The journey of educating one's children is filled with both highs and lows. Some days everything seems to click. The kids are learning. They are joyful. They are motivated and creative. All is right with your homeschool world and it feels like you have found your calling as a homeschooling parent.

Other days the opposite feels true. You are interrupted a thousand times. The kids are fighting and you are pretty sure they will never learn how to multiply, divide, or write legibly. On these days you wonder if the decision to educate your kids at home was a big mistake, and you are doing them a terrible disservice.

Everyone has these mixed days and conflicted emotions. Thankfully, you don’t have to travel this road alone. At ShillerLearning, we are passionate about partnering with parents in educating their kids. Many parents call or email for encouragement or with questions, and we are great at helping you remember why you chose to do this in the first place. ShillerLearning representatives have a combined 71 years of homeschooling experience to share; no matter what you are going through, we have probably been there and felt that!

Here at ShillerLearning, we ascertain that for every parent who calls our easy 888-556-6284 number for help there are at least 23 other parents who could really use the same pep talk and coaching. For this reason, we are launching Your Homeschool Coach. As veteran homeschool parents we have created for you delicous bites of encouragement, words of wisdom, and useful teaching tips, applicable no matter what curriculum or program you have. You are not alone! Let us come alongside you; helping and encouraging you to be the best homeschool parent you can be.

Do You Dream of Having a Homeschool Coach?

We want to help you keep that spark of excitement going week after week. It’s easy to get caught up in the tasks of each day, and lose focus on the joy of learning. Staying inspired is key to fostering that deep love of learning.

We will also share teaching tips gathered from Maria Montessori’s own work as well as many other worthy sources. I don’t know about you, but I love short tips and reminders that keep me on track or give me a fresh new way of approaching something. Keeping you from getting stuck in a rut, our quick tips will brighten your days, and keep you focused on your bigger goals.

In addition to great tips and inspiration, Your Homeschool Coach will also include fun activities. Have you ever downloaded one of our amazing activity packs? If so, you know they are chock full of great ideas and fun things to do with your kids. Most of these activities are also easily completed with items you have on hand. At no charge to you, we will include similarly easy and fun projects for you and your kids in Your Homeschool Coach. These might be seasonal or holiday specific, math or language arts activities, or they might be a science experiment that we loved and think you will too.

Whether you are just getting started or you’ve been homeschooling for years, Your Homeschool Coach will brighten your days and keep you refreshed and inspired. Sign up today!

Every parent wants nothing more than to be the best parent they can be to their children. Unfortunately, kids don’t come with a detailed or individualized manual, and every child is unique. Educating one's own kids just compounds this dilemma. How can a parent love, teach, care for, and nurture their relationships with their children without crumbling?

At ShillerLearning we want you to succeed at parenting and homeschooling, so we have curated for you a list of 20 Homeschool Parent Best Practices Do’s and Don’ts.

With a little intention and daily practice, you can truly be the parent you want to be.

20 Homeschool Parent Best Practices

Do’s and Don’ts

In homeschooling and parenting in general, parents will be successful when they follow these best practices:

✔️ Praise, praise, praise (Montessori-style recognition that does not interrupt work or lead a child to seek outside approval as motivator, for example: “I see how hard you worked on that," “Your math work is written very neatly; you can easily check your work," “What do you think of your work?” etc.)

✔️ Direct the student to the appropriate activity

✔️ Put away one activity before starting another

✔️ Use careful language at all times and expect careful language from their children (If you have the opportunity to catch our 6 Magic Phrases to Transform Your Homeschool workshop at a homeschool event, you will love diving deeper into this topic.)

✔️ Use respectful language at all times (“You may put away your work now,” instead of “You have to put away your work now.”)

✔️ Maintain a sense of humor and perspective

✔️ Maintain an atmosphere of enthusiasm and purpose

✔️ Raise their expectations (of both child and parent!)

