What do you think is the easiest grade or years to homeschool? I think there may be a lot of disagreement as to which age or grade people consider to be the easiest. After all, when your children are young – preschool-aged – you are spending a lot of time building the foundation with them. Teaching them colors, the alphabet, numbers, how to button a coat, manners, and more which can be quite time consuming as they have short attention spans but want to learn everything.
When children have completed their kindergarten years, they may be reading independently and able to complete assignments with little to no supervision. You can start providing them with more difficult work which will help their minds grow. But just how long should you dedicate to homeschooling every day? How much information should you introduce to them at one time? Everyone will have different ideas and suggestions. I firmly believe that your child should lead the way (i.e., your child's progress will help you determine the answers).
How We Homeschool the Elementary Years
To many outside observers, we probably have a very relaxed homeschool day. Our youngest children spend a lot of time exploring their own interests – drawing, playing with toys, reading, playing games, and more. But those periods of time when they are working or playing together are punctuated with time where we focus upon our homeschooling tasks.
After completing one or two short lessons, we might need to take another break for me to complete my own tasks. While there are times when I let them go to what they wish, I might also ask our children to read or complete a written assignment. The work is short, age-appropriate, and can be done interdependently. I love that they are slowly growing to need me less and less for their work but we can still come together to learn as a team.
Depending on how the day goes, we may complete some additional lessons in the evening. We are that family who takes advantage of homeschooling by including our lessons throughout the entire week and the entire day. So while we are not sitting at a desk from 8 am to 3 pm, we are learning throughout the entire day. Whenever our kids have a question, I take that a chance to teach them and learn with them.
Homeschooling the elementary years will look different for many families. It may even look different for homeschooling families day to day or year to year depending upon their needs. One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the flexibility it affords each family to do the best for their own family and children.
I would think some of what you think of being easier also depends on what you and your kids enjoy. Some parents dread teaching reading others love it and look forward to those lessons. Other parents dread those subjects in middle school and high school that were not their favorites. Others love researching programs that will make those subjects more accessible for all. Some kids breeze through the early years making teaching it more fun. Other kids struggle with those early skills and it can be force parents to be more creative and find different ways to teach one child where another might have breezed through that stage.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the homeschool years when my kids were all between 2nd and 8th grade and they did many of their subjects together :) It was a great learning time that flowed over into regular life as well :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I have a favourite "homeschooling period". Each level has it's own joys and challenges. I do remember the struggle of math because the lad and I think very differently about it though we both enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy parts of all of it!
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