Three Practical Steps for Homeschooling Elementary Kids

by Kristen White Blogger

Elementary students in grades K-2nd grade are typically between the ages of 5-7 and their biggest individual focus is having fun, playing with friends and asking lots of ‘why’ questions to any adult who will listen. Homeschooling these grades is fun because parents are directly involved with the process of teaching their children to read, write, do math problems and discover science and history. These years are also very important because they form the foundation of what a child thinks about school, their learning style and understanding the information that will be built on these concepts.

The first step is to find the best first grade homeschool curriculum in print format through an accredited program provider. This removes the work involved in putting together a custom set of texts and workbooks and allows the parent to focus on setting up a their teaching schedule and teaching the material. A lesson planner should accompany every subject, so parents know how much work needs to be done each day to keep the student on track for the school year. It’s important to have structure but homeschoolers have an advantage with schedule flexibility, This allows the homeschool parent to adjust the schedule when things happen like health issues or your child wakes up in a bad mood.

If you have multiple kids in elementary school, keep in mind they won’t all learn the same way or at the same pace, so you will need to have a plan on how to work with each child together and individually. The plan doesn’t have to be rigid, but it should be clear enough so you can keep the day organized and allow for the daily lessons to be accomplished. Since the top homeschool 2nd grade programs are provided in print format, parents can create a schedule where each child can work on their own for a time while the parent works with the other one especially on the more challenging subjects. Since first and second grades are close together, there might be some overlap in study material where you can teach them together which is beneficial as it allows social interaction and stimulates the kids to positively compete with each other. Parents are the best at knowing their children’s personalities, habits and moods and should consider these when putting together the weekly schedule. Finally, include fun as part of your curriculum. Textbooks are critical to the education process but young kids need periodic breaks, outdoor exercise and fun activities to help keep them active and excited about learning.

Whether you have one student or several, there are plenty of resources to look at for guidance about how to homeschool students at their various stages and grades. Yet, it is preferred to partner with an accredited homeschool program that starts in kindergarten and goes through graduation so kids can stay with the same curriculum. Elementary is the time to build a positive view of learning and preparing students for continued learning as they enter middle school and confidently move to online instruction.