Why do little children do the opposite of what you say? Why do preschoolers reject new foods and green leafy foods? Why do toddlers refuse to share? Why do preschoolers always want what the other child has? Why do preschoolers fight bedtime? How can I help my child to have a good attitude when cleaning up? What can I do to help my child to behave, listen and obey?
A little over a decade ago, a friend of mine asked me to make a video about “Toddler and Preschool Behavior Problems” for her MOPS group. Here it is, featuring a tiny Ember Brown:
In our family of 15, we don’t view k-12 education merely as a stepping stone to college. Our kids don’t even know what “grade” they are in half the time.
Instead of focusing on traditional academics, we see childhood as an exciting opportunity for our kids to begin crafting real-world skills centered around their passions.
As a homeschooling mom I get to create an environment for learning that inspires each child in the pursuit of their unique dream or calling, while exploring fulfilling options for a career.
Ages 2-5 From the outset, we introduce our kids to stories of passionate people who never give up, do great things and solve problems in the world. We are laying the groundwork for a life where work and calling intertwine. We love to read about people and find out about the jobs of the people we meet, from the high call of being a mommy or daddy, to the world-shaping influence of authors, political figures, heroes, artists and inventors.
I remember when my son Joseph was five, when he would meet someone new he would say “Hi, my name’s Joseph, I’m a scientist. What are you?”
Isaac’s bracelet-making and sword crafting were not just about making money but about igniting his creative and business acumen.
Leah, Ember, and Lilly’s craft sales at festivals were lessons in art, economics, and teamwork.
Rachel’s book reselling taught her about value, negotiation, and her love for literature.
Esther’s bath salts business combined chemistry with marketing, all while following her interests.
Ages 9-12 We deepen their engagement with their passions:
Providing resources like an aviary for Laura who is passionate about birds or a piano for Joseph who is gifted in music – these gifts allow them to live their passions daily.
We emphasize learning by doing, ensuring that education is not abstract but connected to real-life applications. Why learn something from a book when you can do it in real life? As homeschoolers we are not limited by the walls of a classroom!
Ages 13-20 Here, we move from exploration to mastery:
Investing in their vision on their 13th birthday We provide them with real tools to build their dreams, whether they lead to a career or a calling.
Skills taught are those they’ll use in their chosen paths, like marketing, leadership, or specialized knowledge.
We limit distractions to keep their focus on what truly excites and fulfills them. No phones until they are ready to run a business that requires it. They have to pay for their own phone, and we parents put filters on the device to keep the kids safe and productive.
Before the kids came along, I considered myself an artist, a writer, and a traveler. I was filling my life with art, creativity, and wonder. I used to travel Europe selling jewelry and art to fund my passions.
After becoming a mother, my passion became my children. Around 3 years into motherhood, I began to remember how much I loved art and poetry. I started to add a few of my passions back into my life. My husband started working four days a week. I took Fridays to dive back into my passions.
I began reading, writing, and small art projects. I purchased paintbrushes and acrylic paint and covered my home with murals. That turned into a small business decorating other’s homes. Then I started teaching moms homemaking, homesteading, and creative skills. We let our little ones play while we learned together.
There was one thing I didn’t do lots and lots of moms my age were doing. Spending time on TV and the Internet. I found when you have little kids, you’re going to be exhausted. The default can be turning on a show and putting them in front of a TV. We didn’t have a TV so that was never an option. I didn’t want that to be the example I set for my kids of adulthood. As parents, we are our children’s greatest teachers. The life we model for them is what their perception of adulthood is. Do we really want them to think being an adult is about working so much you’re exhausted and then starting at a screen watching other people live their lives the rest of the time?
As my kids reached school age, I started customizing their education around their passions. They take their passions seriously and become experts in their fields of interest. All of my kids start businesses in their early teens. Creativity and beauty has kept my children from becoming addicted to screens and technology.
Well-meaning family and friends have expressed concern my kids are missing out on aspects of “standardized” education. Yet my children have skills and talents kids in traditional school don’t have or have to wait until their 20s, 30s, or 40s to develop. I let them let go of things that are irrelevant and they’ll never need to know.
When a child’s education revolves around what they love, there’s no struggle or fight.
Our modern day workforce is all about skills, talents, and ability more than degrees and head knowledge. My children will be able to have specialized careers in their fields of passion. They’ve been studying since they were young and most of my children are making their own income before they ever move out as legal adults.
