Parents have time to build a strong moral foundation while their children are still young. President McKay taught, “The home is the first and most effective place for children to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor, virtue, self-control, the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and privilege of life." He went on to teach that "the temporal and the spiritual are blended. They are not separate." When educated at home children have the freedom to read Christopher Columbus's personal journal about how God led him to America by vision, they can study the words of the prophets pertaining to science, and discuss how historians fulfilled their stewardships. At home children can be filled “with the Spirit of the Master Teacher" (Spencer W. Kimball). They can receive "true education, direct from heaven" (Heber C. Kimball). Learning by the light of the spirit dispells the inner emptiness in the life of man, this strong moral foundation is the greatest blessing of homeschooling children.
Homeschooling is a wonderful gift that you give your children. Nothing transcends the gift of being home with mom, feeling of your love and influence. If you feel inadequate, just know that your children will love being homeschooled because they get to be with you.
Homeschooling is a great way to produce confident, self-directed, creative adults. Parents who homeschool can build a strong moral foundation, give their children mentors and examples to emulate, and give children adequate time to pursue their interests.
Children develop confidence when homeschooled by caring parents because their exposure to put-downs or criticism from peers is limited. At home, children can be fully immersed in an environment of encouragement. The best kind of encouragment is warm parenting, which lets your child know you believe he can succeed. When he attains his goal, parents who deliver praise are fostering healthy self-esteem. Parents who homeschool their children can give children a lot of teacher-student interaction, thus continually becoming aware of the child's changing "zone" of learning. A child functions best when the demands placed on him are within his current "zone."
Homeschooling is very self-directed, allowing children to learn the right things at the right time for their specific development. Each child has his own unique way of learning, whether it be hands-on, visual, auditory, or another style. Homeschooling can also provide lots of physical activity, sunshine, and fresh air; these things help children learn well (8 Reasons). Children can also set their own pace of learning. While some students pick up on diagramming sentences easily, another may excel at math. Instead of moving past what a child doesn't naturally understand, and rushing on to the next subject, an attentive parent can help a child understand how to diagram sentences as long as is neccessary for him to fully master the skill.
Because there isn't so much "transition time," waiting for everyone to take out their pencils or line up for recess, children are able to soar through the core subjects and have time to pursue what is meaningful to them. This means that they have hours a day to dance, build bows and arrows, learn an instrument, or explore science.
Children who are homeschooled have a lot of free time, which can foster innovation and creativity. Homeschooling is a fantastic way to raise entrepreneurs because they have time to work on a new invention, or to start a business. For instance, when I was in highschool I learned about making "passive income." My parents encouraged my interest and agreed to match whatever money I earned by babysitting and filing at my Dad's office. I was able to purchase a mobile home, and after a lot of fixing up, laying carpet, and other hard labor, I was able to find renters and make residual income, which paid for my first year of college. I learned a lot of lessons about serving others, the value of work, and how to discern character.
Homeschooling is a fantastic way to develop the ability to learn. While facts are important and definitely are a part of schooling, they don't necessarily make children great problem solvers. By focusing more on a child's production capability than the names and dates, a child can negotiate and innovate until he reaches a solution. One way to work on this skill is to have simulations, where a group of homeschoolers get together and simulate a crisis. For instance, when students received word that the twin towers had been hit, they gathered together and simulated the Situation Room at the Whitehouse. They figured out who would be advising the President and each student assumed one of those positions. They researched the person they were playing and met back with recommendations for the President. These kind of simulations teach students to keep their cool during times of panic and help them proactively solve problems.
Children learn best when they observe other students who model what success looks like. Because homeschooling encompasses several ages of children, the younger children see older children succeed. This propels their learning forward and mentoring naturally takes place. Sibling relationships are strengthened, because they spend time playing together and act as each other's cheerleaders (see the bean counting jar for ideas). Homeschooling breaks the negative sentiment against parents and teachers because your parent-teacher is on your same team, assisting you in your educational goals. Parents also play a strong part in modeling success, because a child sees his parents absorbed in a book and pursuing interesting projects. When a parent is excited about his own learning, children are more likely to love learning.
