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How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child & Free Checklist

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Being both anxious and excited, I couldn’t wait to begin homeschooling my first child, Mr. Senior 2013. Also, look at more tips on my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.

Being around the homeschool community because my mother homeschooled my younger sister, I had an idea of how to begin.

As I began, I knew some things, but it was nowhere near what I needed to know.

How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child? (and free checklist)

I still had many questions.

For example, when do I formally start, where do I purchase curriculum, what is considered curriculum at the preschool years and how much do I really need to teach my son at two or three years old.

These were just a few of my anxieties and probably some of yours as you begin homeschooling.

Begin Homeschooling with Little Ones and Not Panicking

I wanted details or some way to know when to move to the next step.

So I’m hoping some of these important details will ease your mind.

  • When do I formally start? 

You already know that kids begin learning from the time they are born, but estimating a more formal start is not as easy.

Like public school, you can use kindergarten or about 5 years of age as a formal start.

However, the one thing I could not possibly appreciate was that my son was very advanced in some skills and at the same time such a baby.  It seems a paradox and hard to explain as I look back.

Stay with me as I give you the full circle view.

When my son was 2 years old, I started receiving a box monthly with age appropriate activities for him.

It had a craft, a music cassette (yes this was before all the free downloads now) and age appropriate language building skills. It was always centered on themes.

Little did I know then that I would create my Kindergarten curriculum around that format. Back to my point.

My son was already writing his name, knew his letters and was reading before Kindergarten.

Out of my stupidity (I say this kindly about myself) meaning I really didn’t know what I was doing, I taught him to read.

It was normal to me for him to be that advanced and we were ready to go on to other skills in Kindergarten.

It set me back in Kindergarten when I realized that the curriculum I purchased started off with the same skills I felt my son had mastered.

Things I taught him like colors, one to one correspondence, opposites, letter sounds and about science were being introduced in the Kindergarten curriculum.

Homeschool Preschool Resources

Too, I had another problem. The curriculum required too much sitting time for such a young age.

Did you know that Kindergarten only requires short periods of sit down work done in about 10 to 15-minute spurts?

And that preschool and kindergarten are not the grades to make kids sit for hours because you decided to make a more formal start?

I’ve asked forgiveness from my first son.

I’m here to tell you that he turned out beautiful, but it was hard to forgive myself for being so overbearing anxious. Don’t make my mistake.

I knew that playing is learning in the preschool years and like any developmental age, it shouldn’t be rushed.

It’s hard to grasp that when you feel the whole weight of your child’s future rests on your shoulders and all he wants to do is play, chew on toys and destroy your house.

However, those precious years are momentary flashes that you can’t ever bring back if you rush homeschool.

If you search the definition for kindergarten, it would probably say something like a grade or class to prepare your child for first grade.

But the meaning has been lost through the constant push of the education world, and you need to resist the urge to hop onto the formal education track too soon.

How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child? (and free checklist)

The translation of Kindergarten means “garden for the children” and a child has a right to a stress-fress childhood that is full of play, tender moments and your warm embrace.

Here is a tip that will ease your mind if you ever feel like anytime in your journey you are behind; in one grade or even one month, a child can make significant learning leaps.

No pushing or cajoling on your part will move him ahead faster.

The years before and during Kindergarten should be about singing, dancing, crafting and practicing fine motor skills.

I gradually folded in preschool and kindergarten; it wasn’t until first grade that I required a bit more sit down time.

When You’re Anxious to Use Homeschool Preschool Curriculum

  • Where do I purchase curriculum? And what is considered curriculum during the preschool years?

Again, I can’t do anything balanced. I had curriculum overkill. My curriculum could have been scaled back to living books and crafts. And what I didn’t realize was that my house was already full of things ready to use.

Things like dried macaroni, dried beans for counting, measuring cups, bowls, jump ropes, dried cereal for graphing, rice for pouring, paper for painting, graduated mixing bowls, music for dancing to the alphabet, hopscotch made by chalk, building blocks, and toys for strengthening fine motor skills are what should consume a child’s day.

What I needed more of were living books.