The way I raise my children looks very different from what you would see in a schoolroom because the childhood happening in our house looked like a lot of fun, adventure, exploring, creating, community, and more. Everyone is contributing their own gifts.
This is all because I set the model for them of pursuing my passions and letting it fuel my actions and career path. I want my children to look at the model I set of adulthood and be excited.
Today I have 15 children age 8-24. I delight in my teens and we have so much fun together. You have one life to live and it shouldn’t be boring. This is what I want my children to know and how I want their education to look. What about you?
Find my whole talk on this subject in the video below. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this.
Get a FREE Mom School bundle so you can dive into your passions.
Please note that we request for Amazon to mark down journals to a specific price for a certain length of time but they don’t always get marked down/ stay marked down the whole time. If there’s something you really want, make sure to grab it soon!
Q- Is Fun-Schooling a Full Curriculum? A- Yes and no. Yes because you can easily cover every required subject with our materials- and all of your electives. No because it’s not a traditional curriculum. We aren’t going to tell you what lessons to do on what days. We don’t tell you what specific books to use or how to guide your days.
We have thousands of Fun-Schooling families and everyone’s school looks different.
Some families use a journal or two to cover a specific subject. Others like to use our journals for electives. While other families Fun-School for every subject.
You’ll combine journals with books, podcasts, documentaries, etc. that correspond to your child’s academic levels. This is how you customize and build your curriculum. A huge age range of kids can use the same journal because each child will use it with different materials.
You can even use our journals alongside boxed curriculum and other more traditional materials.
Some journals, such as Spelling, Math, and Grammar, are more sequential. We’ve been sharing a subject-by-subject breakdown with one subject per month on our blog, private group, and Instagram, Facebook page if you want to check those tips and info out.
We also offer curriculum bundles with a suggested lesson plan and everything you need for an entire school year. Students can go up or down a few grade levels and be just fine so if your student sees a bundle that sparks their interest, go for it! https://www.funschooling.com/all-curriculum-bundles
I don’t worry much about reading before age 9. The longer they play the better! When my children start asking me “Mom, how do you spell…?” That’s when I know they are ready for reading. When a child is ready to learn to read it’s so easy to help them.
When it comes to learning to read there shouldn’t be a struggle. Dyslexic children and creative kids struggle because we are trying to teach them too soon. Dyslexia Games helps prepare the mind for reading and writing without stress, and helps to teach reading in a self directed way that works for creative kids.
Still, sometimes the brain just isn’t ready for the job of reading before age 9 (for some it may be age 11, kids who learn to read late tend to be very artistic and creative.)
The 1st key to inspiring a child to read is to find out what the child wants to learn about and be attentive to what he is passionate about. Provide books on ALL levels about those topics. Look at the books together, and use books with a Fun-Schooling Journal. Allow the child to do a lot of drawing in the Fun-Schooling Journal if they can’t write, and please do some of the writing for him or her while the child watches and dictates (writing for your child once a week is enough).
The 2nd key is to model a love for reading real books and writing on real paper – in front of your child – that’s what Mom-School books are for. When a child sees a parent reading and writing (not on a computer) they automatically desire to do it too. The brain is wired to give children a drive to do what adults do. (One big problem with classrooms is that all the kids are the same age, and kids are not getting an example of how people learn at a higher level.)
Curiosity will drive the desire to read, and the brain will begin to wire itself to read, write and spell. When a child is curious about reading they are going to learn quickly and efficiently. When a child feels the need to read, they WANT to learn.
When you try to force kids to read. write and spell before they desire to do it naturally you are going to face a constant struggle. If the child desires to learn, they are going to be active in the learning, and actually teach themselves – it’s beautiful and joyful.
So, precious homeschooling mom, if your eight year old can’t read, don’t worry, just remember the two keys!
