Simple Ways Dads Can Stay Involved in Homeschooling

When families begin homeschooling, it seems natural for moms to step in and do the bulk of the teaching, organizing, and planning. As the primary or sole wage earner for the family, dads are considered the principal of the homeschool. However, this situation also puts dads at a disadvantage. They come home at the end of the workday and don’t know what went on or how the children are performing in school. When children are in public school, they tend to come home with notes from the teacher, graded papers, and homework, all which keep dads informed.

How can a family change this pattern? Here are some tips to get dad involved in homeschooling!

Share Your Daily High and Low

High and low is a conversation starter when the family shares parts of their day with each other. During dinner time, bed time, or sometime in the evening, let each family member share what the highlight of their day was and what the low point of the day was. Sometimes this may not be related to their homeschool day, but it is still a great way to share the happenings of the day and build family relationships.

Read Books

Reading aloud to children provides many benefits and is a great way to involve dad in homeschooling. If a child is an early reader, he or she can practice reading aloud to dad each evening. This simple activity provides lasting memories as you remember beloved characters from favorite books through the years.

Get more ideas about family reading time on our specially curated Pinterest board.

Have a Homeschool Showcase

At the end of the week, have the children share a bit of their homeschool work. This does not have to be anything fancy; a child’s homeschool showcase can be a simple folder. Let the children pick 3-5 items to put them into their folder. This gives dad something to see from their week and also serves as a form of review for your learnrs..

Take Field Trips

When planning field trips, choose days that dad can come along. Besides keeping dad involved in the learning, mom also gets the advantage of an extra adult on board to help out with driving and coraling the children.

Grade Papers

Grading papers can become a routine spouses do together each evening. Grading work lets fathers see the progress the kids are making and gives mom a nice break from doing it all herself!

Let Dad be an Expert

Many dads specialize in certain areas such as carpentry, math, or mechanics. Life skills are a huge part of any homeschool, so Dad's teaching an area he excels in is a great way to enrich any child’s homeschool experience.

Don’t let one parent bear the sole burden of the homeschooling responsibility. Yes, dads bring in financial support, but that does not mean they do not want to be involved in the education of their children. Try a few of these tips to get dad involved in homeschooling, and your family may be surprised by the results!