4 Things to Remember on Your Homeschool Journey

by Mary Orwells Writer

Do you find yourself in the role of unexpected homeschool parent? In this current world we live, many parents are wearing multiple hats. Not only are parents still working full time, now from home, but many parents are also struggling to figure out how to be the perfect homeschool teacher to children of multiple ages. You may find yourself feeling guilty, overwhelmed or just confused when you wake up each morning trying to educate your child when life is so mixed up.

You may find yourself asking these questions:

Why does my bright child know something one day and not the next?
Why can’t my child follow directions? Is this a behavior issue?
Why is my child’s schoolwork in chaos?
Why is phonics not working for my youngest? It worked for the other children in the family.
Why can’t my child stay on task? It seems like everything is a distraction
What is going on? My child can’t seem to comprehend what she reads.
Help! I don’t want to put my little boy on medication for ADD symptoms.
It seems like my child might have some autism spectrum symptoms. What should I do?

At Brain Sprints, we understand that there are learning struggles in normal everyday life but with the challenges of unexpected homeschooling, these learning challenges are intensified. In this time of uncertainty, here are 4 things to remember.

You are not alone

When you feel like you are in this struggle all by yourself, take a minute to remember that there are thousands of other parents who never chose to homeschool but now find themselves waking up each morning with a new agenda. Each of these parents is trying to make technology work for their children so they can get connected to their school programs. They are pushing through worksheets and trying to figure out new math skills with their frustrated children.

You don’t have to be perfect

When you reach the breaking point, just stop and remember that you don’t have to be perfect. Your child will not fall behind just because you are not an expert in every subject. If you find yourself frustrated or in tears, it’s ok. You don’t have to be amazing at everything and you are allowed to have times of failure.

Learning doesn’t just happen during school hours

One mistake new unexpected homeschool parents make is that they think they need to fill their children’s day with formal education. But learning doesn’t just happen during school hours when you are filling out worksheets or doing a computer program. Learning can happen while you are cooking and learning about measurements. Children can absorb valuable education when they are doing laundry, creating beautiful drawings with sidewalk chalk or going on a scavenger hunt in the backyard. Let learning happen all throughout the day and don’t stress over an 8-hour day.

Be willing to call in the experts

There are some things you can figure out in your unexpected journey of homeschooling, but there are also sometimes when you need to call for help. Here at Brain Sprints, we help families find solutions to learning struggles. Instead of traditional approaches that teach compensating skills, Brain Sprints addresses the root cause of learning struggles. This is accomplished with strategic brain-stimulating activities. Families worldwide can expect the same terrific in-home services we have offered since 1995.

We would love to help you with your NeuroDevelopmental (ND) journey to releasing the God-given potential within.

Did you know that you can schedule a free phone consultation? You may be dealing with issues with your children that need a little more insight. Contact us today and let us help you in your unexpected homeschool adventure!

If you are hearing things like “I’m bored” or “I hate reading”, audiobooks may be just the key to unlocking a great learning opportunity. When your children need something productive and are feeling antsy, audio stories or books are a great way to tap into imagination and creativity. Here at Brain Sprints, we understand that brain training is an ongoing process and should be a part of our everyday activities.

Start with their Interests

If your children are not accustomed to listening to audiobooks, start with something that is interesting to them. Introduce simple chapter books like Magic Treehouse, A to Z Mysteries or for older elementary students choose classics like Chronicles of Narnia or Swiss Family Robinson. Children of all ages can benefit from listening to audiobooks. They are also extremely helpful for struggling learners. Even pre-readers can learn to follow storylines with short books like fairy tales or fables. Have them listen to the story with no visual stimulations. You want your children to develop their imagination and individual creativity as they listen to the audiobooks. Listening instead of viewing something at the same time forces the auditory attention to expand and contributes to the child’s overall ability to stay on task and follow directions.

Tip: If you find that your children are not able to sit still while they listen, give them simple projects that they can do to keep their hands occupied like coloring, building with blocks or working a puzzle. This will give them the opportunity to listen while being actively engaged in a project.

Watch Imagination Grow

Listening to audiobooks helps with the imagination. When you watch a movie everything is provided and the world is already created. Videos don’t allow children to develop their imagination. However, when children are listening to audio stories, they make the pictures in their heads and develop ideas for how things should appear.

Help with Creative Writing

Audiobooks are a good way for young students to improve their writing skills. As they listen to classic books, children will develop a larger vocabulary and learn how sentences should flow and thoughts can be expressed. They will hear good literature that they can emulate later.

Improve comprehension

Listening to audiobooks also helps with comprehension. When students read something in other classes or hear verbal instructions, they will be able to hold more pieces of information together because they have been practicing their auditory processing.

What is Auditory Processing? This is a child’s short term memory and the ability to stay on task and process information. Audio Processing also helps enhance the use of phonics, will improve reading levels and from a neurodevelopmental perspective, it is key to brain efficiency. We often see children with learning labels like ADD, ADHD, Autism Spectrum or Dyslexia that have low auditory processing.

Audiobooks may seem like an easy step to include in your child’s home education, but there are so many benefits to listening to audio stories. This is truly an easy way for the whole family to grow and develop ongoing education. Take some time today to check out these resources and include audiobooks in your lifestyle. Are you in the McKinney (DFW area)? Contact us today to let us help you and your child develop a learning plan.

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Source: https://www.brainsprints.com/homeschool-journey/