How to Homeschool Math

Far too many people find themselves suddenly, unexpectedly homeschooling their children. This prompts me to consider what advice I might offer after more than three decades of teaching kids at home.

Through my decades of homeschooling five kids, we lived by two rules:

Do math. Do reading.

As long as we hit those two topics each day, I knew the kids would be fine. Do some sort of mathematical game or activity. Read something from that big stack of books we collected at the library.

Conquer the basics of math and reading, then everything else will fall into place.

Learning math is an adventure into the unknown. The ideas we adults take for granted are a wild, unexplored country to our children. Like any traveler in a strange land, they will stumble over rocky places and meet with unexpected detours.

Many parents long to find a perfect math curriculum that will smooth over those rocky places. There is no such thing. Stumbles and detours are a necessary part of learning.

But you can help your children along the journey. Here are my top five tips for navigating the mathematical wilderness:

1. Start with Play.
2. Read Books Together.
3. Consider Your Own Perspective.
4. Listen to Your Children.
5. Focus on Making Sense.

Click those links for a variety of ideas and resource links to help you with each of these areas.

Do you want to get started right away? Download a free copy of my Sampler ebook featuring ten family-favorite math games you can enjoy with your children today.

Join the Conversation

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you!

• What are your most pressing questions about helping your children with math?
• Or what tips would you share with other parents?

Please add your ideas in the Comments section below.