If you asked me my BIG reason for homeschooling, I would likely tell you that there are multiple reasons I wanted to homeschool my littles. If we had time for a cup of coffee, I’d probably ramble on and share them all. But today, I wanted to share one of my top reasons for homeschooling – time with my family.
From the beginning, I wanted to give my children a rich family culture. One of my biggest goals as a parent is to be my adult children’s best friend – I want to have the house with the open-door policy, a playroom for the grandkids, and the support system that my adult children need. I’m not talking about unhealthy co-dependency, but rather healthy familial structures and support systems that fosters a beautiful family community and legacy.
I believe that starts today. That starts with TIME, with authority and respect (we’re not best friends yet), with habits of the home, with laughter and traditions and books and cuddles. I want my children to look back and see that we LOVED spending time with them. And to me, I just cannot imagine fitting all that into the day if my children attended traditional school and I was working outside the home.
In light of this, I thought I’d share ways that our little family loves to spend time together. I’d love to add to this list – feel free to email me and share your ideas as well!
Family Walks
Family walks have been so life-giving in the past year. After our son was born, my husband and I realized that the best time for us to catch up at the end of the day was to go for a family walk. My daughter loves her scooter, my son loves his stroller, and my husband loves… ME! Ha! We truly enjoy catching up, and the sunshine is good for all of us. It’s currently early March, and I cannot wait for the temps to rise a little so we can get back to our regular evening walks!
Family Read Alouds
In an effort to bond with our oldest a little more, we’ve been enjoying family read alouds after my toddler goes to bed. It’s a good time to reconnect with our daughter, and books have a way of fostering family culture in such a happy way. My daughter looks forward to the snuggles, my husband looks forward to practicing his best hobbit/dwarf voices, and its such a cozy time (especially during the winter months). While I cannot wait for our son to join in the fun, it’s a bit too early for his attention span, especially at the end of the day.
Family Art Sessions
Surprisingly, my 20-month-old son LOVES to draw. LOVES it. So one of our sweet family activities that he can participate in is family drawing sessions. My husband and I are both hobby artists, and it’s fun to sit around the kitchen table and draw together. There’s typically not a day that goes by right now that 3/4 of us are drawing together for at least a short period of time, and it’s extra sweet whenever we all have the chance to sit down.
Family Birthday Celebrations
Somehow the Lord blessed us with THREE back-to-back spring birthdays, and it gets a little hectic! We decided a few years back to throw a collective large party for our extended relatives sometime in the spring, and then to celebrate each person’s actual birthday in more intimate way with just the four of us. These special days have become a favorite in our household, and I’ll be sharing more details about how we make these days special soon!