Tip Tuesday: August wrap up

Every day, we try and share pointers with parents to make the experience of homeschooling easier, more enjoyable and as rewarding as possible. Often, we are able to share those ideas on our Facebook, and this month, we wanted to make it official. This is our inaugural Tip Tuesday blog wrap-up post!

We post these tips and ideas weekly to help parents and students in their educational journey and to brighten your day. And at the end of each month, we will recap them here on the blog, so you can easily reference them whenever you’re in need of some encouragement! Here’s what we shared in August:

Tuesday, August 12 — Scheduling

The best schedule is one that works for you! Start planning out your year and consider using one of these free calendar printables to keep your family, routine, and life organized! Find them here: http://donnayoung.org/calendars/school-calendars.htm

Tuesday, August 19 — Field Trips

Planning outings and field trips can be stressful or become predictable. To keep outings stress free and new, share the planning! Find a group or other homeschooling friends and divvy up planning 1 educational field trip or activity a month. Set the budget, date, and even locations as a group then take turns with the planning. You’ll find the field trips more engaging and enjoyable when you share in the planning and the experience!

Tuesday, August 26 — Phonics Phone For Emerging or Struggling Readers

Do you have an emerging reader or a child who struggles with a language delay? Use a phonics phone! Using 2 PVC pipe corner pieces, create a phone that allows your students to hear their own voice while reading. This simple and inexpensive tool will help develop phonemic awareness, volume control, and pronunciation. And, it’s fun to use!

Tuesday, September 2 — Fun Tickets — Motivation Strategy

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!

We hope that you’ve found our recent Tip Tuesdays helpful! Is there something that you need advice on? Let us know in the comments below, and you might see it featured in a future Tip Tuesday.