Learning History at Home Schooling

by Marion Jones

Do you consider that passing time in traditional classrooms is a waste of time? For some people, that is probably true. For example, an exam is due and the students are told to memorize a lot of dates and names. However, after taking the exam, they will probably forget 90% of those dates and names. That’s what the majority of students do every time they have exams. If you are one of these people, you will find traditional history lessons boring, so home schooling, which concentrates more on the history of the world, will probably interest you more.

Simple memorization is not enough to realize the significance of famous people and important events. Through home schooling in history, you can learn about the different cultures of the past in a unique, but interesting way – your own way! Through the study of history, you will also understand the current situation of the world today.

If you think that home schooling is the most effective option for your child’s education, you must also be prepared to take on some responsibilities. Since there will be no teacher physically present, you will have to supervise your child’s learning progress yourself.

Let’s say your child is interested in a particular sport. You could combine history and home schooling by just hanging a map on the wall of your child’s bedroom and mark the location of his favourite sports team. Make sure that you track all the team’s games, scores, activities and schedules. Then, you could go back to history lessons by reading biographies of the various athletes, who had been famous in the particular sport that your child follows. Aside from that, you can also look into the history of that particular sport and discover where it originated, its inventor, and the other things happening at that particular time in history.

For instance, let’s say your child loves baseball, you can teach your child about the history baseball, government hearings on the use of steroids and other favourite sports at that period in time. Just remember that you can adapt this method to any interest like dancing, flight, cars or any invention. You can also have conversations with your child about current affairs or read interesting historical documents and other books. Apart from that, you could also watch documentaries together with the rest of the family. There are various resources that you can use while home schooling, like TV, maps, newspapers, books, a globe, an atlas, and encyclopedias. Because of the enthralling adventures that you and your child will read about and see on film, your child will find it easier to remember the names and dates of the history lessons. After all, learning is better when it is done in a fun way.

These methods are recommended if the child is still young, but once your child is older, you must choose an appropriate home schooling program that is suitable to his/her age group. The programs are available at the elementary, high school, and even college levels. You just have to search online for these various programs. A good thing about these programs is that you can adapt them to suit the interests of your child. However, you must ensure that all the lessons are followed by your child.

Once you and your child decide to try home schooling, you must be prepared for some changes to take place in your life. The learning environment will now be your home not a school and through the various resources that you can use including the computer and Internet.

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