8 Habits of Highly Successful Homeschool Families

What makes homeschool families thrive? What do they do differently to achieve academic and holistic success? Homeschooling is not for the faint-hearted, but there are some very practical things you can do to get the most out of this education structure. 

According to Family Education, homeschooling means learning outside of the public or private school environment. For most families, their “schooling” involves being out and about each day, learning from the rich resources available in their community, and through interactions with other families who homeschool. 

Today we are listing the 8 habits of highly successful homeschool families. 

Homeschool families are organised

To juggle parenting, running a household, maintaining a career and homeschooling your children requires organisation. This is true regardless of how flexible or rigid your average week will be. We highly recommend getting your ducks in a row in order to prevent burnout. It will look different for each family, so find a rhythm that works best for yours! Use timetables, checklists and healthy routines to establish a productive learning environment and a relaxed home environment. 

Homeschool families know their priorities

Daily, weekly and term-based routines will help establish rhythms. But what do you do when these routines become boring? Priorities will help you to know what is essential for your child’s educational needs. When you’re juggling multiple academic commitments, extracurricular activities and socialising, the priorities you have established will help you to stay focused on the bigger picture. 

Homeschool families pace themselves

The best way to burn out is to try and do too much in a short space of time. The key to success is to break down every large goal into smaller, manageable tasks. Track daily activities and be realistic with your expectations. Consider your child’s interests, attention span and learning style (visual, auditory or kinaesthetic). 

Note: there is a fundamental difference between pacing oneself and procrastinating. Pacing is strategic and has an end goal, while procrastination involves putting things off indefinitely.

Homeschool families don’t isolate themselves

You have probably chosen homeschooling to enrich your child’s life and education options, not to isolate them from the world. Resist the temptation to spend all day every day at home in your homeschool bubble. Try to make it a point to encourage your children to interact with other homeschooled children and set up activities for them to spend time with their peers. This will broaden their perspective, influence their cognitive capacity, enhance their conflict management abilities and develop their interpersonal skills. 

Bonus: by interacting with other homeschool parents, you will find valuable support, a space to share resources and make new friends!

Homeschool families include their children 

A successful homeschool environment depends on the level of participation and active engagement in the process. We want to raise successful children who win at life, and to obtain this, we need to welcome child feedback. Pay particular attention to what inspires, encourages and motivates your child to learn. 

Homeschool families love to learn

The beauty of blending home life and school life lies in learning and not being restricted to the formal classroom setting. As a parent, you can set the tone for your child’s learning experience by demonstrating a love for learning. How? You can inspire them by reading, searching and discovering new things in and around your home and environment. Another way to inspire learning is by inviting your children to help you with daily tasks like cooking. You can use cooking with your children as an opportunity to learn maths together (there are lots of ways to do this). 

Homeschool families celebrate the wins

When something clicks and your child begins to grasp a concept they previously struggled with, celebrate! Make an effort to acknowledge this and celebrate them as a way of motivating them to learn with intention and confidence in their abilities. Every time your child sets an academic goal and achieves it, find a way to reward them. No matter how big or small the win, it deserves to be recognised. Embrace the habit of celebration and you will soon find that your children’s enthusiasm and excitement to learn continues to grow! 

Homeschool families partner with the best

Here at Teach Me 2, we care about your child’s success (almost) as much as you do. We recognise some of the challenges you may face, as a result, we seek to partner with you and provide you with the best support to help your child succeed. Our goal is to pair families like you with their perfect tutor, offering lessons online or in person (you choose what fits best with your family’s routine). Whether your child needs a little extra help with one or more subjects or they are thriving and you want to give them a challenge, one-on-one tutoring is always an option! 

We have online tutors available as well as tutors in Johannesburg, tutors in Pretoria, tutors in Durban and tutors in Cape Town