Living books are opposite of basal readers, which are written by textbook writers.

Living books are written in a story form and uses rich vocabulary, which is the stepping stone to effective reading and writing skills.

Ditch the formal curriculum until about first grade and focus just on teaching your child how to read and more important, nurture a love for reading. How do you do that?

Reading aloud is the key to a lifelong reader.

When You’re Anxious to Use Homeschool Preschool Curriculum

But I know I wanted help too in the early years. I have listed some formal curriculum below that fits what a relaxed beginning should be.

12 Homeschooling Preschoolers Resources, Activities, and Curriculum

There is no doubt play-based learning is hands down the best way for preschoolers to learn.

You'll love some of these resources which can help you both teach and schedule if you want to do a bit more formal teaching.

Mommy, Teach Me: Preparing Your Preschool Child for a Lifetime of Learning

n Mommy, Teach Me author Barbara Curtis, a mother of twelve, shares secrets on how to turn everyday experiences into learning opportunities for preschool children. 

Before Five in a Row: Second Edition

Designed to be used with children ages 2 through 4, Before Five in a Row is a rich treasury of creative ideas that help you gently, consistently prepare your children for the lifelong adventure of learning.

Photo Credit: www.goodandbeautiful.com

Preschool Language Arts Course Set

Preschool Course Book, Preschool Folder Activities, Preschool Practice Sheets, Access to Learning Songs and Videos 

Pathways for Preschool

Encourage a love for learning as you engage your child in active, hands-on learning with this BJU Press Homeschool Pathways for Preschool Activity Packet! 

Horizons Preschool Curriculum Set

With the fun, engaging Horizons Preschool Curriculum Set, preschoolers are introduced to social studies, language arts, math, phonics, and science. 

Photo Credit: www.mothergoosetime.com

Toddler – Experience Early Learning

A bit more pricey but they provide themed kits each month.

Photo Credit: ivy-kids.com

Ivy Kids | Subscription Box STEM Kids Children Ivy Kids Kits

We have loved every subscription box we did in the preschool years.

The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being

It’s time to change the way we see toddlers. Using the principles developed by the educator Dr. Maria Montessori, Simone Davies shows how to turn life with a “terrible two” into a mutually rich and rewarding time of curiosity, learning, respect, and discovery.

Photo Credit: blossomandroot.com

Early Years Curriculum

Blossom & Root Early Years was designed to provide parents with a preschool (Vol. 1) or Pre-K (Vol. 2) curriculum that focuses on the development of the whole child. Each of the 36 weeks of lesson plans

The Giant Encyclopedia of Lesson Plans for Children 3 to 6

This newest addition to the best-selling GIANT Encyclopedia series expands the scope of the series by offering complete lesson plans. Written and created by teachers, The GIANT Encyclopedia of Lesson Plans has more than 250 complete lesson plans, covering topics from colors and numbers to seasons and nursery rhymes.

Slow And Steady Get Me Ready

Since children don't come with directions, a retired kindergarten teacher with over 25 years of experience wrote this how-to manual which bridges the gap between home & school. It is a money-saving preschool resource which informs parents & caregivers as to what they could & should be doing to teach basic readiness skills that are necessary for a child to achieve success in school.

Photo Credit: shop.busytoddler.com

Playing Preschool Year 1: Homeschool Preschool Program

Looking for a homeschool preschool curriculum for your child? Meet Playing Preschool Year 1: a new way to preschool at home. This is a 190 day program of hands-on, play-based learning. Themed units anchor the learning as children explore math, reading, science, art activities, and much more!

I’ve said many times how I’m not quite sure what I did to help Mr. Senior 2013 read, but I do know for sure that I read a variety of books he loved over, over and over again.

Too, I included nursery rhymes every day so that he could predict the next word.

Then, one day he started to mouth the words and took off reading with easy books. Look at my tips at Teach Your Homeschooled Child How to Read in 20 Easy Lessons.

I know you want some kind of format for how to teach this age and a few my favorite programs are Before Five in a Row and Moving Beyond the Page Curriculum for Preschool.

