Tag: Methods/philosophy

While it’s not possible to remove all testing from your child’s academic career, it is possible to help them develop strategies to mitigate test anxiety. Many things can contribute to test anxiety: Lack of preparation Poor performance on previous exams Being overly concerned with grades Fear of parental disapproval Perfectionism Luckily, with the right preparation […]

If your child struggles with meeting behavioral expectations at school, then homeschooling may be the solution. Rather than anguishing over thoughts like “my teenager is failing school and doesn’t care” or wondering how to satisfy teachers’ requests for consistency and discipline, you may want to consider homeschooling to investigate causes and offer strategies. Bringing teaching […]

Whether you are a homeschool parent or providing after school enrichment for your children, you are no stranger to the common question, “Why do I have to study history?” A main tenet of education is that children grasp and retain concepts better when they feel that what they are learning is relevant. Students may believe […]

Everyone has different reasons for homeschooling, but a common thread is a desire to inspire children to love learning and become lifelong learners. “Inquiry-based learning,” or IBL, is one of the best ways of achieving this goal. Its child-directed, investigative core is why methods such as Montessori and unschooling are so popular. Continue reading to […]

You awake one morning with a gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach. You suspect that your child is struggling in school, and you feel a stab of guilt as you realize that you may not be doing everything possible to make sure they succeed. This feeling can occur whether your child is in […]

Whether it is required by your state or not, homeschool goal-setting is simply good educational practice. In essence, by choosing to homeschool your child, you have decided to move your child’s education from group-centered to individualized. In doing so, you have grasped the opportunity to build an education based on your child’s strengths, challenges, and […]

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 34% of eighth graders tested at or above a proficient level in math and reading in 2019. The Blalock family experienced this statistic personally, as their son, Jack, had struggled with these subjects throughout his academic career. False Assurance While Jack’s parents were certainly aware […]

When her daughter’s school transitioned from full-time virtual instruction to part-time, in-school instruction during the pandemic, Cristina soon noticed a change in her nine-year-old’s demeanor. Not only was Elizabeth Rose coming home with signs of anxiety, her grades were also suffering and she was barely sleeping and eating. Cristina wasn’t the only one who noticed. […]

We hope you enjoy this special Q&A interview with Sandra Peña, a roadschooling mom with four children ages 10, 9, 5, and 4, two of whom use Time4Learning to continue the learning on the road. Tired of the city life, the Peñas bought an RV and joined the growing community of roadschoolers in the U.S. […]

You wake up refreshed from the weekend following a great homeschooling week. You are excited about what you have planned for the new homeschooling day with your child. Then the day starts, and you quickly realize that this will not be your favorite homeschooling day. It will probably not be your child’s favorite homeschooling day […]

Personalization in education allows you to tailor instruction based on a child’s unique needs, skills, abilities, and even interests. This, in turn, gives students options on how and what to learn, as well as opens the door to self-paced learning. If you’re an experienced homeschooler, you know how beneficial personalized instruction can be. For those […]

Lately I’ve been thinking about the importance of teaching critical thinking skills to our children. If we want our kids to thrive in the world, then we must ensure that comprehension and critical thinking is part of their education. But how do you even teach critical thinking skills to children? And when is a good […]

Of all the things we as parents did in our own schooling, projects often stand out in our memories. Why? We often spent more time and extra effort on them, and we enjoyed being creative. Projects often moved beyond the typical reading, writing, and arithmetic work we typically did in school, and we finished our […]

Project-based learning (PBL) has been around for at least several centuries. Many trace its beginnings to John Dewey, an American educator and philosopher, and his 1897 book “My Pedagogical Creed.” In it, he proposed the concept of ‘learning by doing’ and making students active, rather than passive learners. Others trace the origins of PBL even […]

I’ve read about homeschool burnout. Most families describe a sort of smoldering unrest and dissatisfaction with the homeschool status quo. Our homeschool burnout, unfortunately, doesn’t resemble that at all. In the past few months we’ve experienced more of a full-on combustible inferno! Once I felt the temptation to throw my children into the nearest yellow […]