How to start homeschooling: Step one-Not schooling
You know how hard it is to get your kids to do anything? Brush their teeth, their homework, chores, vegetables? etc? Do you wonder 'how can I ever homeschool when everything I ask them to do is a battle?' Well, you are right. Homeschool will be a never-ending battle of wills all day long if that is the environment you try to work within. So step one of homeschooling is building a cooperative environment. How? By doing something homeschoolers call 'deschooling.'
What deschooling does is it gives children time to adjust, decompress, (perhaps recover) from the expectations of school. But, it isn't only for the kids. Parents also need to go through this adjustment period. Parents need to spend some time watching their kids, getting to know them again, seeing what they like, how they learn, and what sparks their interest. Often parents say that they have a harder time adjusting to homeschooling than their kids do. That they can see their kids learning, and doing projects and following their own interests, but can't seem to stop that voice in their head that says the kids should be doing worksheets (they shouldn't) or should be doing more ___insert what they aren't doing here ie reading, math, science, history etc.
Whether your kids are home for 3 weeks or 3 months (or 6) for right now what you can do is work on building your relationship, move away from contention and battles, and spend some time nurturing. These are stressful times for all of us, and the kids can feel that, they need kindness and patience now more than ever. And give a little kindness and patience for yourself while you are at it. No kid anywhere is going to suffer for lack of academics right now, in fact, that is the least of what they need.
Also in How to homeschool
How to start homeschooling: step four-wait
Trust me, I know how painfully hard it is to wait for your kid to get somewhere on their own, especially if you know it's important, and I'm not saying you'll never have to give them a push, I'm just suggesting, if you hold off on giving that push, you may not need to do it.
How to start homeschooling: Step three-listen
Try discussing your concerns with them...Kids know what they need, and when you listen to them and work on understanding, you will be surprised how understanding they can be.
How to start homeschooling: Step two-Nurture, nurture, nurture
the ways to nurture are likely more physical, you can cuddle up and read on the couch, bring them into your bed in the mornings before you get up (if they aren't there already) you can get down on the floor and play toys with them. But when you have big teens, that's not so much an option.
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