Learning math can be very monotonous for some children.  We all know that the best way to learn math is to repeat, repeat, repeat.  If your child is anything like mine, asking her to repeat is like telling her she is stupid.  She firmly believes that if she has to do it more than once she is lacking on brain power.  One of the easiest ways to get around this problem is to get her to review the information, say multiplication tables, in many different formats.  We have tried just writing multiplication tables, we have tried flash cards.  Probably one of the most interesting ways we have tried to learn multiplication tables is through online math flash cards.  The lack of timer make these an excellent way to get through to children who might not like the pressure of timed exercises.   They can  do these by themselves, which might also take some pressure off because you are not sitting there expectantly, waiting for them to answer. 

They have to learn math facts, we know that, but the more fun we can make it, the better luck we may have getting them to agree to learn.  Another way to make learning math fun is through the use of interactive math programs.  By using programs that look like games, children tend to be more receptive to them.  I know my own child is more willing to play a game of any sort, even if it means she might accidently learn something!  And I’m more willing to let her play, especially if I know she will learn something.

So, for children reluctant to do the repetition of learning math facts like multiplication tables,  you may find that a little play goes a long way towards accomplishing the goal of math proficiency!

Hi there – I’m a new writer here, so I thought I’d introduce myself!  I’m a mom of 5 kids and we’ve been homeschooling for 4 years now.  We love it and would never go back to public school.   I guess we’d be considered “accidental homeschoolers” because it wasn’t something we planned on doing, but our dissatisfaction with the public school system led us down this path.  I’m hoping to share my own perspective on homeschooling and have a little fun here a long the way.  

There are so many approaches to teaching a Language Arts curriculum, but compound words lend themselves especially well to visualization.  Some kids “get” the concept of compound words quickly, but others struggle with it.  Having a versatile lesson plan that encourages visualization can help make the abstract idea of combining two words into one a little easier to swallow.

How about using picture cards to represent each word?  Use one card with a cow and one card with a boy pictured on it.  Put them together, kind of like in a math equation.  Cow + Boy = Cowboy.  The spatial aspect of visualizing a cow and a boy helps some kids underdstand the concept of joining the two words together.

Of course, it’s always fun to look around the house for compound words. Kids enjoy this!  Point out that the fireplace in your living room is actually made from 2 words, or the mailbox out in the yard, or the doorway to the kitchen.  That feeling of discovery might be enough to get ‘em interested, and once they’re interested, the “click” of understanding will happen in no time.

There are plenty of other suggestions online as well, so don’t be afraid to search a little to find a unique method to reach your student.  Here’s a neat site I found with some educational compound word games to get you started!

How is your child doing with contractions?  It seems like we just get them able to spell with all the letters when we start telling them to take letters out!  If you find it hard to teach contractions don’t fret.  It is probably easier than you think.  After all, they already speak with contractions so now all we have to do is teach them what letter or letters we are supposed to leave out and then that all important part, adding the apostrophe.  If you child learned to spell by sounding things out, then you may have a leg up on the process of learning how contractions work.  There are all kinds of rules about how to create contractions but one of the easiest ways for children to learn is to play.  It might be a great choice to let them play contraction games.

Hi, my name is Carol.  I have two daughters that I home-school, my oldest is in 7th grade and youngest is 5th grade.  We use Time4Learning  online curriculum.  Time4Learning lets me give my girls independence that they crave without me having to hover over them. I use Time4Learning for the core subjects and a hands on science class at out local museum. When I made that choice to home-school I wish I knew about the Time4Preschool program.  I struggled with the reading part.  Phewww, we made it through that and they can actually read…lol!  I also like to add extras in our monthly routine to change it up. Spellingcity.com offers a monthly holiday list that I like to use quite often.  It seems like when one of my girls ask a particular question on what a holiday stands for I sometimes do NOT know the right answer so I send them to this site and I am also re-learning the correct answer.

I am a Certified Signing Agent, which means I close loans for title companies.  This gives me the opportunity to have a lot freedom to take a job or not if it happens to interfere with my girls.  I feel without Time4Learning I would have been simply just lost. 

 Happy Home-schooling!