The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time for homeschooling families. Scholars are ready to learn and parents are full of new ideas and plenty of energy to teach their children. However, sometimes after the first few weeks, the excitement begins to settle and both scholars and parents may start to lose steam. Parents may notice that they have to start giving their children a little extra motivation and encouragement when it’s time to do “school stuff.” This change in momentum is completely normal and fairly common among children.
The good news is that it is possible for parents to overcome this challenge and make time spent learning enjoyable and exciting again. We’ve compiled our top six tips to help homeschooling parents keep their scholars engaged throughout the year:
Create Shorter Learning Periods
After several weeks of learning and studying, some scholars may start to feel mentally exhausted and uninspired. To help them stay motivated and engaged, we encourage homeschooling parents to consider creating shorter learning periods for their scholars. Rather than focusing on one topic for 45 minutes, they can consider focusing on the subject for 30 minutes instead. If needed, scholars can revisit a certain subject more than once in a day to ensure they’ve learned or reviewed enough information. These shorter learning periods can help scholars stay more focused while learning and help them retain more information.
Change Locations
While we do believe it’s important to have a designated learning space, every once in a while it may be helpful to change locations while studying. After weeks of learning in the same space, some scholars may start to feel bored or uninspired. To avoid this setback, parents can consider occasionally allowing their scholar to learn in a new place of their choice. Families can consider spending one day a week learning together while sitting on the couch or staying in bed, there are so many options! However, it’s important to remember that the new locations should still be conducive for productive learning with limited distractions.
Take Learning Outside
A simple but effective way to keep scholars engaged throughout the year by taking learning outside. As the weather starts to cool down, families can consider bundling up in warm clothes and adventuring outside to learn. While some school work is better done at a table or desk indoors, there are plenty of opportunities for children to learn while moving around and exploring outside. Parents can consider creating educational scavenger hunts outside for their scholars, or set up science experience outside, too. Physical education (PE) is another important subject that scholars need to complete every day. Families can spend their PE time outside moving around and enjoying the fresh air!
Use Hands-On Activities
We encourage homeschooling families to keep learning as interactive as possible by using hands-on activities. Textbooks and workbooks are fundamental parts of learning, but there are other ways to help scholars grasp important concepts. Parents can consider creating hands-on math and science experiments to make subjects like physics, chemistry, and geology more engaging. Art and music projects create even more opportunities for interactive learning experiences. Changing up the materials that are used to teach scholars can make a big difference. Some families may even want to consider using digital media tools like YouTube or educational applications on smartphones and tablets. These are just a few simple ways that parents can keep their homeschoolers engaged throughout the year. We have a wonderful team of credentialed Educational Facilitators (EFs) that support homeschooling families and help them choose engaging, interactive curriculum options that provide hands-on learning experiences for scholars.
Break Down Assignments
An age-old concept that is still effective! Parents can help keep their scholars engaged in their academics by breaking down large assignments and projects into smaller, more digestible tasks. Some scholars may find it challenging to stay focused and motivated when tasked with a large, complicated assignment. To help them stay motivated parents can turn the large project into smaller, achievable steps. Families can support their scholar through each step of the assignment and guide them in the right direction until the assignment is complete. Scholars will likely feel a strong sense of pride and accomplishment once they finish their large assignment!
Provide Feedback Quickly
This suggestion coincides with breaking down assignments into smaller parts. As the scholar completed smaller steps of a large project, we invite parents to provide their child with immediate feedback. This strategy will often help scholars learn as they go along and it provides the input they need to successfully continue studying and learning. Providing feedback quickly often gives scholars the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned right away, understand any mistakes they may have made and make the necessary adjustments while the information is fresh in their minds. Sometimes, waiting to provide a scholar feedback on their academic performance or reasoning can create a gap in their understanding of the subject. Lastly, providing feedback quickly is a great way to give positive feedback to scholars, which often helps keep them motivated, engaged and inspired.
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Compass Charter Schools (CCS) is a WASC-accredited virtual charter school that serves families throughout California. Interested in learning more about CCS’ flexible academic programs? Visit our website, or contact our enrollment team at enrollment@compasscharters.org or (877) 506-8631.