What is deschooling? The title of this article may sound a little weird I know, but when a student leaves a public school setting, they need “de-schooled.” Don’t worry, this process isn’t as weird as it sounds. Deschooling your new homeschooler is a pretty simple process. Here is how to deschool your new homeschooler (and you too!).
Give Them Some Time
It’s weird to get used to having “freedom” when you’re coming from a public school. Your child has to get used to not asking to go the bathroom or being able to eat and drink when they want, it’s a process. One way to deschool your homeschooler is to give them some time. This can take as little or as long as you feel is necessary. Watch for cues that your new homeschooler is ready to begin more structured class time.
Let Your Child Have a Say in Their Education
Whoa! Yes, letting your child have a say in what they learn is a great way to deschool them. Your new homeschooler is used to being told what to learn. Let them choose the book they want to read or even the unit they want to study. You’re the parent and what you says goes, however, letting them have a little say really opens up their ‘learning’ world. This is helpful due to the child’s interests are finally being piqued and these are the little rabbit trails of learning that you want to encourage. (I am NOT talking about Unschooling, that is a whole different homeschool animal, just let them have a bit more say in what they are going to learn about with you.)
Do a Field Trip or Two
For those of you who homeschool, you know that field trips are one of the best parts of homeschooling. To properly de-school your public schooler, take them on a field trip or two (or three, four, or more!). Field trips are a great way to explore the creative side of homeschooling. Field trips allow learning to be hands on and fun. Once your student sees that homeschooling will be a lot different than sitting in a public school classroom, things really start progressing in a positive direction.
Have Lots (and lots and lots and LOTS) of Patience
Remember that your student is going from a strict classroom setting to a homeschool settings. One thing you’re going to need a lot of is patience. You can’t expect your student to understand what’s going on in the homeschool world right away. However, they will quickly catch on that their learning environment is about to be a whole lot different. The deschooling process depends upon the kid. Don’t get discouraged if the process seems to take longer with your child.
Change Things Up as Needed
You may quickly see that it takes time and understanding to go from a public school setting to a homeschool setting. All homeschooling parents should be prepared to change things up. What you thought might work for your new homeschooler could be a complete flop. You may need to let your homeschooler sleep in a little longer, so they’re well rested and ready for the day. You may notice your homeschooler needs to go to bed early in order to get the proper amount of rest. Small changes can make a big difference! Don’t forget healthy snacks too. These can have a huge impact as well on a more clear mind and a well functioning body. Last but surely not least, make time for outside fun. Change up the routine for some outside time that is unstructured time. This can often allow for boredom to turn into creativity and using their imagination!
Deschooling your homeschooler may take some time, understanding, and patience, but in no time your family will be well on their way to homeschooling just fine. Most of all, remember that you and your child BOTH need to deschool a bit before you jump right into this homeschool thing. Take your time, love on each other, and remember your “why” as you begin this new journey.
In His Grace,
Callie
The freedom to go on field trips whenever is an awesome part about homeschool. Monday morning… Wednesday afternoon…. Love it.
Here from the giveaway page! Hello again!
Awesome giveaway!
Kids all went back to school this week – yeah!
We only had our son in public school for kindergarten, and spent the summer switching our mindset. I think I still could have used these tips when we started homeschooling! I needed the flip in my own mindset!
Thanks for the chance to win!
What an awesome giveaway! We love using field trips in our home school as a “break” from our regular school routine!
What a generous giveaway! Thank you!
I sure wish I had this information when we started to homeschool. Valuable and insightful.
Thanks
I was lucky enough to have started homeschooling at the beginning of the school year, so we had all summer to deschool 🙂
So excited for the chance to win. Thank you!
Awesome giveaway! Thanks so much!
Thanks for this opportunity to win!
Thank you for doing this amazing giveaway!
Thank you for the chance to win! I could really use this right now for supplemental school supplies. 🙂
Thanks for the chance!
Thanks for a chance to win this fantastic giveaway. What a blessing it will be for someone!
Thanks for being a blessing!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing.
This would be a wonderful blessing!
What a great giveaway!
I probably need to take the time to deschool. It would probably a good start for us!
Wow! What an incredible giveaway. Thank you very much for the opportunity to enter it. You and your blog are appreciated!
This would be a big help!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Thanks! a Great giveaway.
I wish I had read more about deschooling the first time I attempted homeschooling! My oldest is autistic and I was convinced I could do better for him than the school system. However, it was a miserable failure and I put him back in school the next year. Now I homeschool my youngest and we’re thriving! My oldest is a junior in high school and goes to a therapeutic school for autism and my middle child is in public high school. As crazy as it is, we had to find what worked best for each kid.
Thanks for the info!
This info on deschooling really would’ve come in handy years & years ago when I made the decision to pull our oldest children out of public school. But there are still some good ideas that can be used for the kids that have known nothing but homeschooling. If I give thr kids more choices then they are more likely to enjoy what they’re learning. Plus there is the ownership factor – if they feel like they’ve got some control over choices there is less of a struggle to get them to do the work.
Thank you for the giveaway! Winning that would help me SO much this year. We ended up having no budget for curriculum. I have been getting very creative in putting together lessons.
Home School Rules ! I like your blog, great read !
Thank you!
What a great giveaway! Thank you for the opportunity to win!
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Thank you
Thank you for the giveaway!
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your wisdom and for hosting this amazing giveaway. What a blessing!
Thank you for offereing the giveaway. I really appreciate your blog posts. They are encouraging and helpful. Deschooling is important for those transitioning from school to homeschool. Finding a new rhythm takes time but is worth it.