5 Things To Consider Before Homeschooling Your Child
If you’re thinking of homeschooling your kid, it might be the right move. He may not be able to learn at school properly. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before deciding whether homeschooling is the right way to go.
Does Your Child Want To Do It?
Probably the most important thing to consider is whether your kid wants it. Although you may think it’s the best choice, he may not. Don’t forget that it’s his life, so taking him out of school could affect him mentally. Not only would he be upset with you, but he might refuse to study. If you’re planning on taking him out of school, have a thorough talk. Make a list of all the reasons why you want to do it before approaching him.
How Committed Are You?
Let’s say you don’t have to take him out of school. He’s at the age where he needs to go to school, and you’re deciding between homeschooling and school. Although he’ll be able to learn in a more comfortable environment, socializing is important. More importantly, you need to make sure that you’ll be able to handle the work.
It’s a lot of effort – you’ll be teaching a child after all. Not only will it require up to 5+ hours of your day, but you need to be patient. Children learn at different paces. You also need to make sure that you’re committed to learning the material so that you’ll be a good teacher.
Home Environment
Although you’ll be able to teach your little one, and he doesn’t mind being taught at home, it might not be the best choice. Your home environment could be too distracting for him to digest whatever you’re teaching. And he might feel too comfortable at home. He may not be very disciplined, so you might find it harder to teach. If you think this is something you’re going to face, find a quiet, dedicated space in your home for homeschooling. Evoke your inner teacher – command discipline.
Finances
If your little one was going to school, you wouldn’t have to worry about school expenses as much. The education system would be in charge of everything. At home, you’ll need to get hold of the material to teach him. Depending on what curriculum you’re following, this could be quite expensive. You’ll be spending more if he’s an older kid – you’ll have more subjects to teach.
Speaking of older kids, don’t forget that laptops are essential for their work. They will be needed for coursework, but unfortunately, can be very expensive. Thankfully, tabs are a more affordable alternative. The Amazon Fire HD 10 is a great tablet for students. It only costs around 150 dollars.
Curriculum
You’ll have to decide on the syllabus you’ll be teaching your little one. You could choose a better one than what your country is following. The British Educational system is known to be the best. Many nations follow it, so following this system would help your child be the most prepared. However, as mentioned, the curriculum would influence how much you’ll be spending. If it’s from a foreign country, finding physical copies of the materials you’ll need would be difficult and pricey. But if you still want to go ahead, you could find copies online and print them out. They may not be as good as the actual textbooks but will do the job.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to homeschooling your child, it can be the right decision. He may not be having the best time at school, and this might affect his ability to learn. But before you take the leap, you need to consider if it’s the right decision. Most importantly, find out if he wants to go ahead. If he’s not interested in learning at home, and you can’t convince him, teaching him would be futile. If you’re thinking of homeschooling him, know that it’ll take a lot of time. Not only would you need to spend up to 5 hours a day, but you’d need to learn the material beforehand too. It can be expensive as well. But thankfully, there are resources you can download for free online.