“Read your Bible
Pray every day...”
...is good advice for all of us all the time. And it is the best way to start your home-schooling day. Even if you do nothing else the most important thing will have been covered if you do this.
Family Bible Time
Endeavour to gather the whole family around the Bible every day.
Choose a book of the Bible, a topic or follow a specific scheme to ensure that you read your Bible each day as a family. Read verses each if your children are able. Help them to concentrate by asking them to look out for something in the reading.
If you have a hymn book sing a hymn each day too, remembering that it does not have to be a musical performance to praise God from the heart. There are plenty of online hymn books if you do not have one at home.
School Time
If you are teaching just a few children at home it does not have to be “like school” to be effective.
Specifically – it does not need to take from 9 am to 3.30 pm. A lot of time in school is soaked up by the need to marshal thirty or more children of different abilities.
Preferably, do your school activities in the morning, leaving the afternoons free for constructive activities (play/craft/hobbies) and exercise.
The lessons
You will need to supplement these lessons with a good English (Reading, Writing and Spelling) programme and a good Maths curriculum.
Each of our lessons takes that date and explores things that have happened on it in history. You don't have to use the lessons on the set day - but it adds to the 'sense of purpose' of the lesson if you can.
Each week there is a memory verse that can be put up and memorised. This underpins the week's learning.
Depending on the age of your child/ren, choose from the suggested activities each day. Do not try and do them all (unless your children get really enthused). Older children will of course be able to take on some of the challenges to find out more information. You will be amazed at how children doing the same activity will work at their own levels - learning from each other while doing so.
- When deciding how long a lesson should last - be guided by your children. If they are more interested, a lesson might spill over into the following day.
- Choose activities from the day's suggested ideas that you think will attract your children's attention.
- For little children, break the activities down into short sessions of no longer than 20-30 minutes. Older children can concentrate for longer.
- Learn to be a learner with your children, rather than trying to be the teacher. You will never have learnt so much!
Play Time
Endeavour to have some fresh air and exercise each day. This will be so beneficial for all of you - even tired mothers!
Don't forget a mid-morning break - 15 minutes for a drink/healthy snack before continuing.
A day at a time
Some days will be fantastic and you will learn heaps. Other days, it will seem like everything has gone wrong. Don't be afraid to put schooling to one side for a day. Your children will continue to learn! Learn to take the up with the downs. Maybe, you all just need a bit of a breather and a brisk walk would put everyone in a better mood.
Above all, enjoy this wonderful opportunity to spend more time with your children, sharing the things of God with them.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6: 6-7