Here is a list of read-aloud books to get you started.

These are just some of the ones I read to each son as I got ready to formally teach them.

They instill a lifelong love of reading.

Here are more tips, because knowledge IS power!

More Begin Homeschooling Resources

Remember that everything you do daily like conversations and reading gives your child a foundation for grammar, phonics and reading more than any curriculum can do.

From Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle

You are your child’s first teacher. Savor it.

Do what your heart moves you to do each day in a natural way because he will learn and anything that you drop the ball on regarding teaching, you always have time to make up.

Relax, you got this!

How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child? (and checklist)

How to Get the Free Get Me Ready for Kindergarten Checklist

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child? (and checklist). Being both anxious and excited, I couldn't wait to begin homeschooling my first child, Mr. Senior 2013. And being around the homeschool community because my mother homeschooled my younger sister, I had an idea of how to begin. As I began, I knew some things, but it was nowhere near what I needed to know. mess up my sons, they turned out fine!

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) Sign up on my email list.

2) Grab the freebie.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

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7 Budget-Friendly Language Arts Curriculum to Pair with Unit Studies (with printable)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Through the years, I've given the same long-standing advice. Spend first what money you have budgeted for curriculum on the core subjects because they are essential to a well-rounded-out education. Reading in the younger grades, literature in the older grades, grammar and writing are vital pieces of a homeschool language arts program. And it can become expensive quickly when you're implementing the unit study approach using an all-in-one language arts program. Click here to read about how to save money when you buy individual components. | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

This is a sponsored post for Homeschool Buyers Co-op and I was paid for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off. All opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. Read my full disclosure here.

Through the years, I’ve given the same long-standing advice. Spend first what money you have budgeted for curriculum on the core subjects because they are essential to a well-rounded education. Reading in the younger grades, literature in the older grades, grammar and writing are vital pieces of a homeschool language arts program. And it can become expensive quickly when you’re implementing the unit study approach using an all-in-one language arts program. So I was excited to share some budget-friendly homeschool language arts curriculum options from Homeschool Buyers Co-op, which I’ve used and another one I am eyeballing to add.

Mapping Out the Components of Language Arts

Breaking down the language arts components worked best for me because like most kids, they are ahead in one subject and may need more time on another.

Picking and choosing the individual parts of a homeschool language arts program gives you a customized curriculum. It’s a better match for your child’s learning style and a better value when you have a limited dollar amount to get exactly what you need.

►VOCABULARY

For vocabulary, I always try to pull words from what we’re reading about in our unit studies. Reading words in that context and using them in everyday speech is the best way to master them.

But I used the printed version of Wordly Wise 3000 with Mr. Senior 2013 to be sure I exposed him to word study as a way to enhance our unit studies. Kids can master more words than we think they can, and to cripple their vocabulary with limited vocabulary instruction can be detrimental.

Lessons don’t have to be long, but they should be comprehensive. Using Wordly Wise 3000, I can expand lessons or cut back according to each son’s need.

When the online version came out, I was tickled to use it with my next two boys. Wordly Wise 3000 online version of the award-winning vocabulary curriculum for grades 2–12 saves you 89% and that is a sweet discount.

Although I know Wordly Wise 3000 touts that the audio feature is great for struggling readers, I think it’s great for independent learners. I don’t have to supervise my sons to see if they are correctly pronouncing a word. I know you’ll love it if you’re looking for an interactive vocabulary program that is not boring.

►READING OR LITERATURE

When I started making my own unit studies, I would get a gallon size ziploc bag and put the book and literature guide together in one bag.

Then, I would mark the reading level on the bag and organize them for the year. I started off using printed versions of Progeny Press Literature Guides.

I would even unfasten the literature guide so I could add just the pages that my boys needed to do for that year. I was tickled when pdf formats came out because it meant no waste. I printed what I needed that year with one son, and printed a different page or pages needed for another year.

Progeny Press Literature Guides are in an enhanced pdf format now, are for grades K-12 and the best part is you save 35%.

