Homeschooling Tips from A to Z for 2023: the Letter B

Ok, we are now in our second week of our Homeschooling Tips from A to Z series. This week is the letter B.

As always, feel free to leave a comment, especially if you think of a homeschooling tip that would help others out too.

Homeschooling Tip #1: Breaktime

Everybody needs a break once in a while. It’s just good to get up and move around a little bit. I would encourage you to allow for a few minute break between subjects to allow your kids to relax, get a snack, or use the bathroom.

Another idea for breaktime is to complete your sit-down subject and then do a subject that requires more movement, like music practice, science experiments, art, or physical education.

There’s no time like the present for a little bit of exercise!

Homeschooling Tip #2: Brainstorming

You can call me weird if you want to, but I love to sit and think. I love to grab a piece of paper and make a list of ideas. Anything that pops into my head about a certain topic, goes on the paper.

I love mind maps, especially colorful ones with lots of options. The more complicated the better. 

I know it’s weird. I’m sorry.

There are so many things that you can brainstorm about. 

1. Goals for yourself
2. Goals for your child
3. Subjects or topics you want to study
4. School supplies that you will need
5. Chores that need to be learned
6. Character traits that need to be improved
7. Field trip ideas
8. School things to do with others
9. And so much more!

So, I would encourage you to sit down and have a good “think”! It’s so much fun and frees up your brain. 

Homeschooling Tip #3: Back-up Those Files

Homeschooling Tip #4: Bonding

I’ve heard some people say that they wouldn’t be able to stand having their kids around them for 24 hours a day. I’ve also heard parents complain when there’s a week long break in the school schedule or when summer break starts.

I can’t imagine thinking that way. As homeschooling parents, we’ve made the commitment to love and keep our kids around us, all of the time. 

This, my friends, is where and how life long memories and life long love and friendship takes place. Your kids will grow up and know the sacrifice you made to stay with them and teach them day after day.

Time goes by so fast and homeschooling is a wonderful way to make the bond between siblings and parents and children so much stronger and it will last a lifetime.

Homeschooling Tip #5: Bible Games

If you’re a Christian, then most likely Bible class is important in your homeschool. I have some children’s games that kids like to play, where they have to use their Bibles in order to play.

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Indoor Scavenger Hunt

This indoor scavenger hunt is played the same way as the outside one, but the clues are different, and the items to find are going to be inside the house.

Themed Sword Drills

A free Bible lesson and Bible story visuals are also included.

Once again, there is a ready-to-read Bible lesson with Bible story visuals available for download and printing.

Books of the Bible Popsicle Sticks

With this popsicle stick activity, you child can practice independently putting the books of the Bible in order. 

Once you or your child gets the sticks set up, your child can check for himself to see if he was correct. 

Bible Studies and Lessons

This Bible study method for kids is easy for them to use, and it promotes applying God’s Word to their lives. 

Did you know the books in the Bible are not placed in chronological order? 

With this printable Bible lesson, your child will see and understand how the books of the Bible are really organized. 

In this second Bible Basics series, your child will follow God’s people through the Bible chronologically. 

It is important to see the big picture of the Bible, since the books are not in chronological order. 

In the third Bible Basic Lesson, we begin to study the Trinity and we learn the attributes of God. 

This year long Bible study is for high school students. It is an independent study to get your child searching out topics in the Bible, so that they can see what God has to say about it. 

From this, they can then share their reasonings on why they live and the things that they do or don’t do to their friends. 

Homeschooling Tip #6: Bible Stories

If you have a preschooler or elementary age child, Bible story books are such a great and easy way to get them used to Bible people, concepts, and the stories in the Bible. 

There are a few books that I have had the privilege to read and review. I’m not an affiliate for these companies, but I would like to share them with you. 

• Esther and the Very Brave Plan
• God’s Very Colorful Creation
• Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer
• Seek and Find: New Testament Bible Stories
• The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song
• Welcome to BibleWorld
• The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party Storybook

When I teach Bible lessons to our Sunday school kids at church, I love to use these free Bible story images from Free Bible Images. They allow you to download them and use them as PowerPoint slides. They even have the Bible story text written out that tells you what to say with each slide. It really is a big help.

If you have preschoolers then you don’t want to miss this audiobook from Jean Thomason, AKA Miss PattyCake. Her stories are so funny and she has a lot of great ideas, tips and tricks on how to share God’s love with these little people. Just click on the title to read my review. Sharing God’s Big Love with Little Lives

Homeschooling Tip #7: Busywork is Avoided

I remember when I was in public school and in shop class. We took shop class when we were in the 8th grade. There were a few days when the teacher was out sick.

Some of the kids loved to have a substitute teacher. They felt like they could get away with some bad behavior, and they did. But what I remember most about our substitute teacher in shop class was the work we had to do.

Our class time wasn’t the normal routine of working with the wood, sanding, staining, drilling, cutting, etc. Instead, it was textbook reading and answer the questions at the end of the chapter. 

To make matters worse we had to copy the questions onto our paper too. That is busywork. 

Praise the Lord, that we don’t have to assign our kids busywork.  Once a concept or topic is mastered, you can move on. 

There are no substitute teachers who won’t know what to do for the class. Most likely, your kids are trained well enough to know what subjects they can move on in and work on independently.

It is so nice not to have to waste the kids’ time. What you do during your school day is beneficial and important. Good job, Mom!

There are other wonderful homeschool bloggers that are working their way through the alphabet with their own weekly homeschool topics. You don’t want to miss any of them.

Just click on the link, and you be able to see all of the great topics.  Blogging through the Alphabet: the Letter B. 

Last week, some wonderful bloggers wrote posts about topics that started with the letter A. You may want to go back and read them. The links will be below.

Lego ABC’s: A is for Among Us
A is for Art Lessons at Home
A is for Andersonville in History and Fiction
Algebra!
Leroy Anderson – ABC’s of Composers
Discovering the “A” Rabbits of the World, by At Home Pets

Don’t forget, if you have a homeschooling tip that you would like to share, just leave a comment!

If you would like to read more Homeschooling Tips from A to Z, just click on the alphabet letter below.