I hear the whispers in the late night silence I hear the giggles in the cool spring air It’s been an hour since we said good night It’s been an hour since the kiss and prayer
The day is over It’s not coming back again. Tonight’s a night that has never been. So let them laugh and stay up late One more story, one more song, one more page
It wasn’t perfect, it was barely good They were just doing what they could They were helping in their childish way And in a moment they were lost in play
They’ll learn to help It just takes time Little ones have so much on their minds Watch them laugh and run and play they’ll need a bath later today. One more story, one more song, one more page
Never silence, not a quiet moment Always questions bouncing off the walls If I had answers I would be a genius Somehow they think I must know it all
Just a moment and I’ll finish sweeping Just a moment and I’ll find that shoe another pancake, turning, burning smoking Another inch, another question, maybe two
The day is new Smiling at me again This is a moment that has never been So let them laugh and run and play One more story, one more song, one more page
These little books help so much because they give you a realistic perspective on how to accomplish the most meaningful things. We grow to be intentional about how we spend our precious time. We learn to invest in the things that make a lasting difference and make everyday life sweet and memorable. These little books help you let go of the things that hold you back, while seeking what truly matters. You will learn to evaluate the demands upon your life, and take a simple, yet mighty step into your dreams, purpose and passion.
As women we feel like we can’t give in to the joys of life if the demands of life are screaming at us. We deny ourselves fun, joy, peace and harmony in life because we are focused on our failures… and the failures of the people around us.
We have to learn to give up on the things that steal our joy, those thoughts that tell us we are falling behind. We need to set aside that vision of what everyone else thinks we ought to be, and be who we were born to be. We need to find true joy in serving others, in caring for our homes, in bringing laughter and smiles to the table… even when things are far from perfect.
We need to learn to find joy in the mud puddles of life. Raising a child is hard. Homeschooling is demanding. Meeting the needs of a husband is challenging. Putting away leftovers and remembering to eat them… ugh who really cares, when what is really needed is more smiles and hugs and passion.
How do we focus on the important things without neglecting the rest? I made these little books to help you discover how. And it only takes 4 minutes a day. You can just keep this book, and a pen, by the toilet, if nothing else.
Need some specific encouragement from other moms? Aside from joining our Facebook support group (and there is also this group if you are new to homeschooling!), grab a copy of The Homeschool Letters! In this book over 35 homeschooling moms share their hearts, explaining what they wish they knew when they first started. The art and logic activities in this book are borrowed from the book “Lost & Found” it’s a brain fog therapy for women who need to sharpen their minds.
Or maybe you need a secret weapon for the “littles” in your life?
The Littlest Kindergarten Workbook is all about animals, and its 4.5″ x 6″ size is perfect for tiny hands.
It has over 100 pages of do-it-yourself beginner learning, covering everything from letters, numbers, weather, shapes, colors, poetry, animals, handwriting and more. Includes a poem that talks about God’s gifts to us.
Just a “little” encouragement to help you begin the new year well!
We all have moments and seasons that we look back on and wonder how we made it through. Enjoy one of my Facebook posts from a decade ago…
I found a journal from 2004 – Moms – you need a laugh… I had a made a list of all the “toddler trouble” Anna got into in one week.
The Setting: Rachel is one month old. Estera is 1 1/2, Anna is 3, and Isaac is 5.
Anna’s Top 20 for the Week of May 5th 2004:
1. Anna mixes ice-cream, sprinkles, popcorn and cat food.
2. Anna plays with a slug until she kills it.
3. Anna gets baby out of swing all by herself.
4. Anna glues paper to the floor.
5. Popcorn dumped all over floor.
6. Anna & Estera put celery in the potty.
7. Anna dumps Wheat Chex into bath tub.
8. Anna makes art with peanut butter.
9. Anna cuts her hair.
Remnants of an experiment…
10. Anna spreads glue stick all over.
11. Anna dumps the chalk twice and eats it.
12. Anna paints and colors everything but the paper.
13. Anna sprinkles poppy seeds all over the house.
14. Anna goes bug hunting.
15. Anna sneaks off with a plate of spaghetti, and decorates house with it.
16. I look out the upstairs window to see diapers scattered all over the roof – Anna?
17. Anna sneaks away with the popcorn popper and knocks over a large glass container, shattering it all over the laundry room.
18. Anna removes ink stick from a red marker. Anna fills a container with water, adds the red ink stick, makes red water.
19. Anna spills red water all over the house.
20. Anna gets the ice cream, all by herself.
What was I doing while Anna was making all these messes? I was nursing baby, homeschooling Isaac, recovering from birth, and cleaning up glass, wheat Chex, peanut butter, glue stick, chalk…
The saying is so true…”The days are long, but the years are short!” Cherish each moment you can. Today, Anna is a beautiful, talented, inspiring young woman. You will survive, and they will thrive. Stay faithful, mom friends!
