When you are homeschooling your children, maintaining discipline becomes ever more important. Since a child goes not need to go to a public school and stays home all the time, he/she may mistake the freedom he/she gets and feel that homeschooling is like having summer holiday all year long.

Homeschooling provides a deal of flexibility and sometimes this can be a double edge sword. Managing the time you have for homeschooling your kid can be a major problem and needs to be disciplined right from the start.

There's a saying where more freedom means more responsibilities. That certainly is true for homeschooling. Homeschooling provides you and your kids a great deal of freedom and flexibility in deciding where to learn, how to learn and when to learn.

The decisions you make should be from the beginning. If your kids are older, get them involved in the decision process and plan out each day's homeschooling routine at least one month in advance. Getting your kid's involvement let him/her know what's he/she going to learn in advance. More important, it teaches kids the importance of planning.

From experience, homeschooling can get easily sidetracked at home due to many distractions, therefore a time-table that you rigorously follow is of utmost important.

Another part of homeschooling is homework. Once lessons are taught to the child, he/she should be allowed to do homework without your assistance. Also, set a dateline for completion to educate him/her about punctuality.

There are also other aspects of discipline such as the child's manners,courtesy and character developement. It is best to educate your child about such things right from the beginning and continue through his/her homeschooling education.

It takes time to educate your child regarding these virtues.

I always advise parents considering homeschooling to set aside a room for lessons and homework. Conduct all your homeschooling in that room. Through time, the child knows that room is meant for studying and not a playground.

In spite of all the steps and precautions you take, there will be times when your child may be difficult to discipline and get him/her to listen to you. When this happens, think out of the box. Try something new or different. Take a break once in a while to take a breather.

Homeschooling is not easy and is destined for failure if you do not have the patience and time. It requires a lot of hard work and planning.

By establishing ground rules from the beginning for your child and strictly adhering to these rules, the chances of a great homeschooling experience are better.

I hope this article has provided you with some pointers on how to maintain discipline homeschooling your child.



Thanks to Kb Lim for contributing this article to our Homeschool blog:

Sonlight Homeschooling

Someone once said that a child can be educated well with nothing more than a well-stocked library of good books.

This is certainly sufficient for some people, but most parents who are tackling the education feel better about having a homeschool curriculum that they can follow to be sure they cover the topics properly.

For new homeschooling parents, it can truly seem a daunting task to try to choose the right home schooling curriculum for the needs of the particular family unit and individual students.

Usually parents have already been through quite a lot of rigorous study and contemplation before deciding to pursue home schooling with their children, and at that point they are often simply at a loss for knowing how to select the most effective and comprehensive curriculum.

But, it happens often that soon information overload hits as parents find that there are so many different options in homeschool curriculum and the array of choices makes it even more difficult to narrow things down and come to a conclusion regarding the curriculum.

And, thrown into the middle of the mix is the need to be sure that the specific requirements for the state they live in are met and that their homeschoolers are properly prepared for any of the standardized tests that they will be required to take through the local school system.

Those veteran parents who have a few years under their belts of homeschooling children will lend kind words of support to the newcomers and willingly share their choices in homeschool curriculum, voicing their opinions and giving their real-life experiences of the materials.

Sometimes this can be most helpful in narrowing down the choices, while for some people this simply adds to the confusion regarding the matter. And, while parent reviews are helpful, it should always be remembered that your children may need a different lesson plan and structure than others do.

After all, this is one of the main reasons people choose to homeschool, to be able to create more individualized learning paths for their children.

The best route for a parent who is new to homeschooling children is to go slowly, take sufficient time to study the options and consider each child's style of learning and motivational draws, stay flexible and open, and above all, listen to your parental instincts.

While many companies design, package and market homeschool curriculum that has been developed by professionals, remember that it is the parent who knows their child better than anyone.

In making a decision about home schooling curriculum, avoid getting into a position where you have to make a decision in a panic. This will usually result in a purchase that is more about having something to keep your student busy than what is designed to best meet their needs. This can be a waste of money and a frustration for both parents and homeschoolers alike.

Every year there are many homeschooling fairs and conferences that you can attend. These provide a chance for parents to meet and compare experiences and share advice and also to meet with the publishers of homeschool curriculum and review their products and pick up their marketing literature.



