Homeschooling offers parents a unique opportunity to tailor their child’s education to their values and beliefs. One subject that is often overlooked but holds immense potential for personal and academic growth is psychology. Let’s explore the importance of teaching psychology from a Christian worldview and why it can be a valuable addition to a high school transcript.
Understanding Psychology
Before delving into why psychology is essential, it’s important to understand what psychology is. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behavior, seeking to unravel the mysteries of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. While it’s often associated with secular perspectives, integrating a Christian worldview into psychology can provide a richer and more holistic understanding of the subject.
Why Teach Psychology from a Christian Worldview?
Alignment with Christian Values: One of the primary reasons for teaching psychology from a Christian worldview is to align the subject matter with your family’s values. A Christian perspective offers a moral and ethical framework that helps students analyze human behavior and make informed decisions based on Biblical principles.
Moral and Ethical Development: Psychology provides insights into various aspects of human behavior, including ethics and morality. Teaching psychology from a Christian perspective helps students develop a strong moral compass by examining how Christian principles apply to real-life situations.
Integration of Faith and Learning: Incorporating a Christian worldview into psychology allows students to see how their faith connects with their education. This integration fosters a deeper understanding of the world and encourages students to view their studies as part of their spiritual journey.
Critical Thinking and Discernment: Psychology equips students with critical thinking skills, helping them evaluate and discern the messages they encounter in a secular world. A Christian perspective encourages students to question and analyze the world around them while grounding their thinking in faith.
Preparation for a Faith-Based Career: For students considering careers in counseling, social work, or ministry, a foundation in psychology from a Christian worldview is invaluable. It equips them to provide compassionate, faith-based guidance to those in need.
Why Include Psychology in a High School Transcript?
College and Career Opportunities: Colleges and universities look favorably upon applicants who have a well-rounded high school transcript that includes a variety of subjects. Psychology demonstrates a student’s ability to engage with complex topics and think critically.
Preparation for Higher Education: Psychology is a subject that can prepare students for various college majors, including psychology, sociology, and counseling. A high school psychology course provides a solid foundation for future academic pursuits.
Life Skills and Personal Growth: Beyond academics, psychology offers valuable life skills such as effective communication, empathy, and problem-solving. These skills are transferable to numerous aspects of life, including relationships and careers.
Character Development: Studying psychology encourages self-reflection and personal growth. It can help students develop empathy, compassion, and a deeper understanding of themselves and others, all of which are valuable qualities for life beyond high school.
Teaching psychology from a Christian worldview
Teaching psychology from a Christian worldview not only aligns with your family’s values but also equips your child with valuable life skills and a strong foundation for future academic and career pursuits. By including psychology in your high school curriculum, you can provide a well-rounded education that fosters personal growth, critical thinking, and a deeper connection between faith and learning. Ultimately, this approach can help your child thrive academically and spiritually, making it a vital component of their high school transcript.
While my younger two kids were homeschooling through high school, I was working. They were doing some rigorous academics and my time was divided. Both of them also participated in several extra-curriculars; music and karate, Latin National Exam, and Shakespeare Camp. You know, a typical homeschool schedule, full of fulfilling academics and activities! I’ll be honest, some days it was a real challenge; work competed with school, which competed with dinner which competed with the activities. But you know that old adage, when there’s a will, there’s a way!
Planners to the Rescue!
We got it all done by using Planners. A simple, but super effective tool that also teaches your kids some basic Executive Functioning Skills! That’s a definitive win in my book!
so, maybe you’re like me and you’ve heard of these skills. They sound important, but you’re not exactly sure what they are? No worries I looked them up for us! The 3 Main Aspects of Executive Functioning are:
Working memory
Cognitive flexibility
Inhibitory control
Learning to use a planner assists or develops all 3 areas! Using some sort of time management system teaches flexibility as you manage all of the tasks and responsibilities. Managing one are (time and priorities is a transferable skill which can, which can lead to more inhibitory control. The very act of managing your time and priorities tends to dissipate some frustration over missed appointments or assignments. So, while teaching your kids to use a basic tool, you’re also developing some really valuable skills, to boot. That’s a big win for this Momma!
First, find a planner that works for each Individual
Let’s face it- we’re all different. In this family, that means everyone chooses a different planner. For example, I like Bullet Journals. I love creating a detailed calendar, having a place to take copious notes, brainstorm, brain-flow, and Venn diagram all in one place. My BuJu becomes my Common Place Journal and I find myself referring back past journals frequently! My son likes a very structured planner with plenty of room for notes. He color coordinates his day and refers to it all day long. My daughter has a very girly planner where she keeps notes, doodles and writes comedy sketches. My husband is a Franklin Covey man from way back.
