Balancing homeschool and writing

Give instruction, then write while your child completes assignments.

Several online article writers I know chose this career partially so they could homeschool their children and still earn a decent living. Balancing homeschool and writing, while excelling at both is no easy task. Here's a few tips I learned when my daughter was homeschooling her kids at my house.

Hand out assignments - Write

Online article writers may find balancing homeschool and writing easier by using worksheets and independent assignments. There are many assignments that are simply practice of lessons learned. Worksheets involving basic math, reading and writing skills can be done independently by kids while the online article writer is working.

Older kids may be able to work on more advanced skills without a lot of supervision as well. When balancing homeschool and writing, it's best to explain the assignment when it's passed out. Make sure the child understands the assignment completely before going back to your writing.

Teach a lesson - Give assignment - Write

At some point there will be lessons that need to be taught. Homeschooling isn't just about handing out assignments and expecting kids to do them without knowing the subject matter. When exploring new areas of study, you will have to teach a lesson before handing out assignments. Once children have a good grasp of the material and are able to move on to a related assignment or project, the online article writer can concentrate on their work.

Pass out a test - Write

Just like regular school, homeschoolers take tests to track their progress. For the online article writer, tests provide an opportunity to write in a relatively quiet atmosphere. Getting in the habit of testing all your homeschooled kids on the same day at the same time will help you keep a set schedule for writing. The more strict you are about your homeschool schedule, the easier it becomes to balance homeschool with writing. Remember to give direction as to what kids should do once the test is complete.

Online homeschooling

Online article writers can buy themselves a little more writing time by enrolling their children in online homeschool. This is not to say you are off the hook as far as teaching responsibilities are concerned. Your children will still need you to explain difficult lessons and teach them when they fall behind in certain areas. You will have to closely monitor their progress to see they are learning everything they are required to learn. Still, online lessons take a bit of the burden from online article writers who homeschool.

Night moves

Online article writers balancing home school with writing may use other helpful strategies. For instance you can write outlines at night. Finish the articles during the day. Some homeschoolers prefer to do this the other way around. This way they have more time for homeschool lessons during the day. It depends on what works best for each individual family. You can also write during recess. Writing while kids are eating lunch makes good use of time. Balancing homeschool with online article writing is a matter of doing what works best for you and your children.

This article was previously published by this author on a now closed Yahoo property.