Providing Resources to Equip and Inspire your Home School

Ages and Stages of the Homeschool Journey

By Mary Friedeman

Yesterday morning I took a walk/bike ride with my two youngest boys. We’ve begun that habit this summer and have really enjoyed it. Being on wheels, they speed ahead on certain sections of our route while I hoof it as fast as I can. If we circle a block, they’ll lap me and add some mileage to their ride. About every ½ mile we check in with each other, cross any major roads together, and they’re good to go. For some reason, though, they prefer this stop-and-start process with me to taking an uninterrupted bike ride without me.

During my solitary sections along this route, I began reflecting on our homeschool journey. I never could have taken such a walk when my older children were young. Too many little ones; too many bikes, trikes, and strollers to safely shepherd down the street. On the other hand, our school schedule was a lot less complicated back then. With no advanced subjects in the mix and fewer students to juggle, we spent a lot more time on hands-on activities and read-alouds. Things were more relaxed. But field trips were harder to manage.

I don’t know how it’s worked for you, but our first child was the “guinea pig” when it came to homeschooling. We tried out a couple of math curricula on him before we settled on the one we’ve used with all his siblings. He’s also the student whose sixth grade program was a whirlwind tour of world history. We were halfway through the year before I realized, “This is nuts! No way can one effectively survey world history in nine months.” A few years later we adopted our current plan, which covers world history over five years. (As a comforting aside to stressed parents--he survived and thrived despite any missteps by his mom and went off to college on a substantial scholarship.)

So, while our children are receiving the same basic education, they won’t have identical homeschool experiences. Each age and stage of learning together has its own advantages and challenges. With that in mind, I’d like to offer a few words that I hope will encourage all of us, no matter what part of the journey we find ourselves on.

To moms with younger students, I would say, “Relax and enjoy! Don’t over schedule!” As long as the basics are being covered – a firm foundation in math and reading – the rest is gravy. Read aloud wonderful children’s books. Take time for hands-on activities that bring history alive. Have fun exploring God’s world and experiencing it with your five senses. Capture what your children are learning in their own voice by serving as scribe to their narration or having them put it in writing (complete with any creative spelling). These records will be precious treasures later on.

If your children have grown older and you’re feeling a little misty-eyed, take stock of the blessings in your current situation. Rather than having to explain every new topic to my older students, I now watch them discover and digest on their own while remaining available to assist as needed. We don’t have to worry about a toddler getting into projects or science materials (or creating havoc elsewhere in the house while the aforementioned reading aloud is going on). It’s satisfying to engage in meaningful discussions about current events, literature, and the impact of various worldviews.

And if, like me, your brood bridges the entire span from elementary to college age, take advantage of the independence of the older students. Now that they don’t need your constant attention, there’s more to spend on the hands-on fun stuff (or, in educationspeak, "enrichment activities") with the younger ones. That’s one of my goals for this coming school year.

I loved the years when the bulk of my children were young, and I cherish those memories. But it’s my intention to appreciate and enjoy the present; each season of life has its own joys and rewards.

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Comment by Mandy Webster on August 3, 2010 at 10:24pm: What a blessing to read this! I was homeschooled my entire life, and whi;e my other siblings took different things away from that, I would not trade a minute of the life I lived at home with my parents. During the structured times, and crazy times! And I am looking forward to starting officially this fall with my own 2 kids. My daughter has already started reading, and I feel blessed beyond measure to be the one to have taught her how to do this. Thank you for reminding me to enjoy the dailyness of this season of our homeschooling journey. God bless you and yours... Mandy

Comment by KB on July 30, 2010 at 11:27am: It's so funny how you mention that you kind of fell into a routine. Every morning (about 7 AM) the little girls and I wave farewell to Dad as he goes off to work. One day the oldest suggested, "Hey Mom, can we just run around for a little bit?" I shrugged and said "okay," reasoning that this probably was the best time for them to get a little outside exercise.
Now we do this every morning, which serves to help us beat the intense summer heat of the afternoon. Sometimes my artistic little one spots a hawk or mockingbird and runs inside to get her sketching kit so that she can do a bit of nature journaling. Keeping it as unstructured as possible does make it enjoyable. I understand what you mean about appreciating this season now: I have "teenagers" too, and I can hardly believe how fast the years have gone by!