The Homeschool Sanity Show

Melanie came to this network from a blogging conference. Felice met her, heard what she was doing, and invited her on — and the Homeschool Sanity Show has been steadying homeschool moms ever since. For the thirteenth birthday, every host on the network takes one question. Just one. Here is hers. Her question: “It is October, you are already behind, and you are starting to wonder if you are the problem.” The good news, in her words: there is nothing wrong with you. You have run into a thinking error that catches the smartest people — the planning fallacy — and it is fixable. The clip is from Why You’ve Fallen Behind In Your Homeschool Plan. Also in this episode: Felice Gerwitz on whether to homeschool at all · Hal and Melanie Young on boys who will not sit still · the 7Sisters on the high school transcript · Sue Myers on a fever and a two-year-old · Meryl van der Merwe on teenagers and AI · Meredith Curtis on getting the joy back · Lisa Nehring on life skills before they launch. The Sweet 13 Giveaway is open. More than $1,500 in prizes, four drawings across October, and a free party favor for everyone who enters. Enter at ultimateradioshow.com/sweet-13 — October 1 through 29. No purchase necessary, US residents 18+, official rules here. Presented by Eden’s Table. Use code EDEN13. The post Sweet 13 Bonus: Why You Are Already Behind appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Have you ever wondered how some moms manage to homeschool a large family—when homeschooling just a few children can already feel overwhelming? Visit the Show Notes Page Penney Douglas homeschooled all ten of her children, but her homeschool didn’t turn out anything like she imagined it would. Along the way, unexpected challenges forced her to rethink what successful homeschooling really looks like. Watch on YouTube In this episode of The Homeschool Sanity Show, Penney shares the lessons she learned through more than 27 years of homeschooling—including what she had to change, what she had to let go of, and what ultimately made homeschooling a large family manageable. We also talk about the surprising benefits her children gained from growing up and learning together—and the encouragement she would give the homeschool mom who feels like she simply can’t keep up. If you’ve ever thought, “How am I supposed to do all of this?” you’ll want to hear Penney’s perspective. We also discuss Penney’s book, Dear Struggling Homeschool Mom, I See You, written for the mom who needs reassurance that homeschooling doesn’t have to look perfect to be successful. Watch or listen now for encouragement from a mom who has truly been there. Related Episodes Homeschooling Preschool Homeschooling with Babies and Toddlers The post Large Family Homeschooling: From Traditional Teacher To Homeschool Mom Of 10 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Are you battling anxiety as a Christian—whether it’s constant nagging worry or a fear that feels like it’s controlling your life? I can relate. For years, I struggled with an intense fear of home invasion. Even as a clinical psychologist, I had routines designed to make me feel safe, but I could still spend hours awake at night, frozen by fear. Then one night, while my husband was out of town, someone began pounding on my front door at 2 a.m. What happened next forced me to face my worst fear—and ultimately changed my relationship with anxiety. In this video, I share that story along with three keys that helped me overcome anxiety. And if your child struggles with worry or anxiety, check out Training Aliens, my story-based social and emotional skills curriculum for kids. Try a free Training Aliens sample lesson: https://funtolearnbooks.com/product/training-aliens-level-1-kit/ If this podcast encouraged you, please subscribe for more practical, faith-based encouragement for homeschooling, parenting, and Christian living. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/et2XEajx7CU Other Episodes for You Stop Worrying, Start Homeschooling Overcoming Anxiety as a Homeschool Mom What are You Trusting In? The post Overcoming Anxiety As A Christian appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

We want our kids to be kind, helpful, and cooperative. But we also want them to be able to say no when someone pressures them to do something that isn’t in their best interest. That can be especially difficult for conscientious kids—the ones who want to be good friends, avoid disappointing people, and keep everyone happy. So how do we teach our kids to set healthy boundaries without encouraging them to be selfish, rude, or unkind? In this episode of The Homeschool Sanity Show, I share three practical ways to help your child develop healthy boundaries. We’ll talk about why some kids have such a hard time saying no, how other people can take advantage of that tendency, and what we can do now to prepare our kids for situations they’ll face as teens and adults. Listen to the podcast You’ll also learn a simple strategy that can make saying no much easier for kids who tend to agree to things too quickly—and what your child needs from you after they’ve enforced a boundary. These are skills our kids will use in friendships, dating relationships, college, work, and family life for years to come. In This Episode You’ll discover: Why being the “nice” or “responsible” kid can sometimes make boundaries harder How to help kids recognize when someone is pressuring or manipulating them Why kids don’t always need to answer a request right away How to help your child become more comfortable saying no One important thing parents can do after a child sets a boundary Watch on YouTube Help Your Child Practice Healthy Boundaries Knowing what a healthy boundary looks like is one thing. Practicing it before your child is in a difficult situation is even better. Training Aliens is my story-based social and emotional skills curriculum designed to help kids practice skills like healthy boundaries through stories, discussion, role plays, challenges, games, and more. Your kids will meet an alien at Space Camp who struggles with boundaries, consider how the other characters should respond, and practice the skill themselves. Training Aliens is available in both faith-based and secular versions and includes a video course, too. Download a free Training Aliens sample here: https://funtolearnbooks.com/product/training-aliens-level-1-kit/ What About You? Is saying no difficult for you or one of your kids? Share your experience in the comments. And be sure to subscribe to The Homeschool Sanity Show for more practical strategies for raising competent, capable kids. Other Episodes You May Like How to Establish and Defend Time Boundaries Conflict Resolution Skills You Must Teach Part 1 Conflict Resolution Skills You Must Teach Part 2 The post How To Teach Your Child Healthy Boundaries appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Want your child to make more friends this year—but aren’t sure how to help? Friendships are important for kids’ happiness and well-being, but making friends doesn’t always happen automatically, especially for homeschoolers. Simply putting kids around other kids isn’t necessarily enough. In this episode, I share a simple three-step strategy for helping your child develop meaningful friendships. And surprisingly, it has a lot in common with shopping at a rummage sale! You’ll learn: • How to help your child recognize a good friendship fit • Why having time for friendship matters • The importance of shared interests and compatible values • Where homeschoolers can find good opportunities for friendship • Why large groups don’t always lead to closer relationships • The three ingredients that help acquaintances become friends • Social skills your child may need to be explicitly taught • How curiosity and good questions can help kids connect • What to notice when friendship interest isn’t reciprocal Help Your Child Build Social & Emotional Skills Kids need more than conversation skills to build lasting friendships. They also need practice with teamwork, good sportsmanship, handling frustration, resolving conflict, apologizing, setting boundaries, and responding when someone else behaves poorly. That’s why I created Training Aliens, my story-based social and emotional skills curriculum for elementary students. Each lesson uses a funny story, choose-your-own-adventure decisions, realistic consequences, discussion, games, challenges, STEM activities, and more to help kids practice important social and emotional skills. Both faith-based and secular teacher’s guides are available. Download a FREE Training Aliens sample: https://funtolearnbooks.com/product/training-aliens-level-1-kit/ If helping your child make more friends is one of your goals this year, remember the rummage-sale strategy: know what you’re looking for, go where real friendships can develop, and teach your child the skills to turn an acquaintance into a friend. What have you found works well for helping your child make friends? Share your ideas in the comments. Other episodes to Check Out Homeschool Mom Friendships Hospitality Lies That Keep Us Lonely Raising Confident Kids Through Homeschool Theater If this episode was helpful, subscribe to The Homeschool Sanity Show. Watch on YouTube The post How To Help Your Child Make Friends This Year appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.