JOURNAL PROMPTS:
Make a list of “classics” that sound interesting to you. Pick one to start reading for yourself, and one for read-aloud.
How can you let your children “take the lead” more? What could you let them plan or make or teach for other members of the family? Ideas:
—Dinner
—Dessert
—a hike
—A field trip
—A road trip
—A vacation
—A party
—Homeschool time
—Make something to sell
—Teach us how to play a game
—A skill (Rubik’s cube, pottery, drawing, friendship bracelets)
—Teach a math concept to a younger sibling (without forcing them to do it)
—Do a science experiment with a younger sibling
—Teach us about a famous painting or sculpture
What interests do your children have? How can you leverage that for a learning experience?
YOU, NOT THEM
Am I leading out by pursuing my own education? What am I interested in?
What phase am I in?—
—Do I feel like I have a solid core? Do I feel like my relationship and mental health needs are being met? Do I know what I believe in? Do I feed my spirit most days? Am I observant? Does your day or environment feel peaceful and stable or chaotic?
—Do I love learning? Am I passionately curious? Do I ask a lot of questions? Do I freely ask others questions? Have I honed the ability to ask the right questions?
—Do I study with intention, to gain breadth and depth of knowledge, and a variety of perspectives? Does my studying often bring me to the point of discomfort, where it feels really hard and frustrating? Do I want feedback from others so I can improve?
INSPIRE, NOT REQUIRE
What are the negative effects of requiring learning?
What are the benefits of allowing them freedom of choice in their learning?
How can I inspire my children?
Write your thoughts on human motivation
What’s something I think is interesting or fun that I can share with my children to pique their interest in a new topic? For example:
—Cooking or baking food from another time or culture
—Watching an inspiring YouTube video
—Asking a fun trivia question (“Which of the following 3 Medieval cures for headaches actually worked?” Or “How many pounds do you think a blue whale weighs?”)
STRUCTURE TIME, NOT CONTENT
How is structuring you time like budgeting your money?
What is a new sacred bubble of time you want to create in your day? Write a plan for making that happen, even if it starts with 5 or 10 minutes. Connect it with another regular habit.