Recently I’ve been contacted by a few sisters at the beginning of their homeschooling journey, eager for advice. I usually tell them to find someone older with lot of kids that they’ve homeschooled….preferable a grandmother! My eldest is still a teen and I am in no way a homeschooling expert. There continues to be lots of trial too many errors to count at my house. It did make me ask myself however, what advice I would give my younger self when I had just begun homeschooling. I realised there was an awful lot I would want to say and this post is the most important seven pieces of advice I would give myself.
Renew Your Intention
Homeschooling can be ibaadah depending on your intention and as such it’s so important to renew it regularly. It helps you refocus on why you have established your Muslim homeschool. Plus it’s easier to be patient with the inevitable challenges when you remember Whose pleasure and reward you are seeking.
Only Teach When Your Kids Are Ready
You can teach a child in no time what would take a lot of effort, time and stress just a few months before. Formal teaching before kids are ready can kill the joy of both learning and teaching. Save your time and spend it chatting together or on a beneficial activity that you both enjoy instead!
Be Consistent
You don’t need to spend endless hours everyday homeschooling but you do need to do it regularly. The consistency is really key. Kids thrive on the routine, small incremental improvements soon add up to huge progress plus many of the key skills we want our kids to develop require repetition and practice. You learn Qur’an by memorising a portion regularly and revising what you have learnt. If you try to learn a lot in a short period of time it is more easily forgotten. Consistency also communicates that homeschool is important, like brushing your teeth it is an essential part of life that can’t be regularly skipped.
Write Down The Special Moments
There are so many funny, beautiful moments that happen when you dedicate your time to educating your kids. It’s easy to think that you won’t forget them but time seems to fly and soon it all seems to blur together. Writing down the special moments that happen during homeschooling also increases your sense of gratitude. You are around to witness the first sentence they read or the time they could retell the story of Nuh (alayhi al-salaam) and that’s a blessing to be grateful for.
Seek Advice About Homeschooling
Get advice from experienced homeschooling mothers, preferable grandmothers! While it can be interesting to read about different approaches to homeschooling such as Charlotte Mason, nothing beats advice from a Muslim mother who has practical hard won experience. If anything isn’t relevant yet, write it down, likely it will make sense later on inshaAllah.
Do What YOU Love
If you teach what you enjoy, it becomes a pleasure for both you and your kids. Passion and enthusiasm is contagious. By contrast if you spend ages on rock formations when you find it deathly dull, homeschooling will become a chore. Kids are the focus of your homeschool but a mother’s attitude can make or break it. Read your favourite books aloud and share with your kids your interests and watch homeschooling become a genuine joy inshaAllah.
Plan- But Just a Little!
No plan can leave you feeling lost and failing to make progress. If you don’t have goals then you can’t meet them. Planning lessons thoughtfully makes you excited to deliver them and increases their quality. However too much planning can feel like a burden and ultimately be a waste of time. I couldn’t find a simple planner so I created my own. It doesn’t plan every minute of each day but leaves space to fill in important events and plan a few lessons. Plus it includes a space to note special moments to be grateful for in the week in a ‘Alhamdulillah for…’ section. You can purchase your own copy here.
4 Responses
Asalamu’alaykum wa rahmatullah sis, beautiful pieces of advice! We are all still learning as we go along and enter different phases of homeschooling. May Allah reward you for a beautiful, encouraging and practical post, ameen!
Wa alaikum asalaam wa rahmatullah wa barakaatuh! Alhamdulillah, yes it’s great to feel like we are learning as we go along. It also takes the pressure off, knowing we are not expected to have all the answers before we start. I know I have benefitted so much from your generous homeschooling advice over the years, Allahumma barik. Jazakallah khair!
In addition to saying ‘Do what you love’, I would also say do what your child wants! Try and tie in the topics they’re interested in, as this will make them much more willing students and hold their attention better.
Such a great suggestion! Following your child’s interests really helps make learning effortless. Jazakallah khair for sharing your thoughts.