If it’s too structured, doesn’t leave enough room for doodles, notes or creative thinking or not structured enough when you need it, it’s a recipe for not getting used. With so many planners ont he market, there really is one for everyone. And a fun planner, one that makes you happy, is going to inspire you to dream as well as do!
Help your kids learn the skills and tools they need to function in a complex world with this practical, hands on class. The class goes over the basics of Executive Functining Skills, is project based and perfect for kids who just can’t seem to “get it together” on their own.
The students will also be able to improve their day to day school and family life as we work in the following areas:
making schedules
creating a personal calendar
creating short, effective lists
tips to help our memory
understanding how our actions affect others
Teach them to use it!
I sit down with my kids weekly when they hit jr high school throughout high school and talk them through planning their week. We usually do this on Mondays and plan to spend about an hour. That might seem like prime time wasted, but again, think of it as training! Kids might naturally think to put in the one-hour activity a week, but don’t’ think of drive time, gathering gear or prep time, putting things away when they get home or how that affects meals, if rush hour will slow them down or who else needs the car. Planning one activity takes executive thinking skills because every activity has a ripple effect!
Together, we’ll put in daily details, any upcoming due dates, overall big picture planning, on-going projects, monthly re-occurring things, church, music, school, sports and volunteer activities.Often kids don’t think to put recurring weekly meetings on their planner, because it’s part of their regular routine. But doing so allows them to see cause and effect of how one decision affects another. It also allows kids to see firsthand that saying yes to certain things means you are dedicating time and attention to that particular event over other opportunities.
And, for kids how struggle with ‘surprises” having things clearly written down ahead of time allows them to mentally get ready for transitions between activities. This cuts down on frustration as well as teaches kids that they can manage their own responses with good planning.
For visual learners, having a weekly visual can be really helpful. Seeing what times are filled allows you to say “no” to opportunities as they come up or move things around. For example, we did a morning meeting for many years, but as our schedule changed, it wasn’t possible to gather first thing. Looking at our weekly calendar allowed us to move that time together to after lunch- flexibility in action!
Keeping Track of Due Dates
In the past, our week revolved around an academic class day, and projects, papers and presentations were all due on that one particular day. Later we switched to more online classes and due dates were throughout the week. Learning to juggle due dates that occur throughout the week is helpful if you are preparing your kids for college, as that’s more a university model.
Moreover, using planners can enhance a child’s ability to manage stress and reduce anxiety. With a clear overview of their commitments and deadlines, children experience less overwhelm and gain a sense of control over their daily routines. By encouraging them to break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps, parents can teach their children valuable problem-solving strategies that will serve them throughout their lives.
Family Meetings
Besides our weekly 1:1 Teen. Mom Planning Meeting, we have regular family planning meetings as we have several drivers and multiple cars, live out of town and often have engagements in the evening. This helps everyone to understand the overall plan and ensure that everyone is picked up on time!
Teaching children to use planners also cultivates a sense of responsibility and accountability. By being actively involved in their planning process, parents can foster open communication, discuss goals, and provide guidance when needed. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership, as children learn to set realistic expectations and take pride in their accomplishment
Invest in Thier Future!
Ultimately, teaching children to use planners is an investment in their future. It equips them with vital executive functioning skills that will serve as a solid foundation for success in all aspects of life. By promoting organization, time management, goal-setting, and self-reflection, parents empower their children to become capable, confident individuals who are well-prepared to navigate the complexities of the modern world.
So, embrace the power of planners and embark on this journey of fostering executive functioning skills in your children. By giving them the tools they need to plan, organize, and excel, you are setting them up for a lifetime of achievement and fulfillment. Together, let’s unlock their full potential and watch them soar to new heights.
Interested in Similar Content?
Check out this video about how to Use Planners in Your Homeschool!
What’s the Difference between Study Skills, Executive Functioning, Life Skills, Career Exploration and Personal Finance?
This class is perfect for kids who haven’t yet developed the Study Skills they need to live up to their full potential! Chock full of practical tools, tips and tricks to help your student achieve academic success! Enroll today!
In True North Homeschool Academy’s Career Exploration Class, we talk about many things related to adult life and careers. We had the good fortune to have Shannan Swindler visit as a guest speaker. Shannan is a homeschooling, blogging, expat living in Scotland, who also teaches Life Skills and World Geography online. She came to share about how travel has enriched her life and the life of her family. With the emerging global, gig economy and the ability to work remotely, people have more options than ever before to travel while they are working. So how can you use homeschool travel as career prep?
