Back to School Tips for Homeschool Moms

Good morning!!
I cannot believe in looking at my calendar today that August is ready to come to a close. For some moms they dread the idea of getting back in the groove for school. Others have taken the time, planned all summer and are ready to jump right back in.

I fit into the half way category of these two moms. I love the idea of teaching my three year old son at home but miss the fun of summer.

We started back to school last week. I took some tips from Christian Homeschool author Heidi St. John and kept the first week light and fun. Last week, we learned colors, lots of fun songs, and creative play.  I started to see how he learns and what he really enjoys. I also really payed attention to things that could frustrate him and things that he'd rather do instead.
Tip 1: Know what your child loves and use it in your learning.
My son loves anything trains and cars. So I used this to my advantage.
First I had him sort the trains and letters by color. He loved doing this. This activity was simple. First I bought a puzzle at the Dollar Tree. It has simple ABC's.

Using this puzzle, I can teach both colors and ABC's at the same time. I gathered three plastic containers from my kitchen. Then I asked him to put the objects in the box for that color. He loved this activity. We did this about four times. Then I added in his trains. He was able to find which train went in which container.
Then we carried this activity over to his Thomas the Train playset. He loves to zoom the trains down the track. As we did this, I asked him what the name of the train was and what color it was. The point was to make learning fun. He didn't even know that he was learning because he thought that he was naming trains.
Later we transitioned to using the Blaze & the Monster Machines track to race Blaze and his friends. In doing this again, I pointed out the colors and shapes of the trucks and cars. He got really creative and decided to race his little cars on the track as well. This activity helped him learn more about shapes and colors. I also had a worksheet that went along with it but he was more interested in the hands on part than the worksheet.
Finally we finished up the day with music. He loves the Wheels on the Bus Song, Head and Shoulders, ABC song, and Old McDonald Had a Farm.
Learning is an adventure, make it a fun one. 
To me learning isn't just about books and sitting and writing lots of things.  When I homeschooled my older kids, I found some loved book work and some would rather learn by learning on site. Liam is very hands on in his learning. Liam loved to learn with legos, manipulatives, etc. He gets bored in a classroom. My daughter who is five years old, learns by doing. She learns by using her hands. So activities like playdough, bubbles, and shaving cream work for teaching her.
While my older son Dalton, learned by doing worksheets.
My second point, Don't stress. If your child can't understand something it's okay. You have all year to learn it. You can find a different way of teaching the topic or revisit it later. Remember you know your child best.
Thirdly, enjoy teaching your child. With my son, I have found books about trains and cars to teach him basic concepts instead of making him read books about things he has no interest in. I have also paid attention to what he wants to learn. Right now, he likes sticks, trees, and flowers. So for Science we went outside and did school outside. I had him take his toy car that he likes to ride and bring me the letters for the puzzle. Then I had him find sticks, point out leaves, talk about the parts of a flower, etc. It was such a fun learning adventure. He loved it so much he wanted to do it again the next day.
Fourth and most important, trust your instincts but more importantly Trust what the Lord is saying to you. God gave you your child for a reason. He knew you'd know what to do and you'd enjoy teaching them. Pray over your homeschool day. Ask the Lord to take control and be willing to if necessary - forget the lesson you planned.
When you made the decision to homeschool for whatever reason that you chose, He led you on the path you are on. Trust that and TRUST HIM. He will open doors where He wants you to learn.
If you have a bad day, it's okay. You have tomorrow. If your child is crying because he doesn't want to learn about Math because it frustrates him give him a break and teach it a different way. Homeschooling should be fun!! You are going to have moments when you want to pull your hair out. I had many!! It's not going to be picture perfect. Their are no picture perfect homeschool moms. I watched HGTV and saw the perfect homeschool room and thought that mom has it all together. But no one really does. Everyone has a struggle and a journey they are on. Embrace yours. Love your child, give them your very best, and make the adventure a fun one.
For more great tips on homeschooling visit author Heidi St. John at https://heidistjohn.com/