Now, the guides are interactive which means you don’t have to print; a child can type his answers directly into the document. That is a nifty time-saving tip for a high school teen with a rigorous academic load or a reluctant writer. But sometimes we like to hold our paper in hand so we print. And I still like pairing specific lessons on pages to themes in my unit studies.

Look at a few things they offer:

  • FOUR LEVELS – Lower Elementary for Grades K-4, Upper Elementary for Grades 3-5, Middle School for Grades 5-8, and High School for Grades 9-12
  • 100+ TITLE CHOICES – We’ve put together SIX different 5-pack bundle choices for you! YOU CHOOSE your wish list from OVER 100 TITLE CHOICES! Choose from excellent reading titles such as Beowulf (*NEW*), The Eagle of the Ninth (*NEW*), Charlotte’s Web, Anne of Green Gables, The Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Secret Garden, The Hobbit, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice, The Screwtape Letters, To Kill A Mockingbird, and MANY, MANY MORE!

►GRAMMAR

Grammar is a tool to best apply while writing so I’ve always kept it a separate subject. But grammar is also just the rules of any language. Teaching rules shouldn’t be complicated. Short lessons are best, which is why Analytical Grammar works.

In my beginning years, I used a grammar program which combined complex writing assignments with grammar. After homeschooling another 5 years, I realized that a grammar program should focus only on explaining grammar rules without time-consuming composition assignments as the only way to learn them. Yes, writing assignments are a great way to illustrate grammar rules, but shorter is better.

Besides, I needed a grammar curriculum which would give me the flexibility to pull writing themes from topics that piqued my boys’ interest in our current unit study. More important, I wanted a program that helped us to use words in a way that conformed to the rules of grammar. I wished I would have used Analytical Grammar, for grades 4-12 earlier, but I’m glad I hopped on board when I did.

Homeschool Buyers Co-op does give you free shipping. Any savings helps when you want a thorough grammar program.

►WRITING OR COMPOSITION

Next, identifying a writing program which was engaging for my sons and took them incrementally through the writing process was not easy. Institute for Excellence in Writing, for grades K-12 was our answer.

Melding Homeschool Language Arts and Unit Studies

It was a huge load of stress off after separating grammar and composition when I started using Institute for Excellence in Writing, grades K-12.

As you can see in the picture above, the boys were working on our FBI unit study. Dad was helping the boys make a crystal radio after they wrote about it. However, their essay followed the writing model learned in Institute for Excellence in Writing or (IEW). IEW makes it easy to choose your own topics to write about or they have writing topics for your children to choose.

What I liked the most is that although grammar and writing are inextricably linked, it’s important to not overwhelm beginner writers.

The veteran teaching tip is to make one skill or the other the focus at different times. IEW explained grammar while keeping the focus on writing and modeling to my sons how to compose their ideas.

Here is how IEW works: It takes a unique approach provides the structure that students need to develop confidence in the writing process, while gradually guiding them toward greater independence and creativity. They will learn nine structural models (note taking, writing paragraphs, stories, simple reports, writing from pictures, research reports, creative writing, essays, and critiques) to help them organize any type of composition.

You’ll like getting the discount for shipping on this so worth it writing curriculum.

►READING OR LITERATURE

Then, buying living history literature guides gives me a two for one deal.

Not only do I use living literature in my unit studies as a topic or theme, but it counts as the reading or literature aspect of the three Rs. Buying living history literature helps me to keep homeschooling affordable.

With living history literature by Bethlehem Books, grades PreK-12, you save up to 50%.

Remember, since this is living literature the vocabulary is not simplified and it may be harder for some kids. Too, Bethlehem Books chooses books based on moral value, which I like.

Though I school for Biblical reasons, I don’t think you have to teach about it in every book.

I do try to choose living history books which have a good story line, are intriguing, have a challenging reading level, include details about the time period, and can be easily implemented in a unit study which builds character without feeling preachy. It’s a lot to ask for in a book. I’m selective, but I love starting with Bethlehem Books.

►REVIEW AND ENRICHMENT

Then I hear about the fear of gaps when doing unit studies. Having a way to fill in gaps or shore up weaknesses is a great feature of IXL Language Arts Practice, which is for grades K-12 and saves you 25%.

