Homeschooling young children as they begin their childhood education produces unique challenges. In the United States, early childhood education (pre-school and kindergarten) is a term generally used to refer to the formal education of children under the age of eight – or five years old, in most foreign countries.

A child’s early pre-school and kindergarten years are the time in which the most growth, development and learning occurs. It is an extraordinary time that defines not only what type of person the child will become, but the emotional and educational route he or she will take through primary school and beyond. This is a critical educational period since these early experiences will set the tone for the child’s interaction and learning for the rest of his or her life.

There are five critical areas of childhood development, referred to as the SPICE of life:  social, physical, intellectual, creative, and emotional (Torkildsen 1999). Parents (and homeschool teachers) have a tremendous impact on these developmental aspects of children. Here are some examples of childhood development that begin before the start of formal schooling and continue through elementary school:

Vision

Visual acuity continues to develop until the age of 7

Emotions

Emotional development continues throughout a child’s lifetime, but empathy and envy – inparticular – develop up to the age of 10

Speech

The skills necessary to recognize speech continue until age 7, though vocabulary growth will continue through adulthood

Parents embracing accredited homeschooling programs may have a distinct advantage over traditional in-school education in that they can direct the learning process towards any shortcomings, while continuing to contribute to the wider growth of the five abovementioned areas of child development. For example, the parents of homeschooled children who have developed at a typical or above-average pace physically, intellectually and creatively can emphasize the emotional and social development of the child. This is one of the key advantages of pre-school homeschooling over traditional schooling – the teacher need not spread their attention amongst the needs of multiple children, nor adhere to a strict curriculum when circumstances (or a child’s curiosity) allow the teacher to promote more in-depth learning of a particular subject.

Schooling with a parent provides one additional noteworthy advantage: it has been reported that child-adult interactions that are ‘loving’ in nature strongly stimulate the brain of a developing child. Without intending to disparage our nation’s teachers, few interactions are as ‘loving’ as those found between parent and child. The one-on-one nature of home education allows for more of these interactions to occur, with fewer interruptions or distractions.

There are a number of fundamental ways in which parents can focus their interactions to improve learning across the breadth of a child’s developmental areas (SPICE; see above).

1. Respond to the Child’s Cues

Children constantly give adults clues, and how adults respond to these clues greatly affects how and what children learn. It is important to have a sense of what they are feeling, and how they are transmitting their emotions. Take into account that human contact is critical to their early development, but don’t over-stimulate the child…understand their limits. Individualize the learning process, sensitive to the child’s needs. Responding to their cues helps overall social and emotional development.

2. Accentuate the Positive

Homeschooling allows parents to take the time to respond to a wider range of positive learning developments. Supportive parenting (and teaching) reinforces good behavior, building positive connections in the child’s brain. Being positive and supportive helps a child’s emotional development (self-confidence) and intellectual development (awareness).

3. Talk, Read & Sing

There’s a reason parents talk to their children in a sing-song baby voice – it works. Children need to be surrounded with communication and language, and encouraged to communicate themselves. It’s important to ask them what they think so they can develop intellectually and learn to express their thoughts. Communicating with children in different ways helps creative development, intellectual development and social development (creating & nurturing relationships).

4. Provide Opportunities for Learning

Homeschool parents have few reasons not to expand learning beyond the traditional classroom. The slightly blurry line between home and school provides almost limitless opportunities for learning in a much wider range of environments in comparison to a traditional school student. Providing children with ongoing opportunities to learn helps virtually all of the childhood development domains.

5. Teach Children the Consequences of Actions

Parents rarely want to be the disciplinarian, but children need to learn societal norms. This helps them develop intellectually, building their understanding of how their behavior may impact others. Parents should not focus on discouraging the behavior as much as they should impart why the behavior is wrong. Teaching children that their actions have consequences help emotional development (coping & understanding feelings), social development (societal norms & acceptable behaviors) and intellectual development (understanding the larger impact of actions).

When parents understand the full scope of early childhood learning and the types of developmental needs young children have, it becomes clear that parenting plays a significant role in successful homeschooling.

Homeschooling the Early Years: A Homeschooling Guide to Early Childhood Education

I’ve been asked so many times “What about sports? How can my child be involved in sports if I homeschool?”