✔️ Expect a child to do his or her very best

✔️ Take a break when the child gets tired, hungry, or frustrated

✔️ Move on when a concept is understood; doing every practice exercise is not required

✔️ Give choices (children appreciate having some appropriate degree of control over their lives)

Practices that are worthwhile to avoid, include:

🚫 Pointing at the child

🚫 Raising one’s voice for anything other than physical safety reasons

🚫 Allowing two activities to occur simultaneously

🚫 Transferring or projecting one’s own fear of mathematics or other subjects to the child

🚫 Allowing a child’s frustration to build

🚫 Using phrases such as “you must,” “you have to,” or “you should"

🚫 Comparing your child’s progress with another

🚫 Threaten consequences not associated with inappropriate behavior

When the going gets tough, an effective tool is to “exit” the current activity. For example, if you see that your child’s frustration is building, “I see that you are having difficulty with this work; would you like to put this away for now and try something else?” Or, “Let us move on to the next activity, it will be more fun for you.” The “exit” approach recognizes that children have short attention spans and gives them a chance to recover, ultimately accelerating development of concentration, listening, and communication skills. An activity can always be revisited another day. That’s one of the many joys of homeschooling!

Would you like more homeschool help? The FREE ShillerLearning Homeschool Parent Planner has additional tips and beautiful printable planner pages. Sign up below for the 200+ page ShillerLearning Homeschool Freebie Bundle with coordinating parent and student planners, plus math and language arts activities for preschool through middle school.

ShillerLearning curricula is based on a respectful relationship between parent and child. Parents will achieve the best results when speaking to their child the way they would like their child to speak with them: with patience, respect, and love.

A parent’s thoughtful involvement is required. Fortunately, through scripted lesson books and ongoing parent support, ShillerLearning provides everything a parent needs to succeed in this endeavor.

As a new parent holding my tiny, perfect, newborn baby I had visions of who this little person would one day be. With parenting aspirations to rival the rich and famous, I imagined this little person growing into greatness.

I think most parents have hopes and dreams for each of their children. We imagine them succeeding. We hope to see them sailing through life with less difficulty than we may have experienced and whether we mean to or not we envision what raising these little people should look like, often picturing tiny versions of ourselves gracing their presence into our families.

Whether you always planned to homeschool or it is something new for your family, there are certain expectations that most parents have about homeschooling. Most of us envision happy mornings, and maybe afternoons as well, gathered around the table reading or playing games together. We imagine children happily carting their books or “school work” to their neat little desks and humming quietly while they complete the day’s tasks. Maybe we picture little junior reciting Shakespeare while creating a watercolor masterpiece to rival Monet. Or if math is our thing, we may hope to see little miss diligently writing code and creating her own video games.

While these visions all have the possibility of reality some of the time, homeschooling is millions of moments which make up the total collection of each child’s education. There will be days you feel like quitting and days that you just know you are the best homeschool parent ever!

3 Pitfalls You Must Avoid to Have a Healthy and Happy Homeschool

Avoid these 3 traps that will destroy the joy of homeschooling:

Comparison

The pitfalls of comparison have never been as dangerous as they are in this digital age. Everyone knows that social media posts reflect at best the good moments in one's life and at worst completely faked or staged experiences. When we spend time coveting the stories we see reflected on someone else’s Facebook or even those accomplishments our friends brag about in an effort to help themselves feel better about their own homeschooling experience, we begin to feel dissatisfied with ourselves and the children we have been blessed with.

Comparison makes us look at our kids as less than, and to fall into the trap of trying to shape our child into something they are not and were never meant to be. When we try to squish our child into the mold of another family’s perceived experiences we are no better than the schools that expect every 6-year-old to perform at the same level as their peers. It is imperative that parents remember why they decided to choose home education and resist the monster of comparison that will suck all the joy from an otherwise beautiful homeschool.

Your little one is an individual. Not all 6-year-olds wear size 6 clothing, and not all kids will learn the same things at the same pace or even in the same order. Trusting the innate curiosity of a child to guide their education and forgetting about your friend’s kid who (supposedly) plays Chopin and performs calculus in his head despite being only 8-years-old, is one of the most important pieces of homeschooling advice I can offer to you!