You probably heard of their math, but their language arts is equally practical.

Look at what they offer: IXL makes the world of words come alive with fun visuals and interactive questions. Build great writers through playful skills that pique students’ curiosity about language!  

Then this next deal, which is Discovery Education Streaming Plus, for grades K-12 and saves you 60% is the one I’m about to pull the trigger on because we love media with our unit studies.

But did you know it’s so much more? It covers every content area.

Look at what you get:

It’s easy to see why homeschoolers rave about Discovery Education Streaming Plus. It’s probably the most extensive and feature-rich educational video streaming service in the world.

It’s much like having the entire DVD selection of your local public library available to you from the convenience of your home, 24/7/365.

But it’s not just a collection of videos that you can watch from beginning to end. This library has been organized into useable video clips, organized and categorized, close-captioned, and supplemented with lesson plans, teaching guides, interactive simulations, images, audio resources, and other resources and materials that you can incorporate into virtually every aspect of your homeschool curriculum.

What a comprehensive way to enrich a unit study with so many features like audio books, self-paced training, images, games and the ability to customize lessons at your fingertips.

The Homeschool Buyers Co-op has an award-winning selection of language arts products, including curriculum for phonics, reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling and grammar.

Language Arts curriculum – Savings up to 93% (compared to regular price outside of Homeschool Buyers Co-op).

Look at this free from below, which is Unit Study Goal and Objectives. Download it to give you a starting point for your ideas for each grade.

When you’ve chosen curriculum which gives your child a solid foundation in language arts and covers the significant areas, you can spend more time planning the fun part of unit studies.

Download here Unit Study Goals & Objectives.

How to Buy It and Get the Savings!

Website: Homeschool Buyers Co-op
Products:
 ►Grammar: Analytical Grammar for grades 4-12.
►Literature Guides: Progeny Press Literature Guides, pdf format, grades K-12 and save 35%
►Vocabulary: Wordly Wise 3000 Online version of the award-winning vocabulary curriculum, grades 2–12 and save 89%
►Composition or Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing, grades K-12
►Review and Enrichment:
Video Streaming: Discovery Education Streaming Plus, grades K-12 and save 60%
Language Arts Review: IXL Language Arts Practice, grades K-12 and save 25%
►Reading or Literature:
Living History Literature: Living History literature by Bethlehem Books, grades PreK-12 and save up to 50%

Also, look at these other homeschool articles to help you.

5 Best Resources to Start a Homeschool Unit Study in a Few Hours, 24 Borderline Genius Ways To Relieve Language Arts Boredom and Unfolding of a Homeschool Unit Study – An Easy Mnemonic { I-SIP}.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

24 Borderline Genius Ways To Relieve Language Arts Boredom

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It can be challenging to add fun to homeschool subjects that can become stale and boring, like language arts. After all, how can you possibly jazz up phonics?

Today, I’m sharing 24 borderline genius ways to relieve language arts boredom.

24 Borderline Genius Ways to Relieve Language Arts Boredom @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Sparking a Love for Language

Too, some of these tips can be used across multiple ages and other ideas will apply to only certain ages, but it will get your creative juices flowing.

  • Try a scavenger hunt. This was a life saver for me while teaching my middle son phonics and sight words. And it doesn’t take long to set up. Use index cards, flashcards  or sticky notes and hide them around the house.
  • Send cards to grandma. For reluctant writers, sending a card to grandma or to extended family gives his writing a sense of purpose. 
  • Find a pen pal. A pen pal encourages a budding writer and other kids are not so judgmental of writing; it gives the novice writer a place to express his creative outlet whether it’s Lego playing, paper engineering or coding.
  • Learn phonics, through nuts and bolts, make a tube, use letter cubes, create flip books, dig for them, rhyme it, make a phonics phone, an I spy game, make clip cards,  and make an ant mobile.
  • Go Fish.  By grabbing more than one card deck, I wrote on the card and then the boys played together matching up sight words. Simple.
  • Bingo. A fun way to learn letters, phonics, grammar and sight words.

