“We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. Stacia Tauscher”
One key element of education is knowing and understanding your child(ren). God gave you those children and who would know them better than you as their mother? He designed you uniquely to mother them and He too will equip you to teach and train them. In the same way He formed you uniquely, He formed and fastened your child uniquely as well. Your children are born persons crafted with their own interests, abilities, and strengths that are uniquely & distinctly their own just the way God made them to be. The relationships and connections they make to their learning is for themselves alone. It is our job as their mother and teacher to disciple them in the way they should go so that their God given skills and abilities are used to the fullest and for His glory. It is our job to provide opportunities, experiences, and set a feast before them so that they have every opportunity for deep and lasting relationships to bud, grow, and flourish.
So, how does your child learn best? What is his or her learning style? What is yours? Did you know there are eight learning styles? This is important to consider because the way you learn best might look very different from your child’s. As their parent and teacher, we need to be flexible to adapt to meet their learning needs. One of Ethan’s learning styles is that he is nature smart. He loves being outdoors for hours, in the trees, and in the dirt. Im talking full blown immersion of his body in dirt. He has to feel it and he loves it. He’s collected rocks, sticks, and other foliage from a very early age and still collects to this day. This is important for me to be aware of as we do lessons and structure our day to allow for opportunities for him to experience nature. His love for nature can also be what guides our lessons. His collection of rocks can easily turn into a lesson on geology. Or his sticks can easily turn into a unit on trees or maybe we take time to discover which tree the stick fell from and then begin to identify that tree? Or we may simply take our lessons outside. How will you structure your day to ensure that your child has every opportunity to flourish in their learning style? How can you use your child’s learning style to shape and guide your lessons?
As we begin to plan the upcoming school year and reassess the last, we should also consider:
What are their strengths?
What are some areas they need extra support? How will you address those areas as you plan your year?
What are the interests of your child(ren)? How can you incorporate those in their lessons?
Which subjects do they enjoy? Which subjects are their least favorite?
What worked well for your child last year? What didn’t? Why? What needs to change?
What habits need to be taught and trained in your child?
What are your short term and long term goals for the year and beyond?
How will you keep your tiny ones engaged and love tank full?
Sometimes we seem to forget the youngest ones we have in tow or see them as a distraction in the midst of our lessons, but because they are their own person and are learning at a rapid pace too I might add, we need to stop and consider their growth and learning too. My two year old loves to draw, tinker with toys, play with stickers, and sing. I keep coloring books, play dough, and other arts & crafts in hand all the time so that if she wants to join us at the table she can easily come right up and sit down and “do what her big brother is doing.” Puzzles, board books, and other imaginative play is on hand too but I try to rotate the toys to spark interest and engagement. As well as keep a small number of toys out to encourage more time and focus on one particular puzzle or toy.
So before we dive into planning schedules, curriculum, and lessons let’s first stop and consider our children. Let’s plan with their heart and souls in mind now and first and foremost.
