October’s Tips and Tools for Homeschoolers

Including Grandparents in Homeschooling
While homeschooling is the fastest growing alternative education model in the world at the moment, the concept is still foreign to many, especially grandparents. HipHomeschoolingMoms.com shares some helpful advice on how to talk to grandparents about the concept of homeschooling, and how to make them an integral part of your homeschooling routine.

51 Reasons to Love Homeschooling
Parents decide to start homeschooling for so many reasons. But at the core is the love that we have for our children and a desire to see them grow and excel. Even on the days where I feel like I can’t take it anymore, I can always find a reason to love homeschooling. ClassicallyHomeschooling.com shared their list of reasons why they love homeschooling. What are some of yours?

5 Benefits to Playing Chess
Sometimes the most important lessons in homeschooling comes from somewhere you least expected. Like a chess board! TheHomeschoolingMom.com shared some interesting actives for using a chessboard to teach important life lessons to your homeschooler. What fun, quirky ways have you shared life lessons with your child?

7 Things You Should Never Say To A Homeschooling Mom
Even though there are countless websites with statistics that disprove some of the more common misconceptions about homeschooling, parents can quickly grow weary of answering the same questions over and over again. We get plenty of that from our homeschooler’s already! This post from WeirdUnsocializedHomeschoolers.com shows the quirkier side of homeschooling with a list of questions you reconsider before asking a homeschooling parent.

Raising Leaders
When we decide to homeschool, we want our children to be self-controlled, and not parent- or teacher-controlled. We’re raising them to be productive members of society and I want them to do good because they want to, not because someone required the behavior. HipHomeschoolingMoms.com shared a very inspirational post this month about encouraging your child to grow and develop into who God made them to be.

Refurbished Bridgeway Academy YouTube
Have you seen our newly refurbished YouTube channel? It’s chock full of new homeschool tips, tricks, and routine busters to help you fill out your curriculum to keep your homeschooler motivated, engaged, and learning. We have even more exciting videos lined up, so be sure to subscribe!

On The Blog

Here’s a round-up of last month’s blog posts on Homeschool Academy in case you missed any!

September’s Best Homeschool Advice of the Month – Some advice for refreshing your homeschooling routine and supplies

From Toy to Tool: Embracing Technology and Using It Wisely – Advice for homeschooling parents looking to incorporate their child’s love of technology into their homeschool curriculum

Homeschooling Help in a Minute – Routine Busters – Quick tips for parents to incorporate some spontaneity into their homeschool routine

Plugged In: 10 Tips for a High Tech Homeschool – Fun tips and apps for parents to indulge their high-tech homeschooler and prepare them for the future

Homeschool Tips & Activities for Harvest Season – The fall is such a fun season, but it can get quite hectic with homeschooling around the holidays! Here are some fun activities for any homeschooler to enjoy

Tips Tuesday Round-Up

Making Your Homeschooler a Superstar Studier. Follow these 17 scientifically proven study methods to boost your homeschooler’s academics this year! What one study habit helped you or your child the most? http://www.thebestcolleges.org/17-scientifically-proven-ways-to-study-better-this-year/

Motivate without nagging! For young learners or those who need visual rewards and reminders, consider using “Fun Tickets” to encourage and motivate them. Create (or buy) tickets that list fun activities that your child enjoys such as taking a bike ride, 10 minutes of computer games, a snack, etc. Make a list of the ways to earn “Fun Tickets” then hand them out when your child deserves some extra praise! They can hold onto the tickets for when need a break or are extra antsy or redeem them right away. Infuse motivation and fun without the threats and you’ll both have a better homeschool day!

Inspire a love of reading. Want to develop a deeper connection with your child and encourage a love of reading? Start a family book club. Start with one book a week, allowing each member of the family to choose a book and create a few questions for the other members to consider. Schedule a book club meeting where you eat fun snacks, talk about the book, and spend time together. You’ll be amazed at how much fun and fellowship you can have when you make learning an event!

Focus on the Family. “The beauty of home education is that it gives a family more time together–time to solidify relationships, to communicate values, and to focus on each child’s individual needs in a consistent and unhurried atmosphere.” Kimberly Hahn & Mary Hasson
Don’t forget to focus on the most important lesson, family unity.