10 Pieces of Advice for New Homeschoolers With Littles

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday post is all about my Top 10 Pieces of Advice You Would Give to a New Homeschooler! Since I am still pretty new, and my Chix are very much still little, I thought I would share what I could about teaching your Littles!

Plan during the Summer!!! I am a huge planner and I have found that when I get a school year all planned out over the Summer Break, my year goes much easier. I’m not saying you have to 100% stick to it but it sure does help a ton to layout when you are more relaxed in the Summer.
Take lots of breaks. Not just a break but an energy-filled break. Dance, jumping jacks, running, etc. Anything to help them get their wiggles out of their little bodies in a positive way. I spent the first part of this year figuring this out and I can not tell you what a difference it has made! We take Dance Breaks on a regular basis now.
Get your Tater Tots involved: My youngest is only one year old and she definitely changed the way I taught my oldest this year. She needs to be apart of it so I found some seriously awesome printables and blogs to work with her. Her lessons were not truly “structured” but she felt like a big girl working side by side with her Big Sissy! Check out Carisa’s blog at 1+1+1=1 – she has absolutely amazing printables and ideas there for you.
Make it hands-on: When they are little especially, you are going to hold their attention so much better if they have their hands on/in it! My first year I did some hands-on but not nearly enough. Nowadays most of our school day is spent learning with our hands. You can find a list of what our 2012-2013 school year will look like here: Our 2012-2013 School Curriculum and 2011-2012 School Curriculum
Read Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay & Sally Clarkson: This book is new to me so I have not finished it yet BUT it is filled with so many great pieces of advice – I wish I had read it my first year – I could have saved myself a lot of stress!
Keep track and record everything: You may be starting out (like I did) thinking “Oh, I’ll just teach them for the first few years and then put them into school.” But you should really still keep a record of all their transcripts (even if your state doesn’t require it). Some day you may need them or just want to look back and see all they have accomplished! I found Homeschool Tracker Plus and love it – you can use it for planning your days plus track all their grades. They have so many reports you can run to make it just right for you!
Let your littles show you what they are ready for: This was a huge one for me. It could be you are pushing them too hard in one area and not hard enough in another. I was absolutely holding my daughter back during her kindergarten with her spelling in the beginning, because I thought it “looked way too hard” for her. Once I allowed her to try the harder words – she did amazing! But if you do notice that your child is having trouble in a certain area like spelling, looking into finding an English tutor in your area can always help too.
Know when to take a break: This is a HUGE lesson I have learned this year. With the addition of a Tater Tot to our school days, I have had to learn to STOP and take a break a little more often – that’s including a break for me as well as the kiddos! Sometimes your patience may not be where you need it, so you need to recognize that and take a breather!
Start your school day with Bible Study: Yes, even with Littles! It’s a great habit to get into so why not start when they are young! Apologia has a great curriculum for your school-age kiddos and for your Tater Tots read through a child’s Bible (maybe even with a puppet) and then talk to them about it!
PRAY! It may be #10 on my list but it is the most important part of any homeschool!

Pray before you start each school day for God to guide you through it!
Pray before you choose your curriculum, that He will show you which is best for each child.
Pray that God will bless your homeschool and your children’s education.
Pray that God shows YOU the way HE wants you to teach them.
PRAY!!!

Love Life, Love God and Live For HIM …