Homeschooling is a beautiful way to get involved in your child’s education. And as a homeschooling mom myself, I found the biggest challenge of homeschooling is to keep expenses to minimum. You can read my thrifty homeschooling activities {Here}
While is a great way to take ideas from pinterest and set up activities for your children, most of them are sure to burn a hole in your pocket. This post is not intended to preach you what to do and what not do instead these are just a few guidelines that we try and stick to in order to successfully homeschool, and I thought some of you might find these tips useful, which is the reason I sat down to write it. Hope it helps.
1. Start early:
Yes, it may sound silly, but starting out start and planning how to go about, will help in the long run. Start figuring out what interests your child, and where she needs to work hard. By this I don’t mean you need to start forcing your ability and knowledge on your 20 months old child. What I mean is, be clear about the needs of your child and set goals accordingly. Starting early will give you enough time for deep analysis and execution when it’s time.
2. Use what you have:
As simple as it sounds. Use what you already have at home. We all have a ton of things sitting in your storeroom and attics. See if you have anything, that will be a good fit for you activities. Go through your kitchen cabinets and storage locations to see what you can find to pull your curriculum together. You don’t have to get up and head to the market, every time to sit down to plan an activity for your child.
3. Plan local field trips:
At various public attractions, ask if there are discounts available to homeschoolers. Many places like Aquariums, zoos, planetariums offer group rates for traditional schools, so why not get a group of fellow homeschoolers and take advantage of the discount.
You can also check at local farms or museums to see if they could be willing to host a tour for your kids. Don’t forget state fairs and local events happening in your city. There’s so much to learn, that books don’t teach.
4. Join Facebook groups:
There are many homeschooling groups on Facebook where you can discuss, buy, sell or trade various items you require for homeschooling. Occasionally, they host giveaways too.
5. Look up on Pinterest:
Pinterest is everyone’s best friend these days, especially for homeschooling parents. It’s filled with printables, lesson plans and other useful materials for homeschooling. You can find unlimited homeschooling resources just a few click away. Also check out homeschooling blogs that offer an ocean of content, including tips and activities for children.
6. Use free resources:
The best way to save money on homeschooling is to take advantage of free materials and activities that are available. You can look them up either online or check your public library.
You will be surprised at the material you will find at the libraries apart from books. You can also download free audio books, activities sheets and preschool learning kits. If your library doesn’t have a wide selection, try local homeschool groups. Some have lending libraries or access to materials for a small charge.
7. Make you own curriculum:
You can either make your own curriculum, depending on your child’s needs and set monthly/annual goals accordingly. Or just download age appropriate curriculum from different homeschooling websites and personal blogs.
8. Do what work for you:
Last but definitely not the least, you don’t have to spend hundreds and thousands on homeschooling just because someone else is. Always remember to do what works best for you and your family to maintain a successful homeschooling environment. Take ideas from others, who inspire you and execute it in a way that would work for you and your child. That way you will remain happy and content with the efforts you are putting in.
Do you homeschool your child? What do you like more traditional school or homeschooling? Leave me a comment below. I would love to know your opinion 🙂
Leave a Reply