The benefits of travel in relation to building one’s career are great and something to consider as you plan your student’s course load, opportunities, and eventual career! I’ve gathered a short list of ways that travel enriches one’s life and, ultimately, career. If travel is not an integral part of your educational plan and path, isn’t it time to consider integrating into your overall strategy?
What are the benefits of homeschool travel?
1. Travel can open unexpected doors as you meet new people. Jobs are often learned about through contacts, and the more you have, the more options available to you.
2. Travel allows you to bond with people in extraordinary ways and form lifelong friendships. I have remained friends with my tarp mates from a month-long backpacking trip as well as my travel buddies to Greece, during a college trip.
3. Travel allows you to learn a new language – if only just a smattering. But getting up to speed on some necessary verbs and then practicing abroad or living as an ex-pat for a time is a great way to hone skills.
4. Travel increases your cultural competency, global awareness, and helps you gain a new perspective. The very nature of travel removes you from the known and comfortable and demands that you look around and experience life in new ways.
*In August of 2016, my family went on a trip to Alaska with my mom’s dad and her brother and his family. It was so much fun and so pretty there! One of my favorite things we did was take a train from Seward to Anchorage. On the train, they also served the BEST roast and mashed potatoes that I have ever had, so we certainly got “dinner with a view.” ~Amme (True North Homeschool Academy Student)
5. Travel allows you to develop Soft Skills- communication, leadership, flexibility and adaptability, time and distraction management, creativity, and teamwork. Travel demands soft skills as people get tired – physically from the trip, but emotionally as well, from the barrage of new experiences, places, and even languages.
6. Travel allows you to fail and demands that you fail forward. No trip is complete without a missed connection, showing up at the wrong time or place or lost luggage or wallet. Snafus are just part of an excellent travel adventure, and “failing” is to be expected. Learning to fail forward with good humor is an excellent skill to learn early and well!
7. Travel allows you to develop courage as you see, smell, feel, and hear the world in new and different ways. As you fail forward, courage rises to meet new challenges!
8. Travel allows you to learn management skills -if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Not packing necessities may mean that you go without. Having to show up on someone else’s time when you are experiencing jet lag or not stewarding the time allotted may mean you miss out on the not to be missed sight-seeing trip.
9. Travel allows you to become a better storyteller- your life becomes enriched with all of the experiences and memories that you gather and gain. We are people of the Word, and followers of the Master Storyteller. We should take the time to learn how to tell compelling stories, as well.
*This past January, we took a family trip to Washington D.C. and the surrounding area. Although our trip was during the Government shutdown (obviously we didn’t plan it that way – our trip was already scheduled, and tickets were booked when the Government shut down), we still had a fantastic time! All of the Smithsonian museums were closed, as was the White House, and several other historic sites. However, we were still able to visit several amazing places – my favorite being George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. ~Amme
10. Travel allows you to gain confidence as you replace the fear of the unknown with a healthy curiosity. Traveling to new places means we don’t know what to expect, and we’ll need to pack along a healthy dose of courage to get through to the next thing.
11. Travel allows you to gain independence and interdependence as you craft your solutions and learn to rely on others, perhaps some of whom you just recently met- as part of those solutions.
12. Travel allows you to become a better problem-solver as you tap into and develop your creative genius. Travel demands on the spot problem solving and innovative solutions.
13. Travel rests your brain and fosters creativity. It provides a break from the regular routine, gives you new input, and rejuvenates and reenergizes you!
14. Travel allows for family bonding, and you support each other, problem-solve together, and create beautiful stories and memories together.
*Every summer, we drive up from San Diego to central Oregon and attend a family camp for 800+ people that is hosted by some of our friends. We often stop along the way to visit national parks such as Yosemite, Lassen, the Sequoias, and Crater lake. They are all unique and beautiful in their own way. We make many memories in the car on the long drives. ~Amme
15. Travel allows that you learn from geography – how places define and determine how people live where they’re at, what things look like, smell, taste, and feel like. Geography is of utmost importance in the Bible, so much so that people call Israel “The Fifth Gospel.”
16. Homeschool travel allows you to gain a deeper perspective on your home, and also reminds you of the beauty in the seemingly mundane aspects of life. It helps you appreciate the beauty and joy of home. There’s a reason why the adage, “There’s no place like home” is understood.
Travel builds practical skills, as well as Soft Skills. And, if you’ve listened to our podcast, you know, “we are hired for our hard skills and fired for our soft skills.” Travel builds your kiddos soft skills muscles, which are going to be more critical than ever before in the emerging world of tech and industry that our kids will be living and working in.
