Coded notes for my reluctant reader/writer. Shhh! Don't tell him he's learning!

We all wish for our children to look back on their childhood with fondness and even a feeling of enchantment. Why is it, then, that we get sucked into this fast-paced culture's way of pushing our kids to be little adults? We want them to be the best, smartest, most responsible and productive... but then where is room for pure childhood? I have gotten sucked into this myself. Several times. Mom guilt never stops trying to make us feel inadequate. Am I right? But I keep coming back to my ‘why’. I want my relationship with my kids to be at the core of our homeschool. I want them to want to chase curiosity; to actually think it is fun to pursue knowledge for a lifetime. I have a 7 year old and 3 year old. They are both moving targets, which means I am constantly changing my approach, but with more people now than ever entering the homeschool space, I thought I would share what works for our family!

For the record: When I call him a reluctant reader/writer, I’m only talking about formal reading and writing. This kid drives everyone bonkers when we do formal worksheet-only learning. He writes nearly everyday, but as he finds the desire to do so. That is when his voice/personality really shine through on paper, which is what any good writing is all about! With reading, I don’t force it either. My husband still hates to read because we were forced to read books we had zero interest in for 10+ years in public school. I read aloud with the kids daily, which we all look forward to. Big guy (7) usually is reading right along with me, silently, and will occasionally jump in with a “why is that word in italics?” or “I didn’t know ‘might’ was an ‘ight‘ word. Is that also how you spell the bug kind of mite?” We parents need to just chill. Lol Learning is happening even when it’s not formal.

Gameschooling play school