As a parent stepping into the Foundations program with Classical Conversations, you might find yourself asking, Am I doing this right? Am I doing enough? These fears are common, especially when navigating the classical method of education for the first time.
But rest assured, you are not alone!
As a veteran CC mom who has guided multiple children through this journey, Kathy Sheppard shares insights and practical advice to help you thrive.
In this post, we’ll explore six key tips for embracing the beauty of classical learning that are designed to meet you where you are—and remind you that every family’s path is unique.
Let’s walk through these steps together so you can focus on what matters most: nurturing your child’s love for learning and trusting God’s plan for your homeschool.
6 Foundations Tips for New Classical Conversations Families
Here is some advice from me, a mom who has been there. Please take it cum grano salis — with a grain of salt — and remember that every child and family is a little different. What worked for us can be tweaked to fit your family’s unique needs.
1. Don’t “Force” the Memory Work
If you try to make your child learn all the memory work at a young age, one of you will likely be burned out by the end of the Foundations program, and the other may hate learning. If your students start Foundations at age four, they will go through each cycle two or three times.
What fun would it be the second and third time through if he or she knew everything already? Picture the memory work as a spiral. Each time you go through the cycle, the spiral, like your child’s knowledge, grows and is strengthened.
Want to improve your own memory skills? Listen to this Everyday Educator podcast.
2. Commit and Seek Accountability
Homeschooling is hard, but like marriage or birthing a baby, it’s worth the commitment.
Don’t just give yourself a couple of weeks; give it a couple of years or more. And, as Ecclesiastes 4:12b states, “A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”
This is a reason I love Classical Conversations: I can share with others the burdens I feel. We can pray for each other, commiserate together, and uphold each other in the commitment to homeschool.
3. Trust God and Spend Time With Him
God takes care of us. Never underestimate how He can work in your life through time spent in prayer and reading His word!
Teaching your children and guiding them in Scripture is important, but make sure you are also praying and growing in your own relationship with God.
4. Do the Important Things First
Your child needs to learn to read, write, and do math. Those things generally ought to be done deliberately with curriculum and goals. Other knowledge will come with time, but those first few years, concentrate on the major things and develop their thinking abilities.
At the same time, it’s equally important to talk to your child about God and ask questions. Analyze things together; when talking in the car, ask them, “Why does McDonald’s always have those arches?” or, “What does this song mean?”
My girls have learned valuable critical-thinking skills just by questioning everyday things around them.
5. Discover Your Student’s Learning Style and Accommodate It
This year I am using a checklist for each of my girls because they like checking off that they have done their subjects. We also love using the songs on CC Connected and the CC Connected Lite App. My girls also enjoy doing some of their work on little whiteboards with dry-erase markers.
These preferences may vary widely for your family or from child to child. Some children may enjoy practicing memory work while they run laps around the dining room table; others might get their work done best while hiding out in a fort they built or any method in between.
The ways you can homeschool are as boundless as each child’s unique personality. If your children are learning and growing, there is no “wrong way” to homeschool!
6. Observe Your Progress (Not Someone Else’s!)
- Don’t worry about putting in the same number of hours as public school students. They spend a lot of that time being managed and transitioned.
- Don’t compare your children to others! We homeschool because we want a specialized education for our students.
- Don’t even compare yourself to other homeschool parents (I know, this is very hard to avoid!).
Keep your eyes focused on God’s plan for your family and the individual goals that you and your spouse have prayerfully set for each child.
You’ve Got This, Foundations Families!
Homeschooling is a hard journey but so worth it! In the Foundations program, you are sowing the seeds in your children that will eventually grow into long-lasting fruit that is well worth the effort now. So, hang in there, Foundations families!
Need some more helpful tips for the Foundations program? Here are 3 great resources:
- 6 Things to Do with Your Student in Foundations
- Finding Your Favorites in the Foundations Learning Center
- Mixing Up the Memory Work
Not yet a Classical Conversations member and interested in our community-based approach to homeschooling? We’d love to hear from you! To learn more about us, click here