One of the benefits of homeschooling is that we are able to create a unique education package for each of our children. We can maximise their strengths and interests and we can focus on the weaknesses at their own pace.

Another benefit that homeschoolers have is that we can use our family lifestyle and community events to build unique learning experiences for each of our children.  This means that our learning may look different than a traditional classroom

But with this freedom comes much responsibility.  I don’t want to abuse the freedom I have by ignoring my responsibilities. As the parent it is my responsibility to prepare my child for their future; to give them the skills necessary to live a self-governed, responsible and purposeful life.

I take that responsibility seriously.  I need to be aware of what is important for each of my children to learn.  Keeping in mind that each of my kids are unique so one size doesn’t fit all.  Which is why I wawnt to create a unique plan for each of them.

Creating a Unique Education for Each of your Children

If our plan is going to be unique we need to have the confidence to step aside from a school curriculum. At least to start with. A curriculum is to serve a child’s educational needs, it is not to be the whole source of learning. I want to know what is important for each child to learn: what should they spend time on, what weaknesses need strengthening and what strengths need further opportunities.

In our family we have some core things that are important for our children to learn and become competent in:

  • We desire for each child to love God and know His word
  • to be able to defend their faith
  • to be responsible people, to have self-governance in all spheres of their life
  • to read, to think and to love learning
  • to have an interest in the world around them and the people who live there
  • to be competent in the uniqueness God made them – to express their passions and talents

These things are for all our children regardless of their strengths and weaknesses.  How we address these things may vary from child to child.

So how do we create this individual plan?

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to help you see the unique education opportunities in each of your children’s lives.

Start your Plan with some Research

I have created a brainstorm sheet which prompts me to think about the whole child.

As you go through this worksheet some of the answers may overlap and that is okay – the spheres of our life do overlap with each other.  Remember, this brainstorm is to find out what is important for your child to learn in this season of their life.

List A: 6 Capacities

  • Spiritual capacity: their ability to know, love, and serve God
  • Moral capacity: their ability to know and choose right over wrong
  • Emotional capacity: their ability to have healthy emotional responses to life
  • Social capacity: their ability to relate to people
  • Intellectual capacity: their ability to think and learn
  • Physical capacity: their ability to do things with their body/hands,

 

List B: 5 Lifestyle Contexts

  • Relationships: with God and Man
  • Responsibilities: Time and Commitments, Money and Property, Energy and Health, Lifeskills
  • Intrapersonal: Being a strong you:  emotions, perceptions, attitudes. Know yourself: your values, your strengths, your weaknesses, your passions.  Know what makes you tick.
  • Talents and Passions
  • Academics: There is a set of common knowledge, common skills that enable us to learn, earn and engage in our world.

 

I ask four questions

  • What did the child learn last year?
  • What does the child need to learn next?
  • What does the child want to learn?
  • What activities is the child involved in that provide learning opportunities?

Side note: When our kids were around the ages 13-15 they would work through this process with me.  

Now Make a Plan

Once I have completed the brainstorms I go through and highlight or write a list of priorities. I cannot do everything and still have peace in my heart and harmony in our family life. So I must identify the important things for each child.

When I know what I want to achieve in our week, I start to put together a routine for each child.  Because we do life together I did try and overlap similar things as much as possible.  Our days generally fell into the rhythm of: Personal responsibilities, Focus time, Productive time, Free time and then Family time (a rough rhythm that we kept for many years.

Then finally I look to buying the resources that we need for whatever we’ve decided is the next course of study. I say ‘resources’ on purpose because I want to lean away from a dependency on curriculum; instead I want to use whatever it is that is going to work for my child.

As we start a new year it is easy to get caught up in Math, English, History, Economics, Geography, etc and forget that homeschooling doesn’t have to fit in those categories. Buying new resources is fun but homeschool catalogues are not the place to start planning your homeschool year.  We need to see the need and then find ways to fill that need. Seeing beyond these academic subjects is what makes homeschooling an extension of our parenting role: we look at the whole child and find ways to teach and train every area of their life. This won’t happen if we simply plan for their academic needs by buying homeschool curriculum.

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to help you see the unique education opportunities in each of your children’s lives.

Further Reading

 

When we look at the whole child we can create a unique education plan for each of our children.

Throughout the week I share with other blogs – check out my Link ups and Party page

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Individual Education Planning Worksheets - brainstorming every area of your child's life.

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An Alternative to Chocolate

An Alternative to Chocolate

Not that I have anything against chocolate - but these jelly beans can help your kids share the message of Jesus, his love, death and resurrection at Easter time.  

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Parent Guide: How to make your Family Bible Study Really Work

Family Bible Study is Tricky with all the Different Ages

 

But there is a way to make this a rich learning and bonding family time.  This Guide includes tips, planning worksheet, and discussion prompts.  

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Though true character is driven by internal motivation, our children will appreciate when we see that they are growing in character.

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Though true character is driven by internal motivation, our children will appreciate when we see that they are growing in character.

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A quick reference to help you discern between a heart attitude and a lack of skill for when your child loses it!

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Make God your First Response

Print out this parenting reminder to call out to God in the middle of the moment.

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Learn to respond to your child in a way that changes their heart.

 

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Learn to respond to your child in a way that changes their heart.

 

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Our children hear different words when we react to when we respond. Do your children hear blah blah blah when you correct them? Includes a parenting poster.

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When we Respond instead of React we find a way to deal with the heart not just behaviour.

 

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When family relationships get tense - look for the niggles.

Heart Focused Parenting Resource for the Intentional Parent

 

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Print it out and use to teach the hearts of your kids.

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Find ways to Re-engage your Student

Download this checklist and stir your child's curiosity

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This worksheet will help you move from addressing behaviour to really parenting the heart, one issue at a time.

 

 

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Personal growth starts with an honest assessment

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Give Effective Consequences

Think before you React

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One Another Verses

Be Intentional in the Teen Years

Use this Cheat Sheet to remind you of how you can love your teen.

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#14 Heart Booster from Resource Library

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Download your copy

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Blending Life and Lessons - and start your journey of changing your thinking about education.

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Download: One Another Verses pdf

Download this list of One Another verses and teach your children how to love others.

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Raising Kids with Character

ATTEND LIVE : FREE PARENTING WORKSHOP

A bonus for Heart Booster readers:  Learn how to teach character to your kids so that they can live their lives making values-based choices.

 

Live Session:  5th May 2021, 6.30pm AWST

Replay available until 16th May 2021

 

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Raising Kids with Character

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A bonus for Heart Booster readers:  Learn how to teach character to your kids so that they can live their lives making values-based choices.

 

Replay available from 6th May until 16th May 2021

 

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Raising Kids with Character

WAITLIST

 

The Raising Kids with Character parenting workshop will be offered again this year - details yet to be confirmed.  Join the waitlist so you don't miss out. 

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Bonus Reading list

 

Sharing my Homeschool Belief File

Knowing what you believe and why about education and homeschooling helps you make good decisions.

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Download: Family Devotional Activities (PDF)

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#21 Heart Booster from Resource Library

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