Tips for Keeping Your Homeschool Classroom Running Smoothly

If you are a homeschooling parent than you know how difficult it can be to keep your child on task when you first start the process of schooling at home. Add into the mix working at home as many of us do, and you’ll find yourself frustrated with the interruptions and inability to get tasks completed easily. Here are some Tips for Keeping Your Homeschool Classroom Running Smoothly. Not only do they offer you some easy ways of keeping on task, they also include quick organization tips for homeschooling. You will also find options for added activities to help keep your students busy while you work on your own projects. Ultimately the key to a successful homeschool classroom is dedication and organization. These tips should help you see those things happening with ease.

Tips for Keeping Your Homeschool Classroom Running Smoothly

Take Frequent Breaks. In a regular classroom environment children will typically get short breaks throughout the day. A morning recess, lunch, and afternoon recess are ideal. Many teachers (depending on the age of the student) will also have in classroom breaks for kids to stretch, move around, and get rid of some of their excess energy between subjects. Set an alarm to remind yourself to step away from the task and let your kids go outside for a few minutes. At the very least get up and stretch or get a snack.

Have a “free time” box ready. If you are working from home or have other students you will need to spend time with, make sure to have an area on your bookshelf, a bin nearby, or a section of toys and activities your kids know are okay for them to get up and get. They can keep themselves busy with these when they complete a task and you aren’t available to assign the next item. For younger kids, puzzles are a great item to have. Older kids can grab books to read, educational games,rote or simple craft/art projects.

Stop and listen. Take the time to stop and listen to their question or request every time rather than giving the rote answer, “Not right now.” You can often nip a problem in the bud ahead of time. It also shows them that they are important to you and their concerns are valuable.

Create a schedule and stick to it. One of the biggest struggles is when a child has an inconsistent routine. Set a daily or weekly schedule and stick to it. If the plans is to cover one subject per day or one hour of each subject per day, make sure you stick to it regularly. Life happens and schedules can be varied. Setting on overall standard of consistency helps them feel like it is a real classroom and not just mommy making them do a new project.

Stay consistent with your tasks in the classroom. Make sure you keep up daily with grading tests, filing information in your child’s portfolio, or other routine daily tasks. Keeping the classroom in order starts with you. These little things can quickly add up and take your attention away from the student who needs assistance.

Change teaching methods to suit an individual kids needs. Each child will learn in a different way. One of the joys of homeschooling is the ability to adjust in all areas needed for the optimum learning experience for them. Remember that just because one method worked for an older child, it may not work for your youngest. Change and adapt as needed so each child feels like they are able to succeed.

Following these Tips for Keeping Your Homeschool Classroom Running Smoothly will help lower your stress level and boost your confidence as a home educator. If you are also juggling working from home in the process, the more organization you have in your classroom the more successful your work will be.