As homeschool moms, we not only want to raise independent learners, but we need to do so. Why? In order for our children to be lifelong learners, they must first be independent learners.
Throughout life, our children will have to learn how to do new things. Whether it be as part of a job, a volunteer opportunity or everyday life, acquiring new skills is a part of life.
As homeschoolers, we have the opportunity to prepare our children for these such moments. It is important that we do not neglect this opportunity in exchange for the textbook education that they “need”.
I believe that raising independent learners is key to preparing our children for life. They need to know how to learn on their own because we won’t always be preparing lesson plans, instructing them and grading their work.
One day, your children will have to learn something new without you. Will they be prepared to do so?
4 Key Steps to Raise Independent Learners
- Walk away
After teaching a lesson and/or giving an assignment to your children, walk away and allow them to complete their portion of the lesson on their own. Ensure that they know if they need help that they can ask for it, but give them space and time to finish it alone.
- Grade less
Nothing kills a child’s love for learning than red marks on a paper. There are better ways to address a lesson that a child didn’t understand. Personally, I believe that grading a child’s work should be left until high school when transcripts come into play for teenagers that desire to go to college.
- Shorter days
It is easy to get caught up in all of the subjects that you have to teach in a given homeschool year. Especially when nearly every textbook contains 1 lesson for every required homeschool day. However, children need to have time to explore and learn on their own without instructions or plans, no matter how wonderful they may be.
Allowing your child the opportunity to lead their own education by selecting topics/subjects that actually interest them is the #1 way to raise an independent learner. Discovering their interest isn’t as hard as you may think, nor is child-led homeschooling. Getting started with child-led homeschooling is easy and this survey for kids is a great help.
Raising independent learners is important. We don’t know what God has in store for our children’s future. They need to have the ability to learn on their own and pursue their God-given passions. The earlier they learn to do both the better off they will be.
I’ve never been to college. I didn’t pressure my children to go or not to go themselves.
My son was certain that he wanted nothing to do with more school until his Senior year. Then he decided that he did want to go to college. In a whirlwind, he applied and was accepted to his dream college.
I truly believe that allowing him the freedom to learn on his own, to discover his interests and learn about them as part of his homeschooling journey were key to him choosing to go to college…where he is preparing (and excelling!) for his future through studies that interest him.
