Often, we homeschool out of obedience to the Lord and a desire to raise godly children, but then, we end up homeschooling FOR God instead of WITH the Lord. We need to make sure to bring Jesus into our homeschool; to open with prayer and Bible reading; to commit each day to Him and regularly pray as things arise. We need Jesus to help us homeschool!
Moms and dads, we need to start our day with Jesus and to read His Word and pray each morning before we begin to teach those precious little ones.
Assess Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Think about how you teach your children. Where are you strong? Where are you weak? I love to read aloud, stay positive, and encourage my children to read classic literature. I am pretty good at keeping our family on track so that we finish the year up on time, completing all that we set out to do. However, I am not very good at keeping up with correcting math, grammar workbooks, and writing papers. I often find myself with a month's worth of correcting to do at one time. Another weakness is hands-on activities and science.
Moms and dads, we need to start our day with Jesus and to read His Word and pray each morning before we begin to teach those precious little ones.
Assess Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Think about how you teach your children. Where are you strong? Where are you weak? I love to read aloud, stay positive, and encourage my children to read classic literature. I am pretty good at keeping our family on track so that we finish the year up on time, completing all that we set out to do. However, I am not very good at keeping up with correcting math, grammar workbooks, and writing papers. I often find myself with a month's worth of correcting to do at one time. Another weakness is hands-on activities and science.
Grow in Your Strengths
Our tendency is to focus on our weaknesses, which can make us feel discouraged. Instead, we should spend most of our time growing stronger in our strengths. Yes, you heard me right. What are you good at? Become more skilled at your skills and excellent at all those things you love to do.
I like to write so I spend time growing as a writer. Baking is another thing I enjoy so I try out new recipes and tempt my family with goodies. Teaching history and literature is a strength. What fun I have in my life cultivating this gift by co-oping with other families. Brad loved to wood burn and would find pictures to sketch on the wood. As he grew in his skill, he now creates his own original pictures.
Learn New Things
Spend time learning new things. Have you wanted to learn hydroponic gardening? Then, investigate and learn how to start your own garden. Are there classic books that you would like to read or a period of history you would like to learn more about? Read, research, and investigate. Why not pursue piano lessons, learn a foreign language, or research an interesting topic with your children. You can learn along with them. Learning is fun for moms and dads too!
Work on Your Weaknesses
Our tendency is to focus on our weaknesses, which can make us feel discouraged. Instead, we should spend most of our time growing stronger in our strengths. Yes, you heard me right. What are you good at? Become more skilled at your skills and excellent at all those things you love to do.
I like to write so I spend time growing as a writer. Baking is another thing I enjoy so I try out new recipes and tempt my family with goodies. Teaching history and literature is a strength. What fun I have in my life cultivating this gift by co-oping with other families. Brad loved to wood burn and would find pictures to sketch on the wood. As he grew in his skill, he now creates his own original pictures.
Learn New Things
Spend time learning new things. Have you wanted to learn hydroponic gardening? Then, investigate and learn how to start your own garden. Are there classic books that you would like to read or a period of history you would like to learn more about? Read, research, and investigate. Why not pursue piano lessons, learn a foreign language, or research an interesting topic with your children. You can learn along with them. Learning is fun for moms and dads too!
Work on Your Weaknesses
I need to work on faithfully grading papers and keeping my house tidy. You may need to work on controlling your temper or staying on a weekly schedule. Maybe you tend to nag or belittle your child. Pray and ask the Lord to help you change. He can help you!
"I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength," (Philippians 4:13 NIV).
Just don't spend all your time focusing on the negative. We need to spend most of our time learning new things and even more time developing your strengths.
Give Thanks in Everything
No matter what happens, thank the Lord. When our children learn quickly, we can praise them and thank God for His favor. When they just don't get it, we can be thankful that Jesus understands (remember He traveled with His disciples who constantly didn't get it!) When God blesses us financially, we can thank Him for His kindness. When money is tight, we can praise God for His faithfulness in providing through unexpected ways and teaching us to be content. Trials make us homesick for our real home, Heaven. Failures make us appreciate that Jesus covered us with His blood and forgave our sins.
"I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength," (Philippians 4:13 NIV).
Just don't spend all your time focusing on the negative. We need to spend most of our time learning new things and even more time developing your strengths.
Give Thanks in Everything
No matter what happens, thank the Lord. When our children learn quickly, we can praise them and thank God for His favor. When they just don't get it, we can be thankful that Jesus understands (remember He traveled with His disciples who constantly didn't get it!) When God blesses us financially, we can thank Him for His kindness. When money is tight, we can praise God for His faithfulness in providing through unexpected ways and teaching us to be content. Trials make us homesick for our real home, Heaven. Failures make us appreciate that Jesus covered us with His blood and forgave our sins.
There is always a reason to thank our loving Heavenly Father. Thankfulness brightens our eyes and puts a smile on our faces. Children will be happy to see happy, thankful parents.
If you are looking for more tips and practical advice about homeschooling, you will love Joyful and Successful Homeschooling available at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip and Currclick. Full of tips, practical wisdom, and family stories from a family that's been homeschooling since 1991, Joyful and Successful Homeschooling has been a blessing to many homeschooling families with help on management, how to teach, educational philosophies, family dynamics, learning styles, how to keep your home running smoothly, and help to teach each subject with curriculum suggestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's going to be a great year!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
If you are looking for more tips and practical advice about homeschooling, you will love Joyful and Successful Homeschooling available at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip and Currclick. Full of tips, practical wisdom, and family stories from a family that's been homeschooling since 1991, Joyful and Successful Homeschooling has been a blessing to many homeschooling families with help on management, how to teach, educational philosophies, family dynamics, learning styles, how to keep your home running smoothly, and help to teach each subject with curriculum suggestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's going to be a great year!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
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