A List of GREAT Parenting Suggestions!!

I thought I'd pass along this list of suggestions to parents of children. It was put onto paper in note form by a friend [and long-time homeschooling mom] at a homeschool support group meeting a few months ago; I asked permission to post it on my blog, it's so good. :)

Maybe only a *few* apply only to homeschooling parents.

I am so happy that it turns out there are exactly 31 of them! I plan to make a wall hanging out of this, and hang it beside our calendar in order to read/focus each day on the suggestion that shares that day of the month. That way I can have them available and constantly being refreshed in my mind without feeling so overwhelmed at trying to remember them all at once! lol

[Related to #19 (about every family having bad days), that this evening Jeremy made the following statements. "I continue to be amazed at the differences between our two children. Natasha lives to break the rules." (sigh)]



1.) Ease up! Life is about learning and that means PLAY ... a lot! Formal schooling can wait.

2.) Read lots and lots of stories and poetry together.

3.) Go for slow walks and stop to explore everything.

4.) Get books from the library about every topic you talk about and all the animals or plants you see. Use field guides to learn names.

5.) Go on field trips to museums, factories, zoos, etc.

6.) Play games.

7.) Let your children play uninterrupted for long periods when possible.

8.) Cook together. It's great for developing math concepts.

9.) Teach chores/work, to develop discipline and good habits.

10.) Create art work and look at art.

11.) Listen to classical music.

12.) Ask your child what HE wants to learn about and write it down then feed his interests.

13.) Have lots and lots of fun! When learning is fun and relevant, children want to learn ... and 'learn to love' learning!

14.) Under no circumstances allow school to interfere with learning. Avoid doing what we know fails in public schools, such as:
- Sressing early reading (before age 5)
- Uninspiring busywork
- Allowing little time to ask questions/explore
- Interrupting regularly to shift to the next task
- Forcing them to learn today what can be easily learned next month or next year

15.) Do not give in to adult peer pressure >> 'parental panic attacks', aka "Am I Doing Enough Syndrome”

16.) A study compared geniuses to find commonalities. All geniuses:
- were needed, wanted, and depended upon in the family.
- had unlimited time to explore
- no TV
- minimal amount of time with peers

17.) Do not rush learning; look at LONG TERM goals.

18.) Model learning to your children.

19.) Bad days are NORMAL for families of all kinds! Do not idolize other homeschoolers; they are having bad days, too.

20.) Say 'NO' to anything that pulls you away from your family.

21.) Talk to your children. Discuss what they want to learn, how they feel, what they like/dislike.

22.) Ask yourself "Will this matter next week or next year?"

23.) Learn to relax and be patient.

24.) Keep your eyes on your goals. ("Why am I doing this?")

25.) Tap into motivation. (Nothing motivates like success.)

26.) Be flexible; plan, but also plan to change.

27.) Do not underestimate the value of play. (Books to read: "The Unhurried Child" and "The Power of Play", by David Elkind)

28.) Raise independent learners (not you teaching them, but them learning on their own).

29.) Teach them how to work.

30.) HAVE FUN! Play together. Each day, think how to have fun.

31.) Remember the 4th 'R' is Relationships. This will long outlast academics.