many of us do, the Covid thingy has really changed a lot of things… and will only continue to worsen to our own detriment. So this blog entry is specially dedicated to all parents who are scrambled to organise and integrate with the new learning methods and environments for the kids!
As a parent, it’s been incredibly difficult for (2 years already!). Even though many parents are thrilled with the reopening of schools, others are seeking virtual options. Some are continuing to homeschool their children… especially with the COVID ‘Deltacron’ variant on the rise and the worry around unvaccinated primary and secondary school kids!
If you chose to homeschool your children, these six tips could help to prepare you and your kids for the new school year :)
- Organize your homeschooling space. Having a room large enough to accommodate the daily demands of homeschooling can ease a child's transition to homeschooling. Parents may be able to allocate an entire room for home instruction, whereas others may have less space available.
- Get and organize supplies. Writing instruments, notebooks and textbooks… you’ll need specific materials and tools to deliver lessons and track each child's progress. See if other homeschoolers have materials they no longer use.
- Think about the curriculum. Choosing or developing a curriculum is probably the most frustrating aspect of homeschooling. It is up to the parents to decide if they will use virtual learning, a homeschool program, or create their own. You will burn some brain cells on this one.
- Create a daily learning routine. During homeschooling days, time will be limited. It's crucial to understand the difference between creating a daily routine (repeated actions) and scheduling (agenda of activities). It has been my experience and knowledge that a stationary schedule (like those in public and private schools) is rarely, if ever, conducive to the needs of a homeschooling family. It is essential for parents to provide structure and flexibility in the face of life's mundane intrusions on the learning process.
- Write everything down! Homeschooling parents face so many challenges every day. Keeping track of as much as you can remains crucial to teaching children and keeping your momentum. Create a system for monitoring tasks and setting reminders. Some people will have no trouble managing their tasks and projects, while others may require a mix of high-tech and low-tech approaches.
- Take care of yourself! Parenting can be stressful, producing mounds of tension. Homeschooling will increase emotional and physical demands leading to all sorts of breakdowns and burnout. Taking care of oneself is essential to coping and recovering from the inevitable times of strain and having joy sucked out of you by ungrateful children, partners, family and communities.
There is no one who can love you more than you can love yourself. Thus, it is important to realize that we must take care of ourselves, love ourselves, set boundaries and engage in productive self-care to rebuild our strength and get back into the trenches of homeschooling.
Bismillah and good luck on your homeschooling life, or whatever type of learning your kids will be engaging in each year. We pray that Allah protects our children and ourselves and helps facilitate healthy learning :)
