One of the advantages of homeschooling is the ability to blend character, life skills, and academics to better equip our children for adulthood.

Most children today do not even know how to start a load of laundry or fry up an egg when they leave their childhood home. Who’s to blame? As homeschool parents we have countless opportunities to train our children in righteous ways by involving our children in every day life activities.   While this looks different in every home, the key is to get your children involved in life, such as, household chores, outside ministries, or even a cottage business.

Strong character, life skills, and academics begin in the home. Children learn primarily by example and they will repeat what they see in us.  No one is going to invest their earnest time and heart in our children more than us!

Our family is a little larger than the average so communication is paramount for both a peaceful and fruitful home. 

We all must be willing to serve one another and put others before ourselves.  We are to serve in love. (Galatians 5:13) 

This is not always an easy or pleasant task. Implementing character, life skills, and academics takes place everyday in our home.  Although our academics are scheduled, we as homeschoolers can utilize every daily activity as a fruitful lesson which will develop our children into the next stage, adulthood.

 These are just a few simple ways we combine character traits, life skills, and academics in our home.

•  We have a buddy system in our home.  Each older child is assigned a younger sibling to look after in necessary situations.  This not only teaches leadership and child – rearing, but it teaches my children to communicate effectively.
• Our mature readers enjoy reading to the younger ones.  This requires patience and clearly reinforces their reading skills.  Reading out loud is a skill that is lost today.
• Involving my children in preparing a meal for a family in need is a great opportunity to reinforce math skills in everyday situations.  Too often in today’s school’s math is just a subject not a life skill.  Compassion for others is portrayed when we sacrifice a hot dinner for someone in need and eat sandwiches ourselves.
• My boys raise chickens and sell eggs to a few close friends.  The chickens are solely their responsibility.  They donate eggs to the local food pantry.  This not only teaches them economics, but also teaches them accountability.  The Food Pantry relies on my children to supply their egg supply every week.
• My children love to write notes to relatives, friends, or someone who is in need of comfort or encouragement.  It’s more exciting for them to practice their handwriting and writing skills within a letter than to write something frivolous on a  piece of paper that is only going to be trashed at the end of the school year. 

There are a myriad of measures to orchestrate character, life skills, and academics into our everyday routine.   We just need to get our children engaged in our daily routine and outside ministries.  This is the true definition of homeschooling. This might be a change of mindset for some, but I assure you that fruit will blossom within your family, as well, as the community.

^{Today’s education is tomorrow’s government.                                    Abraham Lincoln}

How do you integrate character, life skills, and academics in your family life and reap the advantages of homeschooling?