How to tell kiddo about the change coming

[splotchy1]

I'd love some advice from been there done that mamas. We are finally taking the jump into homeschooling in January. For a wide variety of reasons, I put my son in Kindergarten last year, and it was wonderful for him! Just perfectly what he needed at the time even though I wanted to homeschool then. First grade has been a different story.
My son is totally on board with the homeschooling idea, but he has talked about wanting to do it when he starts second grade. You see, HE really enjoys 1st...it's just that I know he is completely unchallenged and bored. He wants to finish the year with his friends.
I was wavering but now realize I want to just keep him home starting at the end of Christmas break.
So...how do I tell him that he isn't going back without souring him on the idea of homeschooling? I know he will be disappointed to miss the rest of 1st grade there.
Ellen

[Lillian J]

Since he's only in 1st grade and he's enjoying it, I really don't see an important reason why his being somewhat bored or unchallenged for those few hours of school time would matter. He has lots of time to expand into more and explore things that interest him once this school year is over. I think it would be much harder to transition into homeschooling if he's pulled now - especially if your aim is a more challenging learning environment. The beginning of a positive and successful homeschooling experience should be just the opposite. If you're concerned that he's not learning enough or fast enough, keep in mind that he has many years ahead of him, and it really doesn't take long at all to learn the things covered in the early elementary years - no hurry. I'd seriously consider allowing him this time to go ahead and enjoy his 1st grade experience with his friends while you explore the social options he'll have available afterward when you're homeschooling. Homeschooling can be a wonderful lifestyle, but it's best to get off to a good start.
- Lillian

[AAK]

Maybe just ask him. Say, "hey, how about starting homeschooling after the xmas break". If he seem ok with it, go for it. If not, I agree with Lillian J. I personally think it would be difficult to hs a child who is resentful of me pulling him out.

Amy

[ikesmom]

I agree..and maybe find a homeschool group before the change to make some new friends. I think it would be hard to think I lost all my friends esp right around Christmas.

[luvmybaby333]

I'm kinda in a similar boat. My daughter is probably the same age as your son, although she's still in Kindergarten since we held her back to repeat it this year. We will be pulling her out of PS and starting with homeschool in January.

I would talk to your son again. Describe the differences and really make it sound exciting (as I'm sure it will be.) Just 2 weeks ago we asked Ambrosia if she would like to homeschool and she said NO quite emphatically. It was okay at the time because it was suggested on a whim. Her daddy and I were angry with a school situation and our knee-jerk reaction was to just pull her out the next day. LOL. Obviously that wouldn't work and Ambrosia wasn't going to feed our silly tantrum. She said she liked her school and that she did NOT want to leave. We said okay, and left it at that. I really started looking into it, though. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like this is what we needed to do. I brought it up again just a few days ago. Nothing had changed except for the fact that I had decided we WOULD be homeschooling her at some point... but Ambrosia didn't know that. I just asked her how she would feel about staying at home with mommy to learn after her winter break. I told her that she would still have "school time" but that it would just be with me and daddy. I told her that we would be learning things in a hands-on kind of way. Taking family field trips and stuff. She told me that it sounded like a GREAT idea. She even told me that I didn't have to wait until after the winter break-- she was okay with starting homeschool NOW. I couldn't believe it. In fact, she's been bugging me every day since then to just go ahead and start teaching her. I thought she would be upset about "missing out" but she seems so focused on how fun homeschooling will be that she is not concerned with that anymore at all.

When was the last time you talked to your son about it? He may have changed his mind, LOL. If he hasn't, I would tell him about something FUN you have planned for him once you start teaching him at home. Maybe a project that will that will spark his interest... or an away-from-home learning activity that will get him excited. It may work to bring him around.

If he still doesn't want to transfer out after that, I would honestly consider waiting. I would not want to make such a big change without my 6-year-old's support. As you're afraid of: I would be concerned about it souring their opinion of homeschooling in general. I think you really need them to be on the same page as you if something like this is going to work. That's just my 2¢, though.

Good luck!!!