3 Things That Make Homeschooling Way More Fun
(decorating the fridge to look like a snowman = fun!)
As promised, here are 3 Things I have discovered that make homeschooling a lot more fun and way less drudgery:
1. REWARDS!! What kids wants to do page after page of math work with no end in sight? Or any other subject for that matter? Last year, I started using rewards and have seen a great improvement in motivation to get the work done.
Certificates - I bought these certificates at the Dollar Tree. I think there are 50 for a dollar. I set a goal for my child, and when they reach the goal, I write out the certificate. We have different goals for each child. Each goal is attainable, but they have to work for it. I think it helps develop a good work ethic. It's like working toward a paycheck or a raise. Put in the work and you will be rewarded. The certificate is worth $1.00 or can be cashed in for something worth a dollar.
Some rewards they like:
1 Dunkin Donut,
1 McDonald's ice cream cone,
1 Wendy's frosty,
a bottle of nail polish or puffy paint
or extra video game or computer game time.
Kids will really work to earn these certificates! I may need to up the ante when they get older, but this works well for now.
Book It - You can sign up your kids for the Book-It program in the spring of each year. Book-It sends a set of instructions, their incentives, and a booklet of pizza coupons. You or your children set the goals (10 books, 200 minutes, etc. per month). They had an online timer the kids were supposed to use each time they read, but we didn't remember to do that. So I devised a really simple way to keep track of our reading. Index cards! I drew a chart and explained that they could check a box for every 10 minutes they read. When 20 boxes are checked, it's time to go to Pizza Hut!
Bonus: Book-It has additional incentives throughout the year: contests to win books and prizes. This year, if all 6 stickers are earned and put in the Pizza Hut passport, your child can enter to win a 100 book library and a Kindle Voyage e-reader!
2. TECHNOLOGY! What do our children enjoy more than anything else and learn the most from? To be completely honest, I know it's not workbooks. Or memorizing math facts.
They learn the most from technology!
Our preschooler will only sit still to do a workbook page for about 5 minutes, BUT he will sit for an hour playing PBS kids games. I can teach him one skill, but the computer games teach math concepts in a fun way, read stories to him, introduce science topics - the learning is limitless! Do I think it's important to interact with me, a real person? Of course. But he learns way more on iPad apps and PBS kids or Starfall.com.
The same goes for our other two children. The older two use abcya.com frequently.
Why do I let them use the computer so much? Well, for one thing, it allows me to work one-on-one or one-on-two, which is way more manageable than all 3 at once. They are learning, occupied, and quiet (I insist on headphones) which gives me more quality time with the child I am teaching at the table. Parents can sign up on PBS kids to track their child's game usage and learning progress, as well.
We also use YouTube a LOT - there are some great channels out there for teaching all ages and all subjects and it's FREE - you can't beat that. We are usually all together watching these on the t.v. screen. Each kid and mom gets to choose a video to watch. Most of these are 2-3 minutes. You can find all of these on Mom vs. The Dot's Youtube channel. Easy peasy.
Kindergarten Skills: Have Fun Teaching
Preschool: Busy Beavers and Super Simple Songs (this one I cannot praise enough - we love these songs! Especially the Halloween ones.)
Math: multiplication.com
Kids Worship: Seeds Family Worship, The Rizers, Hillsong Kids
As you can see, I use YouTube to fill in the gaps - I only buy books to cover the 3 R's. It keeps costs down, and adds different teachers and different perspectives for my kids. And a lot of fun!
Added Bonus: YouTube adds science and music to our school time.
3. FUN! What would school be without fun? Dullsville U.S.A.!
So what are some fun things we do?
Easy Days
"T.V. School" on these days: We might watch one or two SciGirls episodes (science/invention), Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman (pbs - science), Odd Squad (pbs - math); our current history lessons are Liberty's Kids dvd's (It's a fantastic series about how U.S.A. became independent and how they battled for their freedom. All 3 kids love these videos!)
Score One for Mom: I sometimes catch up on laundry folding while we are watching the shows, too.
Reading books together and playing board games (Lingo Bingo, Yahtzee, Life, Boggle, Scrabble Jr.) They're all learning games disguised as fun. This also serves as a release/refresher if we've been working really hard all week.
Art & Science Day - Most days, I don't make time to do messy projects. On art and science day, we pull out all the stops. We paint pictures, we do messy science experiments and I don't stress about not covering other subjects. Again, sometimes we need a release from heavy academics. Creating and experimenting can be just as educational Bonus: it's all hands-on learning!
(Jelly bean art)
(Building a marble run with Q-Ba-Maze)
Extra Fun Ideas:
Field Trips
Bowling
A Trip to the Movies
Create our own board game based on a subject we're learning
Holiday Parties (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day) with homeschool friends
A Trip to Chuck-E-Cheese or Chik-Fil-A or any other "hamster tube" restaurant
So there you have it. My secret arsenal to make homeschooling more fun!
These things don't happen every day, but it gives us something to look forward to - practically all the time.
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