Thanks to MIKE SELVON for contributing this article to our Homeschool blog:

Homeschooling Preschoolers

Families have homeschooled their children throughout history. Homeschooling fell out of fashion when modern public schools were developed, until homeschooling began again in the early 1980s. Since that time some of those homeschool graduates have continued their education, but it hasn't always been easy to go on to college.

Until recently, being accepted into college after homeschooling has been uncommon, but times are changing. In fact, many colleges now seek out homeschool graduates for admission. The reasons they do so are varied, but it boils down to the fact that homeschooled students already know how to learn.

Should your child pursue a college education after being homeschooled? That is a decision only you and your child can make. While college is different from public school, there are some similarities. If your child has not been used to the structure of public school, you need to realize that they may struggle in college. Don't let that dissuade your child; the struggles can be overcome if they put forth some effort.

If your child is interested in furthering their education, by all means allow them to pursue it. Encourage them to reach for their dream. Your job, however, will increase as you have to keep very good records. Your child will need a transcript that you create, or you can sign up with a homeschool cover that will create the transcript for you.

What are the requirements for gaining entrance to college? Each college has their own admissions requirements. Check with the college your student is interested in attending. The college should have their requirements listed on their website, if they have one, or you can write for a catalog or further information.

Quite often children will be homeschooled until they reach high school so that the student will be able to get a diploma. Others will continue to homeschool through high school and take correspondence courses to earn their diploma. Begin to prepare your student to take the ACT as a preliminary to entering college.

Seek out the help and advice from the college Registrar. They will be able to inform you of any special requirements for homeschoolers. They will also be able to tell you if there are other options for those seeking admission without a traditional education. An option that isn't often considered if a student wants to continue their education is to seek admission after turning 19. This will classify the student as "mature" and changes the criteria for entering college. In some colleges, the age to classify as mature is 21. Check the college of your choice before using this option.

Finally, when considering a possible college education, make sure that your child has begun to contact potential colleges in plenty of time for the application process. They will also need to fulfill the other college admissions requirements. Encourage them to seek their dreams and do all you can to help them go from homeschool graduate to college student.



Thanks to Jane Saeman for contributing this article to our Homeschool blog:

Abeka Homeschool

What has made so many more parents decide to hop on the homeschooling band wagon? The vast resources offered by Internet access that make homeschooling children a much easier process than ever before. Thanks to the advent of the Internet, parents have all of the resources they could ever want or need when it comes to homeschooling their children appropriately. As more parents are catching on to this fact, more children are being homeschooled. In fact, parents will find that the Internet is an invaluable resource when it comes to teaching their homeschooler everything they need to learn.

From free interactive games to free classic literature e-books, parents are finding that all of the educational tools they require to educate their children are easily accessible with the use of the Internet. No longer do parents have to worry about running from one library to another or from one educational supply store to the next, now that the Internet has made getting homeschooling supplies such a simple task. In fact, with the use of any search engine, parents that are homeschooling their children can find an array of services, both premium and free, for their children. Finally, the homeschooled student can learn much as they explore various interactive and educational sites on the Internet.

The basic resources like dictionaries, encyclopedia articles and mathematical tools are easily available online for the homeschooling child to use whenever they need. Moreover, with the rapid increase in online course offerings, homeschooled students can take several classes specifically designed for the homeschooler. Everything from reading to studying can be done with online tools, and homeschooling parents are thrilled with the new and latest resources at their fingertips.

Parents looking for educational games, lesson plans, worksheets, study guides and the like will find them easily enough while using the Internet. In addition, supplies can be ordered right online and delivered to the homeschooling family’s door—no need to travel to get all the homeschooling resources a family will ever need. Moreover, parents will find that Internet resources can easily supplement what is being taught to the homeschooler in the homeschool setting. Finally, for those parents looking to incorporate strong faith teaching in their homeschooling efforts, online resources can prove invaluable; from biblical stories to online scripture, the homeschooled student can supplement their learning with teachings pertaining to their faith.



Thanks to Mimi Rothschild for contributing this article to our Homeschool blog:

Best Homeschool Curriculum