What is Afterschooling: Supplementing Your Child's Education

When it comes to education and our children, we parents have some very important decisions to make. Some parents choose to homeschool or unschool their children. Some of us decide to send our children to public or private school. Some of us choose to do both. That is called afterschooling. What is afterschooling? Read on!

Afterschooling is additional schooling done after school hours. Afterschooling is a great way for parents to be involved in making sure that their children are learning everything they need to learn in a time when the public school system does not always do a great job of covering it all. Afterschooling includes simply helping children with their homework. Many dedicated afterschoolers take it further than that and teach their children things that they have not yet learned in school or expand on things that their children have learned in school.

For my family, afterschooling mainly takes place in the summer months. I do not follow a curriculum, but instead make my own lesson plans for each child based on their age. For my oldest child, who attends public school, I review subjects that he has already learned and clear up any questions that he might have about them. I introduce concepts that he will be learning in the next grade to give him a head start on learning. Even though his classroom sizes have been small so far, I realize that there may not be enough time for individual instruction on things he might not grasp right away. By introducing subjects through afterschooling that he will be learning in the next school year, I can see the areas where he might need more help.

During the school year, we focus mostly on the academics presented in school. Our afterschooling takes the shape of character building through extra-curricular activities, art and science through family trips and fun experiments on the weekends. The last thing I want is for my children get tired of school. While I do not practice unschooling completely, it is important to me to follow the lead of my child while covering topics that they need to know.

For instance, if I have math planned one day, but my sons want to spend time on a science concept, we do that. If science is on the lesson plan, but they want to read, we read.

Most importantly to me, afterschooling has been a way to bond with my children. During the school year, afterschooling provides connection for my elementary school aged son and me. Afterschooling is just plain fun for my preschooler (who is technically unschooled at this point and will begin formal preschool soon). In the summer months, afterschooling provides a time of learning together for my sons, gives us all time to connect and prepares them for the school year ahead.

My best advice for new afterschoolers is to have a plan, but be loose. Let your children have a say in what they are learning. Do not be afraid to show them different ways to handle the concepts they are learning in school. Afterschooling is about making schooling tailored to your child as a supplement or a preview of what is to come.