Homeschooling Tips from A to Z for 2023: The Letter I

Homeschooling tip #1: Interruptions

Interruptions don’t just happen at dinner time. They seem to come at any time, especially when you’re trying to teach. Don’t you hate that?

For phone interruptions, notify your callers with a voice mail greeting letting them know that school is in session. They should leave a message and you’ll get back to them as soon as you can. Just don’t forget to turn your phone’s sound off, so that it doesn’t ring.

If you have creative kids they could come up with a voice mail jingle or something else that would make your caller smile instead of being upset that they’re not a priority.

If your house is prone to front door visitors you may have to hang a sign that says Do Not Disturb.

For in-home pets, getting them into a routine and schedule of going outside will keep unexpected accidents from occuring and hopefully keep the day running smoothly.

For children that interrupt each other, teaching them to be quiet while the other is talking is helpful, along with them being taught to be quiet when someone is taking a test. 

Babies. This is a hard one. If you have access to a babysitter, that helps alot. If the baby is on a feeding and sleeping schedule, that also helps.

Appointments. Try to schedule and keep your appointments to one day a week during a certain time frame, like in the afternoon. This helps in keeping a routine and nobody has to feel stressed about running out of the house every day for different things.

Homeschooling Tip #2: Individuality

Teaching your child with their individual gifts, interests and needs in mind, is the BEST way to homeschool.

You are the only person that really knows your child. You know what is best. You are the one that can choose correctly what to study, practice, or do.

You are the only one that can tell if a curriculum or an approach to something is not working. You know if your child is behind, that you can just take it easy, work on it for a little bit, and then get back on track. 

If your child is in a classroom, they have to stay with the group. Unfortunately, if they get lost on a topic, then they get behind. 

Homeschooling Tip #3: Isolation

One of the advantages of homeschooling is being able to isolate our kids away from potential hazards, peer pressure and bad influences. 

In doing so, you want to be careful that your not isolating your kids completely from the outside world. There are so many extra-curricular activities, sports, camps and groups that meet, that there is no reason to become isolated within your own four walls. 

The advantage to using these types of outside activities and groups is that you can decide which one to join. You can choose to accept or reject any group or activity that doesn’t fit with your own morals, values, and beliefs. 

Homeschooling Tip #3: Information

As hard as you might try, you will never teach your kids everything they need to know in their lifetime.

I’ve come to realize that the best skill I can teach my kids is how to find information for themselves, gather it up, organize it, and then be able to use it for whatever they need it for.

With the internet today, finding information today is so fast and easy, it brings us to our next homeschooling tip, Internet Safety.

Homeschooling Tip #5: Internet Safety

The Internet. A necessary evil. 

It’s a wonderful tool to have available at our fingertips, but we still have to be careful, and that is what we have to teach our kids. 

Why is Internet Safety Important?

None of us want anything bad to happen to our kids. We don’t want them influenced in the wrong way, or anything bad to happen that would affect their minds or bodies.

Teaching Internet safety can protect you and your family members from obscenity, malwares, scams, phishing, identity theft, cyberbullying and sexual solicitations.

Who Should be Concerned about Internet Safety?

Your kids should learn that anybody that can connect a device to the Internet should be concerned about their safety.

Smartphones, PC’s, Laptops, and Tablets are all devices that should be considered.

Parent Tips for Helping Kids with Internet Safety

1. Spend time online together to teach your kids correct online behavior
2. Keep the computer in a common area so that you can keep an eye on what your kids are doing online
3. Bookmark your kids’ favorite sites for easy and direct access
4. Check your phone bills or credit cards for any unfamiliar charges
5. Check other places where your child would use the Internet for any online protection that they offer. (schools, friends’ homes, etc.)
6. Invest time, money and effort in enhancing your awareness
7. Keep your antivirus program up to date
8. Take anything your kids tell you about the Internet seriously

Internet Safety Tips for Parents to Teach Their Kids

1. Take passwords very seriously
2. Never share your passwords except with parents
3. Don’t download anything from a website or content provider whom you don’t trust
4. Be careful who you meet online
5. Be careful what you post
6. Never post or trade personal pictures
7. Never reveal personal information such as your address or phone number, with people online
8. Never agree to get together in person without parent approval and supervision
9. Always tell a parent about any communication or conversation that was scary or harmful
10. Always tell your parents if someone has asked you to keep this conversation a secret
11. Always tell your parents if you feel pressured or manipulated by anybody online
12. For young kids, if something scary pops up on the screen, then X out
13. If something feels wrong about a site, then let an adult know

If you missed reading any of the other wonderful homeschool bloggers’ articles, I’ve listed them below. They are from last week’s collection of Blogging Through the Alphabet: The Letter H.

Lego ABC’s: H is for Harry Potter from Desiree at Our Homeschool Notebook
Homeschool Bloggers to Follow from Chareen at Every Bed of Roses
House Cleaning and Home School from Chareen at Every Bed of Roses
How to Teach High School at Home from Chareen at Every Bed of Roses
Electives in the High School Years from Chareen at Every Bed of Roses
Homeschool Help from Chareen at Every Bed of Roses
H is for Harpers Ferry from Kristen at A Mom’s Quest to Teach
Discovering the H Rabbits of the World from Annette at At Home Pets
Holland Lops from Annette at A Net in Time
Ten Fantastic Ways to Learn History from Annette at A Net in Time
Hiding the Unknown from Annette at A Net in Time
Holst – Composer ABC’s from Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens
H is for Hueco Indians from Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens
New Mexico Bucket List – H. from Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens
Texas Bucket List – H. from Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens
Favorite H Titled Books from Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens
H- Middle School Books from Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens
How to Let Go from Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens
Helpful Homeschool Habits from Megan at: My Full Hands and Heart
How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study from Kristi at: Bailey’s Homeschool Adventures
H is for Howe: The Battle Hymn of the Republic from Kristen at: A Mom’s Quest to Teach
Letter H Preschool Activities and Printable from Dawn at: The Schoolin’ Swag Blog
H is for Heroes Next Door: Hornet 24 from Dawn at: The Schoolin’ Swag Blog

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