Homeschooling is one of the best options for us moms of special needs children. Not only does it ensure that our children get the kind of special attention that their condition deserves, but we are the ones to give it to them! What more could a mom want, really? Here are some of the best lessons I’ve learned in deciding to homeschool my child.
When I first decided that my daughter, Jessica, should be at home learning with me-it was more than just a simple decision of the mother not wanting to send her daughter into the world. It was a decision based on what would be best for her particular needs as a special needs child. The problem was, once I had made this decision, I was completely overwhelmed with the prospect. Don’t get me wrong, it was one of the best decisions of my life- but I had to learn where to start and how to go about it. Here’s a quick start guide for any mom considering homeschooling their child:
- Get Involved - One of the most important ways to find out more information about anything these days, is to ask around and get involved. For me, this meant going online and talking in mom forums and blogs, and learning what worked and what didn’t worked when it came to homes schooling. I met all sorts of moms who had successfully homeschooled their special needs children, and got their best advice for doing it artfully. Moreover, before I knew it, I had an online support system that I could turn to when another question or concern arose-regarding Jessica’s educational needs.
- Create an Atmosphere – The second most important aspect to effectively homeschooling your child is to know how to separate home from school atmospheres while at home, for both teacher and child. If this means, dedicating a certain room or area of your house that is entirely focused on study, then you must do this. You can’t be in a room trying to educate your child with a tv on or other distractions interrupting. You must affect the same atmosphere that your child would have at a school.
- Curriculum - Lastly, you should do extensive research on what sort of preschool curriculum to teach your child to ensure that they are getting all that they would be taught in school. Along with this, you should do research on the type of preschool workbooks you’ll need to help guide the daily lessons and overall lesson plan. This way, you and your child have a clear focus of what the tasks are for the day, week, and month—and you can stick to a workable plan of education.
A Great Homeschooling Resource
Here’s a great homeschooling resource that I found while researching how to go about homeschooling Jessica: ABC Home Preschool. They have a great program that teaches you how to homeschool your child, help him/her catch up if they fall behind, and also tons of related downloadable software to supplement the whole homeschooling process.
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