De-schooling.

De-schooling is a recovery process.

Just as an athlete who has suffered an injury takes off some time to allow his or her body to heal, a child and his or her parents may need time to recover from having been in a public or private school. This is a period of Un-schooling and will have a positive impact on your homeschooling experience.

During de-schooling, formal instruction in the form of textbooks and class times are set aside. Instead, a child will be allowed to not study anything or study anything in the way he or she likes. You son or daughter may play video games from morning 'til night. You may find that you spend more time talking about the latest book or article your child has read. You might find yourself learning a new Crafting skill or taking many field trips. The possibilities are endless.

How long you de-school is up to you and your child. You may go for a month or six without ever cracking open a book. During this time you may want to make plans on how you are going to homeschool. Research curriculum options, schooling options, Co-ops and support classes. Use this time to your advantage. Focus your own energy into preparation.

Once you do jump back into "schooling" (assuming you are not unschooling) you may want to take it slow at first. Remember, your child has just had a nice vacation and may be resistant at first to a schedule. Introduce scheduled subjects one at a a time. Try to keep class time as short as possible and assignments light. Do not drop all the fun things you used to do while de-schooling. Make room for them in your schooling life.

Enjoy your child.

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