More Language Arts Activities

  • Add magnetic letters or puzzles to the refrigerator. My boys loved to stand and learn and the refrigerator was the perfect pallet.
  • Scrabble, Jr. And my boys never tired of games that were fun.
  • Combine P.E/phonics. Though I never recommend jumping off furniture in the house, it was the only way I could get one son to recite the vowels and sight words. He would jump off the couch and clap. Of course, this can be done outside when the weather is good, but at the time he was learning, it was pretty cold outside. So we did P.E. inside.

  • Go see a Shakespeare play. The local college in our area hosted several plays throughout the year and it was a fun way for my boys to learn about subjects they initially found boring like Shakespeare.
  • Make up a funny story. I would have the boys narrate back to me a silly story using the sight words or phonics word they were using. The sillier the better.
  • Vocaroo. Your kids will love recording their voices so they can write back what they recorded.
  • Mad Libs. They are always a hit in our home and anytime we could move away from a textbook or workbook to do a mad lib story, we did.
  • Do crossword puzzles to learn spelling. Lists are a great way to learn spelling but crossword puzzles breathe life into learning spelling.

  • A real audience counts for writing. Writers of any level are inspired when they have a breathing human being on the other end reading their creative expression. From elementary to high school writers, they can start a blog or enter creative writing contests.
  • Have your kids keep a journal of words or phrases they find amusing. The first time my kids heard me use the phrase come-uppins or come-uppance they said it all day long. I never dreamed it was so comical, but apparently it is. They added it to their journal.
  • Turn a book into a unit study. Look at a unit study about Charlotte’s Web.
  • I love this idea of using matchbooks to do chapter summaries in a novel.

Though it may seem that only science, history and art are easier to bring to life, language arts is the glue that bind the other subjects.

Teach language arts in a way that makes reading, spelling, phonics and even poetry a delight because when a child can read and write well, he nourishes his mind for a lifetime. What a gift!


Grab some other tips. How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare, Shakespeare Unit Study Starters and Free Middle and High School Homeschool Language Arts.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Teaching Cursive Handwriting Matters Style Doesn’t And Free Resources

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Should teaching cursive handwriting not be a priority in this digital age.

For years we have been told that storing information in digital form is safer than paper.

However, that process is not without problems.

Cursive Matters; Handwriting Style Doesn't and grab some free AWESOME resources @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Technology is rapidly changing.

And hardware and devices, which store vital information from paper can become obsolete.

Businesses scramble to constantly update their systems as important paperwork could become lost.

Should cursive be lost to the same vacuum of the modern digital age?

It’s not easy to answer that question unless you know how to teach cursive.

If you have never taught cursive, it can be easy to cast it off.

Or think that a child is not capable of it.

Will we be doing our kids a disservice if we skip the cursive and keep the keyboard?

You may think so, but not so fast.

Is Cursive Obsolete for Homeschooled Kids?

Look first at a few of these points of how cursive should be taught to make it easy.

And more importantly the value of it.

Also, I have some free resources at the bottom for you to use to teach cursive.

It doesn’t cost a lot to get a beautiful return.

ONE/ Teach cursive first, before print.

When I taught cursive to my first son, he already had learned the ball-and-stick method that I taught him in Prek and part of Kindergarten.

Switching quickly and teaching him simplified cursive at the end of Kindergarten and in first grade were key to him successfully learning cursive.

Teaching my first son cursive, I learned that it was easier to teach him cursive first because the letters were connected and flowing.

I also learned a valuable lesson as a teacher which is to not have my son unlearn the ball-and-stick method he had been taught.

That is not the way I wanted to teach.

As he progressed, I noticed that with the ball-and-stick method that he could get confused with letter direction.

At that point, I had him do all his work, including crossword puzzles in cursive.

By the way, fun crosswords puzzles was a fun way to teach him to practice writing individual cursive letters while his attention was focused on the fun of the puzzle.

As he progressed through the years, he quickly recaptured knowing how to print and it turned out beautiful.

Master Cursive Writing @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

(My son’s cursive at the beginning of second grade so I could judge his progress.)

