Simplify Homeschool with Open-Ended Assignments

Sometimes it feels like homeschool has to wait because there are so many things to do. But I’ve got good news. Every single time you do school doesn’t mean you have to have long elaborate lectures or read everything to your kids for every lesson. You can simplify homeschool, for those busy days, with open-ended assignments.

You can have things prepared in advance that you have modeled before. Then, your kids can do those ready to go open ended assignments on days when you don’t have time to sit down as long as normal.

Who is doing the work in your homeschool?

The great Harry Wong once said- and I paraphrase- but he said something like the person doing the work is the person learning.

If you’re doing more work than your child, you may be the one learning more! Let your child do the work!

Create open ended assignments.

Assign things for your child to do and let them show you what they are capable of.

You can simplify homeschool with ready to go work. These are open ended assignments for each subject that you can then check over and review with your children once they are completed.

Even if you’re not sitting down with them to do something right then, assign it.

Let’s look at what that may look like for each subject.

Bible

You can have Bible study sheets that can be applied to any Bible verse and they can choose which one they want to do each day.

Reading

For reading, they can read for 30 minutes each day and make sure they choose from various genres. Make sure they read non-fiction as well as fiction. You also want to make sure they retain what they read by having them tell it back to you to write about it. Check out these free reading printables for your homeschool.

Providing books

Provide a good variety of books in their environment and make sure they cover a variety of topics. Be sure that you preview books to make sure they are teaching good habits, good content, are age appropriate, and in alignment with the Word.

Benefits of daily reading

Daily reading for at least 30 minutes a day is so beneficial for kids. It builds their vocabulary, creates a love of learning, builds confidence, helps language skills, and so much more!

Writing

A default can be to write about what they read that day. They can do this in a basic journal and it can be a thirty minute block, just like the reading. I like to use the standard black and white marble ones you see at Walmart every new school year. Here are free writing printables you can use for your homeschool.

Other writing ideas:

• You can have them use the dictionary to look up unknown words.
• You can have them use a thesaurus to find synonyms for new words.
• You can have them identify parts of speech in the words they find.

Math

Have a workbook on their level and get them to do a page each day. Have a stack of review worksheets preprinted that they can pull from if you’ll be too busy to teach a new concept that day. I recognize that this particular recommendation isn’t open ended, but it is simple and keeps things moving.

Other ideas for math:

• Math review games: these are games that you’re bought or made that kids can play to reinforce math concepts.
• Digital math games: approved technology with guided access that helps them review or learn math concepts. Ex) Starfall app
• Math projects: example- have them create a hundreds board, create a worksheet for fractions, create an example showing a math problem in an art piece (like drawing a detailed array for multiplication).
• Have them watch an approved (by you) video for reinforcement of a skill or introduction to a new idea.

Science

You could:

• Have an assortment of textbooks from a biblical worldview and let them choose a lesson to read and answer questions on.
• Have an assortment of non-fiction science books and have them choose one to read and take notes from.
• Have videos for them to watch on various science topics. Make sure you preview them.
• Have easy experiments set up if time permits and scientific method forms for them to fill out as they perform the experiments, track their own data, and respond to them. (This would need to be modeled well first.)

Social Studies

You could:

• Have an assortment of textbooks from a biblical worldview and let them choose a lesson to read and answer questions on.
• Have an assortment of biographies and historical accounts in articles or books of major events in history for them to read and use to research and write about historical events and people.
• Have videos for them to watch on historical people and events.
• Have materials available and use project rubrics for them to create projects related to their learning. For example, using art supplies or create 3D novels of a Native American dwelling like a teepee.

It’s naturally at their level when it’s open ended

Open ended assignments are naturally developmentally appropriate because the child will do the project or assignment at their own level naturally.

Differentiated instruction is when you change a lesson to different levels to teach each child where they are. In homeschool, if you have more than one child and you are teaching them all at the same time about the same topic, you will need to differentiate your instruction somewhat. This is particularly true for math, reading, and writing.

But for me, I usually don’t differentiate my instruction for history and science much, I just differentiate the assessments if needed.

So for example, when teaching about history, I teach it to all of my kids, but my four year old may tell me what he wants to write and I make it as traceable letters for him while my older children will write for themselves.

Keep them busy.

Make sure your kids always have something productive to do. Help them manage their time.

An idle mind is the devil’s playground.
~anonymous

Using these ideas will help you keep the homeschool ball rolling.

You will have weeks of homeschooling where you are super motivated, energetic, and basically mom/teacher of the year. You may be killing it with super amazing hands on lessons and insane amounts of learning happening.

There will be other weeks when you feel like you have so much else going on that you may not be able to do it at all. That’s okay! Homeschool is flexible. As long as you meet your requirement for the year for your location, you can be flexible.

The idea here of automating it is this:

If you set up the environment and expectations so that your kids know what to do on their own – if it’s a busy day for mom, school can go on without you micro-managing it and you can check over the work when you get a chance. Simplify homeschool with open ended assignments.

Learning goes on…

The learning shouldn’t stop for the kids just because you’re busy that day, they can learn without you sometimes! Especially if they’re good readers. Let them work! Assign them to read something and do a report on it. Assign them to write about a topic. Assign them to do an art or craft project about something you learned about recently.

Allow kids to take ownership of their learning

You don’t have to oversee every second (assuming kids are on task). When you allow them to take ownership over their own learning, they’ll gain confidence and internal motivation to keep learning.

This is a way to foster independent learning and create lifelong learners with a love of learning. It also will help you realize that you’re not their only source of learning when you link them to experts in various fields (via books/videos) that you verify are teaching from a biblical world view.

Always guard your children’s hearts and minds as you allow them to access books, videos, or workbooks. Preview everything and teach your children to protect themselves by turning off the device once the approved video ends etc.

Have fun!

Simplify homeschool with open ended assignments and have fun! Keep leaning and teaching and always keep Christ at the center of it all!