The other common question I hear in reaction to homeschooling is “how do you socialize your child? Doesn’t she need friends and activities and sports to be ‘normal’?”

Of course, children need friends. And sports. And activities. Actually, it’s surprisingly easy for homeschoolers to take part in extracurricular activities. In fact, most homeschoolers have more activities available to them than the average public school student.

What most people don’t know is that many states have equal access laws. These laws require public school districts to allow homeschoolers access to the district’s extracurricular activities, such as sports, music, drama, debate team and other programs. Usually, parents “dual enroll” a child, which gives them access to many of the public school’s programs and facilities while maintaining responsibility for their education at home. You are, after all, paying taxes- and you may as well get something back! The Home School Legal Defense Association has a great rundown on each state’s laws and restrictions.

Here are some additional options available to homeschoolers looking for after-school activities:

1. The Local Parks and Recreation Department
Your local Parks Department may offer youth sports and clubs, and a quick web search can help you identify other local youth groups, organizations and clubs that offer activities your child may be interested in. For example, the local YMCA generally has sports leagues your child can join.

2. Homeschool Leagues
Homeschool sports leagues are beginning to crop up around the country. Because travel distances may be greater, practices and games are generally held just once a week and parents are encouraged to be involved.

3. Civic Organizations
Open to all kids, groups such as 4H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and community theater, arts & music groups offer homeschooled children tons of options for activities and socialization.

4. Private Organizations
The local ice skating rink, gym and dance studio probably have classes available during the day, and they may be geared toward homeschool students. Check with a local home school support group to find out which private organizations cater to homeschoolers.

5. Churches
Don’t forget the local church! Many churches, temples and religious organizations offer activities designed specifically for kids, and membership in the church may not even be required.

The next time someone asks you how you go about socializing a child who learns at home, you can explain that the really hard part is avoiding over-scheduling them. Just make sure they don’t see you smile when you act sympathetic about their child’s limited options for after school activities in public school!

What extracurricular activities do your kids participate in and enjoy?

Sports and Extracurricular Activities for Homeschoolers

As a homeschool mom, you will learn so much more than you did when you yourself were in school.  History that may have bored you will come alive; math skills that eluded you will come together (especially if you start with a young student and are teaching the basics first); grammar will finally make sense; and science will intrigue you.

But your learning will go so much deeper than the academics. 

You will gain so much more insight into your own kids–their passions, their struggles, their amazing abilities, their personalities. 

You will more than likely begin to see yourself more clearly as well.  Are you a highly motivated person? Are you organized?  Are you able to be silly and upbeat? Do you have a quiet spirit? Does chaos inspire or discourage you? Where are you most creative?

You will learn to be flexible; to be spontaneous; to be ready to explain things in as many ways as necessary to help your child learn.

Your learning will begin with academics, but where it will end cannot be defined.

So jump in, enjoy your homeschooling and get ready to learn!

Starting Homeschooling-Step Ten: Be Ready to Learn

One of the best moves we made as a homeschool family was to establish a homeschool support group. At the onset, we were simply a group of families who planned field trips, met for “physical education” classes, shared ideas and supported one another through the rewards and the struggles. As the years passed, we began to work together to provide specialty courses for our kids:

• Science labs
• A study of Shakespeare (my passion; therefore my course)
• Writing and Research
• Public Speaking
• Art
• Book Clubs
• Sports teams

The list could go on and on. We worked together using our various specialties to provide ample opportunities for our kids.

But it benefited more than just the kids.

By scheduling regular times to meet-sometimes formal, sometimes not-we parents were able to network with one another. We shared ideas, discussed our frustrations, held each other accountable and became close friends.

If you are jumping into homeschooling without established friends or acquaintances who already homeschool, be sure search out a group in your area.

How do you find them?

A good place to start is in your church. Although homeschooling has grown well beyond the religious community, statistics indicate that the majority of homeschoolers do so for religious reasons.

• Another place to begin looking is in local history or science museums, which often offer homeschool workshops or classes
• Check into your local YMCA, ice skating rink, gymnastics instruction, or youth theatre. Often these organizations offer special classes for homeschoolers or work with serious athletes who homeschool in order to gain the flexible schedule they need.
• Search the Internet-often homeschool events are posted on the net

Another terrific way to network is to consider enrolling in a homeschool academy like Bridgeway Academy, where you can pick up the phone or drop an e-mail to your advisor whenever you need help, tips or advice. In many cases your advisor can also point you to support groups or other homeschoolers in your area.

