Homeschooling can be a life changing experience. It presents an opportunity for personal growth to the parent and the child. For example, as parents help their children to discover their genius, they end up rediscovering their own in the process. According to recent statistics, the number of parents who chose to home-school their children has been on the rise over the past years. However, one of the most challenging things is to educate a child who has not been to any formal learning setting before. For kindergarten homeschooling, you need to know some of the factors that are likely to determine your success.
1. Knowing if you are qualified to home-school your children
If you can read to your kids, spend a lot of time with them, help them explore the world, and want to help them learn new things, you are qualified to teach them at home. The most important thing in this case is to have passion for their personal growth. You should be ready to love them regardless of their individual strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day, what you are aiming at is to help them take off to a good start in life so that they can build on from there are grow to become reliable citizens.
The best part about kindergarten homeschooling is that there is nothing too complex that you will be discussing with the children. Unlike when you have to school teenagers, you only will be dealing with life’s basics when handling the kids. In fact, the whole experience can be a lot of fun because you will be remembering what you went through when you were that age. In addition to that, you do not need too many reference materials. However, you need to ensure that there are enough learning aids because at this age, the learning is more about visuals than theory. Things such as charts, pictures, and other props should not be overlooked.
2. You do not have to take six to eight hours every day
In formal schools, kindergarten learners have to pend six to eight hours at school going through a predetermined routine. They have to do this for a specific number of weeks in a year in order to qualify for promotion to the next level. You do not have to follow such a routine if you are homeschooling your children,. In fact, one of the advantages of choosing this type of learning is that you have the flexibility to choose the hours and days that the children study.
For instance, if you are the type that is always busy at work, you may want to set aside a few hours in the evening in order to teach the children. You also can choose to teach during weekends, or during any other time that is convenient for both of you. The only thing that you should be worried about is the completion of the education program. You need to set a time-table and plan well for every lesson. Be sure to set your targets and work towards achieving them so that your children do not end up missing on the required time lines to complete their courses.
3. It will not turn your children into social misfits
The critics of kindergarten homeschooling have always tried to convince people that it can turn a child into a social misfit. However, most case studies have proved that it is not true. The truth is that in order to become well-adjusted socially, a child does not have to spend too much time in the company of other children of the same age. In fact, the kids will be better off if they learn social graces from adults, and that is what homeschooling provides.
4. It is fine to question yourself
During the initial stages of homeschooling, you will question yourself a lot, and there is absolutely no problem with that. Sometimes, you will wonder if you have made the right choice for your kids, and if you are teaching them what they should be taught. However, as the days go by, you will find ways of overcoming this. The best thing to do is to find other parents that are homeschooling their kids so that you can share your experiences. This also is a good opportunity for you to support each other so that you have the right materials and knowledge to school your child without any fear. At this point, you will notice that you have more potential that you thought.
5. You have to trust your children
To successfully take your children through kindergarten homeschooling, you have to trust and believe in them. They may be young and tender, but they have been through many stages in life already. Before they became of school going age, they learned to love, smile, and laugh. They also learned to crawl, walk, run, play and do many other things. They already have been learning through all these stages. Therefore, you can only trust that they will also apply the same zeal when it comes to schooling.
Through schooling, they are not starting their lives but continuing with a process that has already started. Studies show that kids who study at home are likely to be more successful when they know that their parents have confidence in them. Even when you notice that they are not learning as fast as they should, you should not show frustration or anger towards. The only thing that you can do is to keep encouraging them while hoping that one day, they will achieve their dreams.
Clearly, you have to consider lots of other factors if kindergarten homeschooling is the preferred choice for child. If you are wondering about the time and commitment required to do this, you may want to know that there are thousands of families that are making their money while schooling their kids at the same time. You may have to restructure your job, start a family business, or create that dream source of income while homeschooling your kids, and they will learn the trade from you.