Episode 100: You Are Enough

You are enough. You are exactly who your children need right now. Trust yourself a little more and create a custom homeschool environment that fits you and your children. In this episode, we reassure you with the research, talk custom education, and share some affirmations.

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*some of our recommendations may include affiliate links, which means when you order them from Amazon, we will receive a small commission.

Scoop on the Coop

Jessica and Mandi went to a Paint & Sip night with some of our co-op moms and painted a rooster! It was a great bonding experience and a lot of fun.

You Are Enough

Reassurance in the Research

How to Help Children Succeed as Adults

The six skills children REALLY need to succeed as adults 

Dr. Dr. Roberta Golinkoff and Dr. Kathy Hirsch-Pasek identify these “6Cs” and their 4 levels of mastery

Kids Who Do Chores Become More Successful Adults 

5 ways to help set your child up for future success - UNICEF

  1. Stimulate baby talk and treat it as real conversation

  2. Read to your baby to exercise language

  3. Use everyday experiences as learning opportunities

  4. Take play seriously

  5. Lead by example

12 Ways to Prepare Your Kids to Lead Happy, Successful Lives - entrepreneur.com

  1. Move to the best neighborhood you can afford.

  2. Become a happier and less stressed person yourself.

  3. Make them do chores.

  4. Make your kids read daily and learn math at early age.

  5. Set high expectations.

  6. Praise them correctly.

  7. Create family rituals.

  8. Teach them to be "gritty."

  9. Help them build meaningful relationships.

  10. Teach them to be all-around healthy.

  11. Give them bias-proof names.

  12. Encourage entrepreneurship.

7 Tips On How To Raise Successful Kids According To Science - Parenting for Brain

  1. BE A WARM, RESPONSIVE AND ACCEPTING PARENT

  2. MASTER AND TEACH EMOTIONAL REGULATION

  3. LET THEM PRACTICE DECISION MAKING

  4. CHALLENGE THEM JUST ENOUGH

  5. STOP USING REWARD AND PUNISHMENT. MOTIVATE THEM THROUGH VALUES

  6. KIND, FIRM AND RESPECTFUL DISCIPLINE

  7. LISTEN TO SCIENCE AND AVOID PARENTING MYTHS

5 Things Every Child Needs To Be Successful In Life - lifehack.org

  1. A reliable environment

  2. Opportunities to grow

  3. Connectivity

  4. Encouragement

  5. Problem solving skills

Children’s Psychological Needs

What Every Child Needs for Good Mental Health - Mental Health America

  • Unconditional love from family

  • Self-confidence and high self-esteem

  • The opportunity to play with other children

  • Encouraging teachers and supportive caretakers

  • Safe and secure surroundings

  • Appropriate guidance and discipline

Top 3 Things Kids Need - CNBC & Liverpool John Moores University

  1. Autonomy

  2. Competence

  3. Relatedness

The 6 Core Human Needs - Pollack Peacebuilding Systems

  1. Autonomy

  2. Safety

  3. Personal Significance

  4. Authentic Connection & Acceptance

  5. Progress

  6. Stimulation/Amusement

Children’s Two Most Basic Needs - atlas psychology collective

  1. Love and Warmth

  2. Consistent Limits

Intelligence & Academic Success

How to Raise Intelligent Kids - Psychology Today

  1. Take care of yourself

  2. Show your child bountiful love in action

  3. Listen, really listen

  4. Make sure there’s lots of time for play

  5. Stimulate all your child’s senses

  6. Model and teach how to manage emotions

  7. Pay attention to your child’s physical development

  8. Nurture your child’s creativity

How to Help Your Child Achieve Academic Success

  1. Encourage them to set real goals

  2. Give them access to the necessary tools for better education

  3. Teach them time management skills

  4. Encourage positive study habits

10 ways to boost your child's academic potential - Focus on the Family

  1. Read, read, read

  2. Use everyday experiences as teaching opportunities

  3. Know what your child is studying at school

  4. Don’t just look for A's

  5. Take care of the basics

  6. Talk to your child’s teacher regularly

  7. What’s your child’s motivation?

  8. Allow your child to succeed – and fail – on their own

  9. Practice discipline and respect at home

  10. Praise and encouragement

What Did All These Lists Have in Common?

The most important thing for a child is their parents' love, guidance and involvement. Not one thing on these lists require our kids to attend a public school or learn from a certified teacher.

Will we do everything right all the time? No, of course not. But, if we are working hard, focused on our family’s needs and growth, we have a great shot at raising children that become successful adults. 

Focus on the Family provides these 2 Check-Ins:

  1. Are you seeking wisdom?

  2. Am I loving my kids?

If you are, then you are enough.

Custom Education

“Children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves, and each time that we try to teach them something too quickly, we keep them from reinventing it themselves.”
— Jean Piaget

Pros & Cons of Homeschooling - Psychology Today

Pros

  • Efficiency

  • Flexibility

  • Scheduling

  • Safety, warmth & nurturing

  • Expanded curriculum

  • Accommodating special circumstances

  • Accommodating special needs

  • Continual learning for you 

  • Finding like-minded others

  • Academic achievement

Cons

  • Embedding your biases and misconceptions

  • Conflicting responsibilities

  • Restricting your child’s experience

  • Constraining your child’s learning

  • Burning out emotionally

  • Purchasing school supplies

  • Staying up to date with knowledge

  • Motivating your child’s curiosity

  • Arranging social activities

  • Staying connected with the homeschooling networks

Episode 28: Hesitant Homeschooler #1: I want to homeschool, but…” I don’t know the content

Benefits of Having a Parent at Home - Very Well Family

  • 2014 study found that children benefit from having parent at home beyond just the early years. The study measured the educational performance of 68,000 children - found that most significant impact was on children ages 6-7 but children through high school benefited from have at least one stay at home parent.

  • Some research has found homeschoolers generally score 15 to 30 percentile points above public school students on standardized tests and achieve above-average scores on the ACT and SAT tests.5

Children are natural learners - psychologist Dr. Peter Gray has devoted much of his career to studying children’s natural instinct to learn. I highly recommend his work by reading his book, Free to Learn, his blog Freedom to Learn on Psychology Today, or The Alliance for Self-Directed Education he founded.

Affirmations

100 Affirmations for Homeschool Moms & 10 Positive Homeschool Affirmations

  • My children are working at their own pace, and that is perfect

  • I allow my children the freedom to be themselves

  • I trust the journey

  • I will do what I can, no one expects me to do it all

  • My kids are learning to be kind, honest, and helpful individuals - even on days when math assignments don’t get done

51 Affirmations for Homeschooled Kids

Coop Q & A

Question: What is a subject you don’t feel you are enough to teach your kids?

Answer: Mandi said science as it feels overwhelming between a lack of interest and the amount of work it seems to take. Gather ‘Round Homeschool’s Human Body unit really helped her overcome her hesitation and feel like it was enough. Jessica struggles with fine art and has always felt intimidated by it, but knows that her lack of knowledge and confidence is okay. Fine art can easily be outsourced.

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