How to Be A More Engaged Homeschool Parent

You’ve decided to enroll your student in online homeschooling and you know the decision was the right one for your family. Now, you’re able to set the perfect schedule for your child’s needs and help them take the next steps toward life after high school, whether that means college or jumping right into a career. You want to be involved as much as possible to ensure they have the opportunity to reach their goals, so you’re looking for ways to be more engaged in your student’s homeschooling. Here’s how you can do it.

Help your student set realistic goals.

Besides graduation and earning their high school diploma, what other goals does your student have? Do they want to attend a community college or a 4-year university after completing their program? Do they want to jump right into the workforce? Help them decide on different paths they may want to take and what they would need to do to get there. For example, if they plan on attending college, they may want to consider more rigorous coursework including higher level math and science courses.

Plan out a weekly schedule with your student.

Effective time-management is something even adults struggle with, so walking through a weekly study schedule with your child can not only help you both stay on top of lessons and exams, it also helps them learn to set priorities. While one of the biggest benefits of online homeschooling is that there are no set login or study times, planning ahead can help them set realistic goals. Is your student a morning person or a night person? Do they work better when they don’t have a deadline, or is a set time to turn in work a motivator? Answering these questions together can help you fine tune the study schedule that works best for both of you.

Help them figure out their learning style.

With James Madison’s High School curriculum, your student is learning common core subjects that are necessary for every graduate to complete. But even with the help of teachers and academic advisors, they might find themselves struggling to remember or absorb all the information they’re learning. Finding their particular learning style could be the key to turning that around. Some students learn better visually, which includes reading materials and instructions and taking extensive notes while others learn better through audio, like recorded lectures. If your child is a visual learner, look into different, colorful ways of notetaking. If they prefer to hear what they learn, record them reading their textbooks or use an app that can read text out loud.

Make learning fun - for both of you!

Being able to homeschool your child means you’re able to help them work through high school in a way that best suits their personality, but it also means being able to take advantage of free time for interesting extracurriculars and courses. From day trips to museums to learn about history and art, to hikes in the nearest forest to learn about the local wildlife, you can supplement your child’s online education with fun activities for both of you!

Don’t forget, James Madison is here to help you and your student navigate homeschool.

Every now and then even the most confident homeschool parent runs into a question they don’t know the answer to. That’s what student services and academic advisors are for! Reach out to your James Madison team at !