When my second and third sons came along, I taught them cursive first.

Their letter reversal struggle was just about non-existent because they didn’t learn to print them until they were older.

As they have progressed through the years, I find it ironic that as they have grown, they developed their own order of how to write some numbers and letters.

For example, in writing the number four, one of my sons writes the longer side first (the part on the right) and then he writes the part on the left side last.

Of course, this is opposite of how we teach our kids to print the number 4, but it’s his handwriting style.

Of course, I remind him how to form the numbers and letter easier, but I don’t fuss too much over it.

More on that in a minute.

TWO/ Understand the three broad strokes of cursive.

To understand the simple way to teach cursive, you need to know the three broad strokes.

The first is a downcurve or sometimes called up and down, an overcurve and an undercurve.

When you see how to tame cursive, it becomes very easy to allow kids to make huge curves and loops.

For our first lessons in teaching cursive, my sons wrote real big on butcher roll paper.

Understanding that most children don’t have control over their fine motor skills until about half way through first grade, I didn’t expect them to write small cursive letters.

I did allow each child to write a lot of big strokes, up and down, loops, curves and circles, which they like to do anyway.

From there we progressed to lined paper in first grade.

3 Broad Cursive Strokes to Teach

After teaching all of my sons cursive and resisting the print first tradition, which can confuse children, I learned that when letters are connected and flowing, it’s easier to learn to write.

When a child has to decide where to place straight lines and circles as he is learning the ball-and-stick method, he can get confused and write letters backward.

Cursive built confidence in my boys because when they placed their pencil on the paper on the left side of the paper for the first letter each letter flowed effortlessly.

Instead of focusing so much emphasis on down up, around, lift your pencil up, place it back down, my sons focused on their spelling not the constant placing of where to begin and end letters or lines.

Penmanship was more legible because there was no guessing which letter faced forward or backward.

THREE/ Confusion where one word starts and stops was avoided by doing cursive.

Another battle I didn’t have to face though I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time was that my sons avoided the confusion of not being able to tell where one word ends and the other one begins.

This is not only important for new readers, but for anybody that wants their handwriting legible.

My sons’ reading and writing advanced quickly because cursive helped them to see which letters stayed connected to make words.

When my sons did start using printing interchangeably with cursive on some of their compositions, I noticed that some of the printed words ran together.

More Writing Curriculum Tips

It was hard to read when two words ran together because they weren’t spaced properly.

This is a common mistake for the child to guess where to start the next letter in a ball-and-stick method, which is why some words look like they have a few extra letters at the end of them when they are really the start of the next word.

What I have learned is that cursive matters because it has not only built confidence in my sons, but helped them to learn to read, spell and taught them the value of being proud of something uniquely theirs.

Each son has developed different handwriting styles that are as individual as their personality, which is another myth about cursive.

Cursive doesn’t have to be uniformed among writers.

Persons who have mastered cursive can read different styles of it.

Can Homeschools Become Part of the Dumbing Down Movement If We Don’t Teach Cursive

There is plenty of room for personality and differences. Some writers prefer more vertical writing and others prefer slanted writing, which is why handwriting style doesn’t matter because we are not trying to confine kids to a mold.

I am not telling you to not keep the keyboard, but I’m telling you that cursive goes beyond the value of teaching a child how to write well.

Free Homeschool Cursive Program and Resources

Look at some of these free resources which rock because they help you to teach cursive.

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How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare (The Easy Way) @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I was compensated for my time reviewing this product, writing this review, and hosting the giveaway. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off.  ALL opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. When I do accept a product it’s because I’m giddy to tell you about it. Read my full disclosure here. Now on to the fun stuff!

When we had our Renaissance co-op, I was excited to teach about anything from that time period, except Shakespeare. Thankfully, I didn’t plan the co-op alone and our group brought in a local bard fill-in to teach us about Shakespeare. It was a huge hit with our high school kids and until recently, I didn’t think I could repeat the same experience for my younger son. So I was over the top excited when I received from Ken Ludwig the book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.