So go ahead, jump in and get started-but try not to do it alone!

Go directly to Starting Homeschooling Step Six-Explore Your Child’s Interests

Starting Homeschooling Step Five-Find a Support Network

Does your child love to get dirty and explore the world around him?
Is she a child who loves to sit down and listen as you read a story?
Is he an analytical thinker, who tends to question what is happening around him?
Is she one who can connect events and experiences to lessons in life?
Does he seem to thrive when able to create with his hands?
Does she naturally “get it” the first time she hears it?

These kinds of questions can help to define the best kind of learning approach for your child. A hands-on learner will not be content to sit and fill out worksheets or listen to you explain concepts. A student who has strong auditory skills will thrive with a curriculum that uses interesting stories to teach about history, science or literature.

A student who needs to hear or try something several times before she is able to grasp it will need a mastery curriculum with a lot of repetition and review, while a student who seems to “get it” right away should focus on a curriculum that provides ample opportunity for critical thinking.

Knowing your child’s academic level is also critical to a successful program.

Many parents make the mistake of simply purchasing curriculum that is aligned to their child’s chronological grade level. However, in many cases, that math course is too difficult because the right foundations have not been laid or that English course is too easy because your child is an accelerated learner.

Testing your child to determine his or her actual academic level will ensure that your program will be a successful one.

That is why Bridgeway Academy tests each student upon enrollment to determine the best academic level for that child. This information combined with a detailed survey and parent interview provide the basis for designing a program that will work effectively for each student.

If you prefer to design your own program, contact Curriculum Express (610-266-9148) to order a diagnostic placement test that will help you to identify your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses.

Go directly to Starting Homeschooling Step Five-Find a Homeschool Support Network

Starting Homeschooling Step Four-Know Your Child

Before you embark on the incredibly rewarding homeschool journey, you need to examine yourself.

What kind of teaching role in the home do you want to take?

Do you enjoy pulling out all the stops and making a mess while you dig into learning with projects and experiments?
OR
Do you prefer an orderly home with a set schedule where you can plan out any such experiments and ensure that you have just the right materials before you begin?

Are you a creative individual who loves to find new ways to explore?
OR
Are you an individual who can take someone else’s creative ideas and tailor them to your kids?

Are you an individual who needs structure?
OR
Are you one who prefers to “wing it” and see where the day takes you?

These questions are important to explore before beginning your search for just the right curriculum.

Why? Because they help to define the kind of homeschool program you need.

If you are super creative, you might want to consider a program that allows room for that creative flair. However, if you are one who has trouble coming up with your own ideas, but can take an idea and make it better, you may need a program that is already laid out for you, providing time for enrichments of your own.

One big struggle among homeschoolers is the comparison game–”Look at what Sue is doing. Her kids are doing so well! I have to try that program!”

That Program might not fit you.

And if it doesn’t fit you, your enthusiasm can easily begin to dwindle and before you know it, both you and your kids are ready to throw in the towel.

Know your passions; know your abilities and be willing to accept your strengths and your weaknesses. That is where a successful program begins.

If you are one who has no idea where to begin or what you should include in your program, consider working with an academy like Bridgeway Academy, where expert homeschoolers and educators work with you every step of the way to help you find a program that will work for you.

Go directly to Starting Homeschooling Step Four-Know Your Child

Starting Homeschooling Step Three-Know Yourself

When individuals begin to consider homeschooling, they are often filled with uncertainty and a little bit of fear. How do I do it? What should I know? What if I don’t do a good job? . . .

However, a great place to start is to get to know your state homeschool law.

In some states, there are more detailed guidelines and concrete standards such as Pennslyvania Homeschool Laws and California homeschooling laws, in others, parents don’t need to do much to comply. However, knowing where your state stands up front, before you begin to explore your options, will help to define what and where you begin to research homeschool options.

Once you have those under your belt, the possibilities are endless!

For a quick link to the laws in your state, click State Laws in the United States then select your state.

Go directly to Starting Homeschooling Step Three-Know Yourself

Starting Homeschooling Step Two-Know the Law