I’m thinking of homeschooling my children. Can I homeschool while working from home?

Yes, many work at home moms homeschool their children, as do many mothers who work outside the home both full time and part time. If you believe homeschooling is the right thing to do for your family, you can make it happen.

Here’s why. There really is no right or wrong way to homeschool. There’s no right or wrong time of day to homeschool. There is no right or wrong time of the year to homeschool. We all do what works best for our own families. The methods of homeschooling are as varied as are the homeschooling families themselves.

Here are some ways you can make time for both your home business and your children’s education.

Set aside time to teach. We begin our schoolday at 8am. That’s when my two children learn the best. I tell them what they’ll be doing that day, go over their lessons with them and assign their work. Determine what time of day - or which days - are best for your children to learn, and then make school a priority during those hours.

Set aside time for your business. When it’s time for me to go to work, I close my office door and let my children know I can’t be disturbed. I tell what time I’ll be available again to help them. If they run into problems or questions while I’m working, we discuss them on my next break. Occasionally, I’ll catch up on my work on the weekends or evenings, or even give the kids a day off from school so I can get my own work done.

Teach your children to work independently. One of the main goals of education is to learn how to learn independently. Depending on the ages of your kids, you may not be able to expect them to work independently for long. Start them off with short, age appropriate activities they can do own their own, and slowly work them up to doing longer and more challenging projects on their own. This frees up more time for your business and teaches your children to take responsibility for their own learning.

Choose the right curriculum for your family. Many homeschooling families create their own curriculum or purchase curriculum that requires a high degree of parental involvement. Because I know I may not always be available for my children’s lessons, I look for curriculum that my children can follow on their own if necessary. You can do the same.

Enlist your children’s help with the housework. Homeschooling and working at home makes for more than a full time job for any mother. Who has time to do the housework too? I assign chores to my children after their schoolwork is done. They contribute to our family, while giving me more time to focus on my business.

Use childcare or a babysitter as needed. When my children were younger, it was unreasonable for me to expect them to get their own lunch and spend an afternoon on their own while I worked to meet a deadline. During those times, I learned to ask for help. Find a nearby daycare, dayhome, babysitter or mother’s helper to help out when you’re really crunched for time.

Don’t forget to have fun! Balancing a home business with homeschooling can feel overwhelming at times. Don’t forget that it’s all about spending valuable time with your children. Make time for fun. Fridays are usually my family’s fun day. We’ll do a bit of schoolwork in the morning, then I’ll turn off the laptop and set the phone to voicemail. We all head to the local zoo or swimming pool and enjoy the freedom we have by working and learning at home.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Denise Willms,a homeschooling mother of two, helps work-at-home-moms get targeted traffic to their websites through copywriting, article writing, and press releases. Subscribe to her newsletter, WAHM-Articles Ezine, and receive 105 Power Tips to Get Your Online Business Noticed and Profiting.

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