Career Exploration is a must have class for your focuses on vocational and career exploration. Students will understand their strengths, challenges and more as they prepare to launch as adults in a complex, digital, and fast-changing world!
Students will identify the intersection of passions, interests, and the necessity of work as well as explore the difference between work and career and how both fit into their personal pathway and so much more!
This class will appeal to students with a sense of adventure and wanderlust. This compelling world geography class for middle & high schoolers will take them on journeys to exciting places to explore and learn. Set your course for adventure!
Using virtual field trips, students will be transported to museums, exhibits, zoos, and historical landmarks all over the world to discover Geography in a unique and robust way! Each week there will be an opportunity to explore and learn about a variety of topics from some of the most famous museums & exhibits in the world. Students will complete various projects, such as virtual scavenger hunts, “guided” tours, and independent exploration and summary reports.
Where have you traveled recently? What’s been the biggest benefit of homeschool travel that you can see?
High school credits? Ugh! That’s an instant homeschool parent stressor. Whether you’re a homeschooling veteran or just getting started, understanding how high school credits work for a homeschool transcript can be a daunting, but necessary task. This is especially true for those who are preparing to apply to higher education, as universities look closely at transcripts to assess a student’s academic achievements. Knowing this, it’s important to be aware of how credit accumulation is determined in a homeschool setting.
By the end, you’ll understand how to correctly award credits, so you can take the steps necessary to create an effective transcript that accurately reflects your student’s academic achievements.
By Lisa Nehring of True North Homeschool Acadamy and It’s Not that Hard to Homeschool
What is going on with the attitude??? Major things!
Brain Pruining (aka Synaptic Pruning)
Synapses allow neurons to transmit signals to other neurons
Synapses are responsible for movement, thinking, memorizing
They are VERY IMPORTANT
Hormones
Growth spurts- hormones
Need adequate sleep and good food, vitamins, and good water
Healthy physical movement and green therapy
Help with understanding, managing, and regulating emotions
Moving from concrete to abstract – important to shelter from an ideology that states they can be anything they want to be or any ideology during this time
Getting Started – Homeschooling Preschool and Kindergarten
Getting Started – Homeschooling Preschool and Kindergarten: I’ve had several young Mommas (so young I could be their Momma!) ask me about homeschooling preschool and kindergarten recently. The biggest challenge for littles is keeping them engaged. Most still have a relatively short attention span, are quickly tired, and need to be fed and watered at regular intervals. Habit is key- routine is your safest bet.
So what are my tips for getting started – homeschooling preschool and kindergartners?
Tip #1 – Morning Baskets
I would recommend developing a morning basket for littles. This method means they get your attention first thing, right after breakfast. This basket is a great way to think about what you want your littles to learn and how to organize it. Morning Baskets for littles can include card matching games, Kumon workbooks, Memory CDs, Poetry, Simple Bible Stories, Phonics, and math games if they are ready for them.
After years of doing this, I recommend over-planning before you get started and then going with the flow once you start. With littles, like with anything else, you don’t get what you want; you get what you plan for. With littles, you often get lots of surprises, too, right?!
Tip #2 – Add in age-appropriate chores.
Kids do what you inspect, not what you expect, BUT they do need to know what you expect, too! One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from Andrew Pudewa is that if your child keeps asking for help, they need help. This seems simple- well, it is, really, but it might not come naturally! Life skills are a big part of homeschooling preschoolers and kindergartners.
Tip #3 – Add in Some Books
If you live with books and magazines, your kids will think having them around is normal. My kids love books on tape. We use Sonlight, Bethlehem Books, Memoria Press, and Veritas Press catalogs as reading lists. Ranger Rick, National Geographic for Kids, Ladybug, and Boys Life have all been favorite magazines around here.
Pre-Reading: Read aloud 15 min a day. There are so many adorable books on everything under the sun; don’t limit your read-aloud to baby books.
Curriculum Suggestions for Homeschooling Preschool and Kindergartner
I think some table time is good at this age because it helps kids get acclimated to regular study. Art or History Cards are great to look at, even for pre-readers. Usborne, Memoria Press, and Veritas Press all have beautiful ones.
Christian Studies-Arch books are a fabulous way for your littles to get a great introduction to basic Bible stories with pictures that they’ll remember for a lifetime. We also loved and read out loud to our kids a couple of different Children’s Bibles, including the Golden Children’s Bible. We had tons of felts, and teaching Bible stories through felts is always an attention grabber.