Expectations

Okay, we all have expectations. I am not suggesting that you cannot have goals or ideas or standards, but making these the foundation of one's homeschool instead of just a useful tool is a recipe for disaster. In any relationship, when one person is too firmly attached to their own expectations of how things should be, the other person is likely to suffer. As a parent, when my intentions become of greater importance than the child themself, I have created an unreasonable environment which will set the child up to feel like a constant failure. When my standards are left unmet day after day, my child will grow up with the sense that they never measure up and are just not good enough.

Having a plan or a list of goals is worthwhile as long as it is held loosely. And when a parent sighs, and berates themself for not completing the todo list, AGAIN, the child hears this and internalizes the failure because they really want nothing more than to please their parent.

I find that a rotating list is very helpful in keeping my expectations in a healthy balance. By having a predictable order of subjects or tasks that we simply keep cycling through, each day feels like accomplishment and can be considered a success whether we completed 2 items or 7.

Here is a quick example of a rotating list:

• Math
• Music
• Reading
• Science experiment
• Spelling
• Language arts
• Fun art project
• History story

On Monday we might do math and music, then on Tuesday we simply pick up with reading, science, spelling and language arts. Wednesday the day begins with a fun art project followed by history and math. And so on. By having an open cycling list there is no expectation that the whole list be completed every day and everyone is much happier and feels good about the things completed that day.

Disappointment

This one is the most important. Every single day we need to remember to be thankful for the child we are blessed with NOT the child we imagined we might have. NOT the child we sometimes silently wish we had and NOT the child our friend has. The child we have is the one we need to love and teach each day. This is true for everyone, and is, I think, especially important for parents of kids with special needs. The quicker we accept and embrace the beauty of who our child is and release our disappointment in who they are not, the sooner they will be able to truly grow and thrive as exactly who they were meant to be. And amazingly, so will we.

Your child with his strong personality or his introverted shyness, or her dyslexia or need for her sandwiches to be cut a certain way are all examples of the things that make him or her uniquely themselves. The quirks, the struggles, the joys and all the intricacies are yours not to endure but to embrace and celebrate and love. Because if you can show your child that you love every part of them, they will grow up learning to love themselves and what better foundation can you provide for them to grow than this?

Here is a very personal account of coming to terms with disappointment : The Loss Of A Dream.

If you want to help your child grow into their best potential then you must STOP comparing them to anyone else, ADJUST your expectations to fit their abilities and RELEASE your disappointment that they are not what you expected. Only then will they have the chance to become their best self.

This is why you decided to homeschool in the first place. To help your unique child discover their individual strengths and flourish and grow in a safe environment rich in encouragement and full of the joy of discovery and learning. It is for this purpose that you are here with this exact child. Courage to you dear parent on the days you feel this and on the days you do not. Your role is the most important in the entire world to your sweet child.

For further encouragement on celebrating the child you are blessed with, read “How Much Control Do You Really Have Over How Your Child Turns Out?"

You Are the Parent Your Child Needs

3 Things That Qualify You to Teach Your Child

“Who am I to ever think I could educate my own child?” A question asked one way or another by most homeschooling parents at least on occasion, if not weekly (or daily.)

Yet similar to parenting as a whole, it is crucial to remember that YOU are the parent your child was given to. So, on a rough day, how does that knowledge help?

It affords us the reminder to take a deep breath and focus on these 3 truths.

1. No one on this planet loves your child more than you do. There is no well-trained teacher out there, no matter how skilled or dedicated, that cares as much as you about your child and what is best for her. No one will sacrifice like you for her greater good.

2. You know your child better than anyone else does. You have watched him learn to breathe and eat and walk and talk. You know what frustrates him and what causes him to light up. You know how to motivate him and your love and respect are the keys that build his confidence and give him the wings he will need to thrive.

3. You can’t do a perfect job of educating your child! And…. neither can anyone else. Whether your child goes to the best school in the nation or has the brightest and best tutor or enjoys your family’s homeschool, there will be gaps in the education they receive. There is no way to ensure a perfect education. So let go of the idea that you have to do this perfectly and begin to enjoy the journey. It is by introducing your child to the joy of learning that they will develop the foundation to succeed in whatever it is they want to do in life. And no one is better suited to take this journey with your child than you are.

