Home Schooling the Middle School Grades

Home Schooling the Middle School Grades

Article by Shawn Snyder

As we already discussed in the article home schooling an elementary aged child finding the resources for home schooling and socialization can easily be found in the community that you live in or online. Introducing the learning process in a more formal setting but being sure to keep the fun of learning alive for your child is an important focus. Now that the middle school grades are being entered the focus needs to be zeroed in on the child’s education yes but also on the emotional state of the middle school student. These are exciting times for a student as they are experiencing new things both mentally as well as physically.

Educationally you just need to build on the foundation you have already set in the elementary grades. It is important for a child’s future to make sure some subjects are done every year building on what the child already knows. Math, English and literature, history, science along with Bible are things that I insisted that our children have a course in every year. Because of the different learning personalities of the kids we would talk about which curriculum they would enjoy using for their courses and they were welcome to add to the list any courses that they wanted.

A middle school aged child is starting to see the world outside of themselves and then has the chore of figuring out where they fit into that world. This is a good time to introduce curriculum that helps them learn about themselves and how their bodies work, a solid health curriculum works great during these ages. We also expanded on this theme with a module of sex education that we approved of. We had each of our children read a book by Josh Harris called “I Kissed Dating Good-bye.”

Another area that is important to teach during these times is the idea of service. The natural bent of a child is to think only of themselves and to take care of their wants above all else. A cure for this ailment is to help the child see others and the needs they have and then to serve those people in some way. This can be as simple as raking leaves and doing yard work for family or neighbors, baking cookies and sharing them with others. Calling on elderly folks in the church, service activities can be as creative as the kids themselves. Check out my article about home schoolers and socialization for other suggestions. The idea is to just get them to stop thinking about themselves for a while and letting them experience how good it makes them feel to give service to others.

Home schooling middle grade students is a fun and challenging time for both you and your child. It is a time to stretch them mentally with their classes making sure all the fundamentals are covered. Then help them understand all the changes that are taking place in their own bodies and how they are part of a society and how they can help serve others in that society.

About the Author

Shawn is half of the partnership of The Odd Couple Blog. Where the topics of family, marriage, finance, online business, home repair, home remodeling and other various topics will be covered. Come and visit at http://theoddcoupleblog.com/