How to Motivate Your Homeschooler To Be An Independent Learner

Want your kids to become lifelong learners? Encourage them toward independence. Let them experience the confidence that comes from mastering hard skills on their own. Kids are naturally curious. If your kids love to learn and if they are able to grasp how to learn on their own, they will be unstoppable. Here’s How to Motivate Your Homeschooler To Be An Independent Learner.

“Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.”

John Holt

Video: How to Motivate Your Homeschooler To Be An Independent Learner

Why Motivate Your Homeschooler to Be an Independent Learner?

When I was in college studying education and finishing up my student teaching, the teacher under whom I was learning mentioned this phrase to me and I have always remembered it.

“Whoever is doing the most work is the one learning.”

This is so true. If you are doing all the work for your kids, you will be exhausted and they will not be absorbing as much. On the other hand, if your kids are intrinsically motivated, taking initiative in their studies, they will retain so much more! They will not only be mastering concepts, they will be productive. Their curiosity will drive them to experiment with their ideas.

The more your child does on their own, the more they will be able to do on their own. Just think about how it feels when you finally master a skill that you worked so hard to learn. It gives you confidence and drive to go even farther in that skill area. Mastering even the smallest new task also gives you the resolve to try other new skills as well. This is what independent learning does for kids.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin

Benefits of Encouraging Independent Learning

• Kids take ownership of their work.
• Curiosity drives them to pursue their interests.
• Learning to manage their schedule.
• Mastering skills gives them confidence to try other new things.
• Meets the needs of the family.

For large families like ours, moving our kids toward working independently was the only way we could make homeschooling work. If you have a wide range of ages and especially if you still have toddlers or babies at home, encouraging your older kids to work independently for some subjects will help you to be able to meet the needs of each of your kids.

6 Steps to Motivate Kids to Learn Independently

1. Read to them A LOT so that they will love reading.

Once they are reading on their own, this will be the biggest first step toward independence. Fluent reading opens up a whole new world for kids. BUT it doesn’t make much of a difference if they don’t enjoy reading. The more you read to them from the time they are very small, the more they will want to be able to hear new stories and discover new information in books for themselves.

2. Use copywork and narration as core habits in your homeschool.

Copywork and narration are habits that cover so much ground…like a multivitamin! Plus, they are skills that, with practice, kids can do on their own!

You can read about how I use copywork and narration in Simple Step-by-Step Guide to Homeschool Writing.

3. Create a Workable Daily Checklist .

Making a daily checklist for them will be a visual tool to help them see what they are expected to accomplish every day. Involve them in this when you make it! Ask them what they want to learn about and what they want to add in as part of their day.

4. Teach them Life Skills.

Academic work is important and has its place, but acquiring life skills is equally valuable! Mastering basic skills will not only give them confidence in their abilities, it will also be a big contribution to the family. For young kids, start with making the bed, folding clothes, matching socks, washing the dishes, emptying the dishwasher or bathroom trash, vacuuming. Older kids can learn to do their own laundry, cook simple meals, organize closets and drawers, do simple home maintenance projects.

You can find more ideas for life skills by reading these posts.

Useful Life Skills Suitable to Teach in Winter

UUseful Life Skills Suitable to Teach in Spring

Important Life Skills for Kids to Learn in Summer

Valuable Life Skills for Kids to Learn in Fall

5. Choose curriculum wisely.

When I started homeschooling, I taught each of our kids all their lessons individually. This worked for a while…until we had three in school and I realized I had to teach three separate math lessons along with all our other work. I was getting burnt out. It simply was not doable. Reluctantly, I moved toward more a more independent curriculum, thinking that it was an unfortunate necessity for the time being. Boy was I wrong! What happened instead was that the kids started taking ownership of their work. They thrived as they became more involved in the learning process. (You can read more about this story here.)

Choose curriculum that is less teacher intensive. You can also combine your kids for subjects like history, science, art, etc. Veritas Press Self-Paced History, Apologia, and Singapore Math are some curriculum choices that we use in our home. You can also read all about Our Large Family Homeschool Curriculum.

6. Model a love of learning yourself.

When you have free time, what do your kids observe you doing? If you want your child to be a self-motivated learner, you have to model it yourself. Turn off the tv, put down your phone and do something productive. Invest in a hobby, start a small home business, learn a new skill, try your hand at something you never thought you’d be able to do. Be a producer, not a consumer. Make the most of the empty moments in your life by staying busy with activity that is fruitful. Your kids will see this and they will want to do the same.

What About Group Learning?

Becoming and independent learner does not mean that your child should do everything on their own. There are also many benefits from group conversation, competitive avenues, reading aloud together, group memory work, discussion and debate.

Our family enjoys Morning Time and Afternoon Read Aloud time together every day. Most other subjects our kids (who are old enough) do on their own. For each family, the amount of independence versus group work will be different. You find what works best for you and your kids.

What About One-On-One Time?

Independent learning also does not mean that you as a parent are not involved in their education. Daily one-on-one time with each of your kids is SO important! Additionally, it is crucial for young children to work one-on-one every day to establish a good foundation of reading, writing, and math before they are developmentally ready for independence.

Once kids are mature enough, however, use your alone time with them to act more as a facilitator in their learning process. Set aside time each day to review their checklists. Go subject by subject. Have them show you their work. Review it together. Ask them to tell back to you the new concepts they learned. Help them with struggles.

At What Age Can a Child Become Mostly Independent?

This will be different for each child. Some children who struggle in certain areas may never be completely independent and that’s OK. Individual families should find the level of freedom that works well for them and their kids. This will always look different from child to child and family to family.

Becoming independent is gradual change for kids. It is different with each child based on their personality. Most of our kids, depending on their natural bent, have become mostly independent around ages 9-10. BUT I wouldn’t get discouraged if for some kids it takes longer than that!

The first signs of independence are when they start to realize that they can read on their own. Next, when they are fluently writing, they can do copywork by themselves. Slowly they learn to go through their daily checklist with less and less help. Even my most independent kids still need me to check in and help with math frequently.

Leave a Comment!

What suggestions would you have to help kids become independent learners? Have you discovered some tips or ideas that have been beneficial for your kids? Share your experiences with others so we can all learn together!

Pin it! Motivate Your Homeschooler To Be An Independent Learner