How Independent Learning Helps Kids AND Busy Moms

Today I wanted to share a little about how independent learning can help your kids while also helping you as a busy homeschooling mom. Too many parents think they have to orchestrate every educational activity their child undertakes. Let's see if we can't debunk this thought.

For starters, it helps to think about what you hope to accomplish with your child's education. My husband and I place high priority on teaching our kids HOW to learn, which can only be done by giving them opportunities to learn independently. Of course we provide more guidance and supervision during the younger years, but we still have them do some work on their own. As they grow older, the goal is for them to navigate their personal education with less involvement from us.

How do we do this? Sometimes it looks like me giving a young child a small task I know they can manage without my help, just so they get in the habit of flying solo. Sometimes it looks like assigning independent reading and then having a conversation about what they read. Sometimes it looks like the kids working on a self-taught math lesson while I sit next to them ready to answer questions if they don't understand something.

Learning to learn is the highest objective in education, but it also offers logistical perks for busy moms. You can drop the mom guilt when you can't provide many uninterrupted hours of personal instruction time every day. Let me be clear - I am not condoning haphazard negligence. You ARE supervising your child's education and providing help when needed. But by including time for independent learning, you are also teaching your kids how to manage their own learning, which they will hopefully carry into adulthood.

Here's an example from my own experience. I had a pretty busy day yesterday. A few scheduled obligations limited the amount of time I had, but we were still able to manage a full school day. I gave each of my kids certain tasks to accomplish while I attended an online meeting. My oldest completed her vocabulary assignment, read her grammar book, worked on her Greek lesson, and read books about planets (which she even did aloud so my youngest could learn alongside her). My youngest completed his handwriting and read aloud to my oldest. When I rejoined the kids, we worked together on their math. I accompanied my daughter while she practiced her instrument. I worked on spelling and phonics with my youngest. We all listened to an audiobook during lunch.

We don't operate like this everyday. There are plenty of days when we're all together for long periods of time to do more hands-on activities. Still, everyday there is at least one task each child can do without help from me.

I hope this helps you in your homeschool. I'd love to hear ways in which you are encouraging independent learning in your kids! Use the contact form and let me know, or you can find me on Instagram by clicking the IG icon in the footer.