When I was a child, it was a big deal to be the first one to make tracks in the new snow. Being the oldest, my schoolwork was a little harder than that of my younger sisters . . . . but when it snowed, the three of us would work as hard as we could to get our work done so we could be the first.
The majority of children aren`t going to sit down and focus on studying their schoolbooks for hours on end just because. That`s where a little old fashioned competition comes in.
Competition between siblings is the most common type found in a homeschooling family. Some people don`t think competition is a good thing, but let me tell you, there`s nothing so motivating as the urge to do well when there`s someone else to go up against!
How can we promote fun and productive competition among our children? There are a few ways to go about it.
In the Family
Within the family, you might implement ideas like having a prize list or a box of small treasures that children can pick out when they accomplish their goals. For example, you might assign points to certain things like finishing a book, doing chores on time (yes, chores can and should be a part of homeschooling), etc. Kids can then redeem their points for a small prize or save them for a larger one. Obviously this has many possibilities, so use your imagination.
Rewards don`t need to be physical, you might offer an hour of one on one time with a parent after the other kids have gone to bed, the chance to choose the Family Night game, or something similar.
In the Homeschool Community
While it`s fun to compete with your brothers and sisters, sometimes it`s just not that exciting and some kids won`t find themselves very motivated by it.
This is when it can be a good idea to start up a competition among other homeschoolers. It could be something academic, such as seeing who can finish the most literary works in a month, or it can be something more meaningful . . . perhaps which family can successfully start a business first. These certainly don`t need to be cutthroat competitions, they can just be a fun way to up the ante a little.
How do you use competition in your homeschool?
Tags: competition, homeschool, homeschooling