Psssst! Before I go on too, I wanted to give you a heads up about the giveaway at the bottom so you don’t miss it.

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare is like that bard fill-in we had at our co-op, who translated English from ancient to modern in an animated way to move us and to make sense of the beautiful words painted by Shakespeare.

How Well Do You Know William Shakespeare?

Isn’t that why so many kids and adults can’t stand Shakespeare to this day? I’ll admit it, I was one of them.

No, it’s not Shakespeare’s stirring poetry, which lights a fire in my emotions or feelings that I don’t like. It’s losing the meaning of the words along the way that makes me want to go the other way.


Too, I tend to get harder about my expectations in teaching tools the longer I homeschool and though I had heard about How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare before, I admit I was skeptical.

However, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare didn’t disappoint and it especially didn’t give me another huge set of useless Shakespearean passages to memorize, but gave me a mighty homeschool tool in my pocket.

Free and helpful quotation page in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Fonts in easy to read format on How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Look at some of the things that struck a chord with me.

No time is wasted in the outset at explaining why people have a hard time memorizing poems or understanding them. Text needs to be read in an easy format.

When we were memorizing these passages, it’s like you can picture the words on the page because they are broken into chunks. And no this method doesn’t just work for children, but for adults too.

After memorizing passages like this, Tiny won’t read it any other way now. Not only does Ken Ludwig give you tips on how to teach it, but he created free quotation pages at his website, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.

Words matter to our kids.

I love Ken Ludwig’s gentle reminders about why I should be teaching Shakespeare in my homeschool day. Though I would love to shield my kids as long as I can from the world’s woes, the truth of it is that children can relate to the stress of every day life and poetry gives them a way to connect with those feelings.

Look below at the words by Macbeth that Tiny has been mouthing because they opened the way to a conversation about why people get to this point in their life or why they feel life may be that way now. It was deeper than I wanted to go, but it reminded me of the power of words. Also, it resonated with me because I homeschool to have personal moments with each one of my boys.

Life’s but a walking shadow, . . . It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Hard to understand terms are explained right in the book.

One of my very favorite parts, which is what made me fall in love with How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare is that terms and words that we don’t use everyday are easily explained right with the passage.

No hunting and pecking on the internet for the meaning of the word which interrupts the flow of thought and the moment is gone.

Do You Know the Difference Between Poetry & Prose?

Useful background information.

Also, background information is given about passages that made learning Shakespeare with Tiny not only enjoyable by him, but by myself also. It is hard to not be moved by words from passages that talk about love and rejection.

Too, it’s not a secret that we love history in our family and history is alive and makes sense through the words of Shakespeare.

For example, in one passage we were reading from Twelfth Night, Cesario says,

“Make me a willow cabin at your gate
And call upon my soul within the house.”

The quick explanation about the willow cabin was that in Greek and Roman mythology the willow tree was a symbol of grief for unrequited love.

The passage and message then becomes full of meaning because it helps to understand the feelings when love or affection is not reciprocated. Fascinating tidbits like this just fill the pages of this book.

Appendix How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Extra help = Enrichment as if the study of Shakespeare is not rich enough.

There are 25 passages that are put in order in the book so that the guesswork is taking out of which passages to begin memorizing. In addition, as you can see above the Appendix is full of added enrichment.

One book stand alone curriculum.

Another very favorite part of using this book is that it is a one book stand alone curriculum.

It can easily be used by a precocious middle school kid or high school teen because it is laid out in a specific order so that you don’t have to guess and like I mentioned, explanations are given. If you are teaching younger children, you’ll love the teaching tips and teacher help.

Also, I have read many tips on the differences between prose and poetry and the teacher in me loved the insightful tips and detailed ways of telling the difference between the two.

Multi-age timeless curriculum keeper.

It is what I call a curriculum keeper, which means it spans multiple ages and can be used over and over again each year.

You won’t regret purchasing this handy, one book stand alone compact curriculum.

Tiny and I have plans to read the rest of the passages in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare and that just might lead us to some hands-on activities or lapbook.

Also, check out my other posts:

Hugs and love ya,

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