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Accommodate Learning Styles

Each child has a learning style - a preferred way that they best retain and process information. There are 4 styles according to the popular VARK model.

1. Visual: Your child processes information best using charts and graphs and enjoys images that explain concepts and ideas. Visual learners prefer pictures over words.
2. Auditory: Your child learns best when the information is spoken. She prefers lectures and discussion and learns best by talking things through.
3. Reading/writing: Your child enjoys reading and writing assignments, processes information by writing notes, and enjoys written words.
4. Kinesthetic: Your child learns best through tactile processes and processes information by recreating and practicing. Learns best with hands-on personal experiences.

Once you know how your child learns best, you can find creative ways to accommodate his learning style. You’ll have much more freedom as a homeschooler than in following a particular school curriculum as the common Zoom classes, for example, are difficult for kinesthetic learners, but there are still ways to facilitate your child’s learning either way.

Don’t Burn Yourself Out

Let’s face it, you already had a lot on your plate. Now you have to be your child’s teacher too, at least part time, and it can be a lot to take on! That means you’ll need to get creative about sharing the load and taking care of your needs, too. Consider teaming up with a friend to share teaching duties or join a homeschool group. Follow the routine you set, but don’t become so rigid about it that you make yourself or your child unhappy. Know when to take a mental health day and when to relax on the curriculum a bit, and remember the golden rule of home education: Don’t compare! What matters in the end isn’t that everyone was a star, but that everyone felt loved and supported along the way. Do the best you can and allow your child the same.

Rebecca Eanes is the bestselling author of multiple books including Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide, The Positive Parenting Workbook, and The Gift of a Happy Mother. She is the grateful mom of two boys.