Tips for Making Homeshool Stress Free

 We know home school may seem stressful at time.  Here are some tips we have tried to make things less stressful.

All Ages (Elementary thru High School)

Keep it fun.  Find programs, activities, and lessons that are fun to your child.  

Stop and take a break when a fight or tears happen.  Come back to the lesson/assignment another time or day.  Learning doesn't happen when you are stressed, so pushing through will do you no good when you have gotten to the point of yelling, crying, and fighting.

Keep the actually lesson time shorter than public school.  Let active learning fill in the rest of the time.

• Pre-K - 30-60 min per day
• K - 60-90 min per day
• 1st - 90-120 min per day
• 2nd - 1.5 to 2.5 hrs per day
• 3rd to 5th - 2.0 to 3.0 hrs
• 6th-8th - 4.0 hrs
• 9th-12th - Keep lessons and study to lesson than 6-8 hrs/day. 
• 9th-12th Technical College/College Classes - If your student is in a Technical College, it is normal for students to be in class 3-4 hrs per day (15-18 hrs/week) and study 3-4 hrs per day (1-2 hrs of study for every hr in class).   

Use Parent Controls and Trackers to keep an eye on your student's studies.  There are a lot of choices out there.  As ages and abilities change so will the apps you choose need to change.  

Here are some Parent Control apps that we have used:

• Kids Place on Tablets
• Qustodio on Tablets
• Webtime Tracker on Google Chrome to track their actual time on lessons
• Kiddle on Google Chrome to keep them from going to bad websites

Rewards.  Find a reward system that works.  As the saying goes, "you will get more flies with honey than vinegar."  Change the reward system as your child's interest change.

Here are some rewards systems we have used:

• Sticker reward charts and paths with small prizes when reaching specific points.
• Allowance for completing all lessons for week on time.  Less allowance if completed late.  This also teaches them the power of money.
• Earning Mindcraft time
• Earning play money to spend on TV or game time 

Lessons don't have to be done at a desk.  Let your child learn and study wherever they feel comfortable (in reason).  School and learning doesn't have to happen at a desk.  Sit on the couch, study in a fort, relax on the bed, focus at the table, etc.  I like to keep them studying where I can see what they are doing, but they are allowed to move freely around the house as needed.

Learning can happen anywhere. School doesn't have to be confined to the books, computer, and lessons.  Learning happens for kids (and adults) during play and through activities.

 

Lower Elementary (Pre-K - 2nd)

Try different schedules until one fits.  Be willing to adjust schedules often and as needed. With younger kids, their brain maturity changes often.  Sometimes schedules have to be adjusted often to keep it fun for these little ones.

Try setting a timer.  Break the lessons into smaller chunks with lots of breaks.  As your child gets older and has more focus, increase the time between breaks.  

Try learning at different times of day.  My PreK son did better on his lessons in the late morning and early afternoons.

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