How To Get Inside Your Kid’s Head & Heart
I attended the best homeschool conference last week! While I didn’t get to listen to all the speakers, I was really impressed by the idea of getting inside my kids’ head and heart to understanding their true passions. I was reminded that we are all so unique. We learn differently, process ideas differently, and perceive the world around us differently. Yet we all have questions, passions, goals, and dreams.
If we want to inspire our kids and instill a passion for learning about and loving the world around them, we’ve got to see the world from their perspective while we try to guide them with wisdom and understanding.
So here’s what I did. During a quick impromptu mom & kid ‘quality-time moment’ right there in the kitchen, making dinner, I asked a couple of big questions.
Ask your kids these questions too.
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What do you want to Do?
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Who do you want to BE?
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What do you want to HAVE?
And for the kicker, I asked them, “How can I help you achieve these goals?”
I was very careful to help each child understand that we were not talking about selfish gain here.
These are the questions we are talking about.
- What are your passions?
- What are your convictions? Those things in the world that make you sad or angry that you would like to help change.
- What are your talents?
I was amazed by the answers! My heart was full of joy and my head full of ideas to help them achieve their God-given purpose.
Homeschooling With A Road Map
We all know that homeschooling is a journey. A marathon. Sometimes it even feels like a decathlon, doesn’t it? So with this idea of better understanding the journey we are on with our kids, and hearing about their goals and desires, I set out to pull all these new ideas together. I really needed to create some structure and framework for us to think and dialogue more about it all.
So you know what I did? I gave them an 8-page curriculum list of all different types and styles of curriculum for kids from pre-school to high school. I asked them to highlight everything they wanted to learn about. Well, I think I actually asked them to highlight everything that looked interesting to them. But, you and I know, my goal was to pique curiosity and inspire learning.
Now, I wasn’t at all surprised that neither of them picked any math or language arts. Those are the “bare necessities of life” at our house. The building blocks of critical thinking that we all must endure.
What did happen was their passions and curiosities bubbled to the surface. The questions & the curriculum list were the perfect way for me to tangibly access the heart of their curiosity and God-given passions in a way that we will be able to work together to “run the race set before us” with a bit of a road map in hand.
Journey Together
So I encourage you to journey together. Go on a coffee date with your kiddos. Ask a few questions and listen. Your kids are amazing gifts to the world. Let’s ignite their passions and point them in the direction to achieve their goals and God-given purpose.
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A free printable to help you gather your ideas and make sense of what homeschool curriculum will best inspire your family’s curiosity, passions, and dreams are waiting for you. You can find your FREE PRINTABLE in this post.
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Shannan is a wife, mum, and saved by grace child of The King. Her home base is in Scotland, where she homeschools her two kids (ages 12 & 15) and learns on location throughout Europe as much as possible. She is a classical/Charlotte Mason style home educator living out her God-breathed dream of raising her family in Europe. She’s passionate about many things, especially helping others learn on location using the world as their classroom. She encourages you to pursue your God-breathed dream, no matter what it is! You can join her at Captivating Compass for homeschool and family travel inspiration.
