Are you thinking about homeschooling your military child? In many ways, homeschooling can give you the freedom to do what’s best for you and your child.
In the military community, homeschooling is common. In our family, the frequent moves and deployments caused lots of disruptions and distractions.
Each move required transfer of school records and starting a new school. Sometimes the school curriculum was not as advanced as the previous school. Those types of situations pose a problem for children who are already learning at a higher level.
Homeschooling helps solve that! Our family switched a few years ago and everyone is much happier. The children get focused learning and get to explore unique interests.
It’s also more efficient! Homeschool lessons take less time. Think about this. I did some teacher substitute work for a few months in local elementary schools. I discovered that the majority of time was spent lining up, hushing, getting everyone focused, transportation, and so on. The actual time spent learning was very little in comparison to the time spent on non-learning.
If you need more flexibility and especially choice of what you want your children to learn, check out homeschooling. You don’t have to do it forever. You can try it for a few months or a year and see if it’s the right choice for your family.
Resources for Homeschooling Military Children
What I love about homeschool is you can map out your family’s journey. There are many curricula to choose from and you get to pick one that’s best for your family.
Here’s a few ways that you can homeschool:
- Traditional: The focus is on textbook learning. Usually it’s mandated by states. Depending on which curriculum you choose, there may or may not be much creativity in the learning methods.
- Co-op: Military and civilian communities often have homeschool co-ops. This is where parents share responsibilities for learning one or more times a month. It’s not about standing in front of a room and teaching from a book. Co-op learning usually consists of fun field trips or special interest learning experiences. For example, in our family, the kids go to a weekly co-op class to learn about agriculture, how to grow foods, outdoor science, and nature. They love it and also have social interactions with other kids.
- Online: You can choose from many online academies that satisfy academic requirements. These are best for children in older grades like middle school and high school. We love it! The kids learn responsibility and how to organize their time.
Daily Home School Schedule
Homeschooled kids can control their daily schedule. Our kids do a lot of athletic activities. It was always a big rush to get them there on time due to waiting for school buses to drop them off. They also had to wake up extra early to get the bus to school.
Now, their schedule is more relaxed since they learn more in fewer hours and don’t waste time with transportation.
Faith and patriotic based teaching
We love including God centered teachings into the curriculum. We also start the day with the Pledge of Allegiance to our Flag. We incorporate bible studies, learning about the Constitution, and the great history of our nation.
Direct your Children’s Education
Taking control of your kids’ education can be a fun experience and promotes family unity. Our family’s kids are doing amazing and learning more than ever. They enjoy and thrive on their home chool journey. It’s given them the opportunity to learn hands-on skills and learn in real-world environments.
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