IEW Language Acquisition through poetry memorization– this is a fantastic program and easily accessible for littles, especially with the CD. There are four sections of 20 poems each, starting with simple, short poems and ending with epic dramatic re-tellings. Andrew Pudewa (who put the program together and recites the poems) has incredible diction, so your kids will hear fantastic vocabulary and superb storytelling.
Letter and Number recognition– we used Kumon and Usborne workbooks, colorful, easily accessible, and fun. There are tons of complete programs available.
Phonics- We always used Alpha Phonics in conjunction with Explode the Code. There are other great products out there. We took the low-cost, no bells, and whistles, practical approach.
Bible Study– Arch books, Bible Memory, reading a good quality Children’s Bible, Veggie Tales, Veritas Press, or Bible Study for All Ages Bible cards.
Memory Work – When our youngest was four, she learned 160 VP history cards that year (even though she was a pre-reader), along with 24 history sentences, several hundred facts related to grammar, geography, Latin, poems, and more because we regularly and diligently used CDs and table time to review. She also learned the letter sounds and started on a notebook-sized timeline. I say all of this so that you realize your littles are capable of learning a LOT.
This is NOT to say that you should set them at the table and force information down their throats. Kids this age, however, can learn a ton through CDs, good DVDs, books, and great visual aids such as flashcards. Also, if you have older kids, why not include your younger kids? They are sponges. If you start early “training their brains to retain,” you’ll be amazed at how much they really can and do retain as they grow older.
More Fun Ways of Getting Started Homeschooling Preschool and Kindergarten
Outside play, exploration, and nature walk – Nature journaling and nature tables are an excellent way for kids to display the cool things they’ve found as they explore the great outdoors! Homeschooling your preschooler and kindergartener should always be fun!
Read-aloud – At least 15 minutes a day; more is better ; )
Crafts and Art – There are so many fun art books, but in any case, an easel, paper, and paint is always appropriate. Colored shaving cream is excellent for bath/shower painting. And hey, how about a shower tile wall- works great as a whiteboard and for painting- easily wipes off- all for $15 bucks.
Gardening – This can be in the yard, with containers, or how about a Fairy Garden?
Open-Ended toys – Brio Trains, Playmobile, Duplos/Legos, Stuffed Animals. Pinterest has some adorable pins of old entertainment centers rehabbed as play kitchens. Add some felt food; and old pots, pans, and measuring cups.
Art Supplies – Easels, paint, glitter, glue, pipe cleaners, colored paper, stickers, colored rice bins, colored shaving cream to “Paint” in the bathtub, Whiteboards around the house (make a whiteboard wall with shower tile or several smaller lapboards), chalkboards and magnet boards (easily made with some chalkboard or magnet paint).
“Sound exploration” – Musical makers. Kids love making sounds.
Cooking- My kids have all loved to help cook in the kitchen. Usborne’s First Cookbook is full of fun and simple recipes.
Gross motor skill development– For years, we had a “Step 2” playscape, complete with a ladder and slide, IN our house.
Sandbox or table– a friend built a sandbox in their basement for their kids, and we had a sand table on our front porch for years.
Fine motor skill development – Have plenty of pens, pencils, and markers around for the kids to play with, sewing cards, and small toys (once they are past the “everything in their mouth” stage- legos, of course.
Travel/ field trips – What better way to learn about the mail than actually visiting the Post Office? These types of learning experiences make learning fun AND educational.
Singing – the Wee Sing series, with books and CDs are full of old favorites.
Daily Prayer – Family evening prayers, with everyone snuggled in a bed together, is a gentle way to teach your littles about what’s important to you. We have each child pray, youngest to oldest, ending with Daddy blessing each child. If your kiddo doesn’t know what to pray for, just help them along following ACTS (Adoration, Confessions, Thanksgiving, Supplication). We would have them repeat a simple sentence or two, such as, “Thank you, God, for this day.” This year, we made an Easter garden.
Finally, as a word of caution…..Limit screen time for Preschool and Kindergarten!
There are so many apps, computer games, DVDs, etc., and they are all fascinating. We use some but in limited quantity. You want your pre-Ker neurology to be hard-wired to people and words, not electronics. Studies have shown that kids learn language skills by interacting with people-NOT screens.
For littles, almost everything they encounter is new and amazing. It’s so fun to explore the world together and to see it through fresh eyes. You don’t have to be super planned, but some planning does help, and kids, again, thrive on routines. So what are you waiting for? Take the leap to homeschooling preschool and kindergarten today!
Like what you see here but need more? Check out our post on Homeschooling Basics.
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