"Deschooling" is taking a little time to get the "school" out of your child's (and your) system. A break from anything "schooly" gives children the time and space to explore their own interests and settle into a less structured lifestyle. When you've been involved in an institutional school system, it's all too easy to measure everything by the standards set by the system – subjects, grade levels and exams – and to assume that learning must take place in a specific place and during a specific time. In fact, learning can happen in lots of different ways and places!
Start your deschooling by filling their days with outings, crafts, picnics, movies and books. What do they like to do? How do they like to do it? What are they interested in? Ask your children to tell you what they think they would like to do while deschooling. Do they want to do sports or outside activities? Do they want to go the the library and read? And finally, ask yourself what you would like to learn? Letting your children see you learning is one of the strongest messages you can send them. Take up painting or knitting or writing. Homeschooling is about family learning! Try to see deschooling as a healing time for your children and you; a time of rest before you pick up more structured learning tasks again (like grammar, spelling, math and science).
If you've just brought your child home to school OR if you're trying to reignite a love of learning take a little time to deschool before returning to school!
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