As you teach your child, you will begin to discover his or her strengths and struggles. You will start to figure out what learning styles work best and you will celebrate the wins as they reach each new milestone. Just like watching your child take their first steps you will be there to cheer when they read their first words and figure out the mystery of multiplication. And nothing will motivate them more than your admiration and confidence in their achievements.

No child is born knowing how to walk and talk or read and write. And no parent starts out with all the necessary skills to raise a child to adulthood. Mercifully, parents and children learn and grow together. And this is just as true in the journey of homeschooling. You and your child will learn together what works and what doesn’t. You will get up each day a little wiser and a little more confident. And on the days where everything seems to go wrong, you will chalk it up to growing pains and you will remind yourself yet again that YOU are exactly the parent your child needs.

At ShillerLearning we passionately support parents and children in finding the joy in learning. As a Montessori based program, we cultivate the whole child - teaching and inspiring using all the learning styles. We equip parents by providing beautiful materials, scripted lessons and Montessori resources.

ShillerLearning also has a unique diagnostic testing system which will enable your child to fill in any learning gaps they might have without the frustration and boredom of repeating work they have already mastered.

So sit back, stress less and take time today to enjoy your child. It’s not about benchmarks and passing grade levels. Homeschooling is about learning together and fanning the flames of curiosity and wonder. And YOU are the best one for this job!

5 Learning Goals to Set Your Child Up for a Successful Future

How can one hit a target that doesn’t even exist? Homeschooling without defined goals is like standing in one's backyard with a bow and arrow spinning in circles trying to decide what to shoot at. Or worse yet, letting those arrows fly randomly and hoping for the best.

As fall approaches each year, the panic settles over many homeschool parents and they become glassy eyed from pouring through catalogs and websites of curriculum options. How to choose the best materials for each child can be agonizing.  

As a veteran homeschool mom of 27 years who was also homeschooled as a child, let me ease your burden just a wee bit.  

Before you even start looking at all the options, may I suggest you step back and decide what your big goals are. What are the most important lessons, skills or qualities you’d like to be sure your child leaves your homeschool with when the time comes for them to launch?

The answer to these foundational questions will then guide and narrow the rest of your decision making process. And hopefully significantly reduce your stress levels.

No matter what your plans are, it is very important to note that your homeschool goals do not need to mirror those of any other family or school, public or private. (I am going to share our family’s goals with the hope that these will get you started thinking about your own!)

When I was a new homeschool mama, I would sit for hours, researching and writing lists of all the specific skills I hoped to cover each year with each child. This exercise was fine and it did help steer our choices for the year but after a few years I realized that everything boiled down to a few foundational targets I wanted each child to hit before they “graduated” from my homeschool.

So each year I still make a general list of subjects and skills we will cover but everything always points back to our family’s “Five Learning Goals.”

The Donnelly Family Learning Goals

1. That the child would learn to read well.

2. That the child would learn basic mathematics.

3. That the child would learn to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

4. That the child would learn how to learn.

5. That the child would cultivate a lifelong love of learning.

(Number 5 is the one that is the absolute most important to me!)

When I sit down one day to write each of them a transcript or a diploma, I will look back at these foundations to our homeschool and judge our mutual success as student and teacher. If these targets were met, I will have confidence that any subject they didn’t completely ace or a skill that wasn’t on our radar can easily be filled in if they find a need for that skill or knowledge in their adult life.  

The ability to read well is the key that unlocks any door.  

A deep love of learning will inspire and drive them to seek the knowledge they need.

An understanding of how to go about learning will steer them to be able to follow their dreams.

The ability to communicate what they have learned will insure their usefulness in whatever professions they pursue.

And mathematics, well we all know that math is used all day every day in one way or another.

May I encourage you to take some time to evaluate what your family’s most important outcomes are for your homeschool and then let everything else be driven by your foundational goals.

Welcome to the beautiful world of homeschooling. It’s hard. It’s wonderful. It’s worth the investment of time and money. You can do this! And here at ShillerLearning we are available to come alongside you in your education journey. Feel welcome to call 888-556-6284 or message/email with your questions. We are passionate not only about helping your kids learn but helping them learn to love learning.