What About Educational Gaps?
Every so often, we’ll give you a peek into Brave Learner Home, our supportive online community. Today’s post features an encouraging message by Dawn Smith (President of Brave Writer) that she recently shared.
Many homeschoolers worry that they aren’t doing enough and that their child will have gaps when they graduate. Rest assured, everyone has gaps. Yes, schooled kids, too.
If a student changes schools, experiences a long illness, has a weak teacher, or attends a specialized school that emphasizes technology over the arts, they will have gaps. And beyond that, there are lifetimes upon lifetimes of human knowledge out there (history, science, literature, philosophy) that make learning a lifelong, perpetually unfinished pursuit. We are all continuously “filling in gaps!”
As long as your child is making progress and you have been diligent about tracking that progress and paying attention to their development, you’re doing enough. When it comes to the high school years, having a good sense of what they need, and yes, that can include checklists, is important. As parents, it’s our job to work with our teens to help open as many doors as possible after homeschooling is finished.
As many of you approach the end of the year and look back on what this school year has held for you and your kids, I encourage you to spend time reflecting on growth and development, not just on pinpointing shortcomings. When you find something that you think indicates a “gap,” you can use it to help plan for next year, but remember, you’ll never fill all the gaps.
It’s a lifelong process. And we want to nurture lifelong learners.
The Power of Writing a Book
There’s nothing more powerful for a small child than to see their oral language turned into a book that can be read again and again.
But some kids find it intimidating to draw illustrations. Fabulous sticker books (like the one below) provide beautiful artwork for a child’s book. Then the child can decide what story those stickers tell. An adult then jots down their words.
I was amazed that my grandson told me a story for every single page of his book, and when he read it back to his mother and his father, he remembered every word. This is the power of original storytelling and capturing a child’s original voice.
My nearly 4-year-old grandson is bilingual in English and Spanish, and it was incredible to see him dictate to me in English and translate the story into Spanish for his dad.
Brave Writer calls this practice Jot It Down! And we provide ten helpful projects for parents. I also explain it in detail in my book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing.
[Podcast #340] Family Favorites: Resources and Routines Beloved by Melissa’s Kids
What if your best homeschool resources are the small routines, songs, snacks, and tools your kids remember years later?
In this Brave Writer podcast episode, we gather a treasure chest of family-tested ideas:
- read-alouds,
- Signing Time,
- Bob Books,
- captions,
- morning songs,
- poetry memorization,
- skip counting,
- quiet time,
- seasonal books,
- geography games,
- Postcrossing,
- DragonBox Algebra,
- Snap Circuits, and more!
Along the way, we talk about why the imperfect moments often become the brightest memories, from dry Lucky Charms at Shakespeare Club to circus animal cookies at a recital.
Join us as we celebrate practical, playful ways to make learning stick.
Show Notes
The Homeschool Resources Our Kids Actually Remember
Every homeschooling family has a few things that become legendary.
Not always the beautiful curriculum. Not always the well-planned unit study. Sometimes it’s the gas station peanut butter sandwiches, the dry cereal served in paper cups, the song you played every time the house needed cleaning, or the little flag stuck in putty that traveled around the globe during read-alouds.
Those ordinary details matter. They become the texture of family learning.
One of the most freeing truths about homeschool is that education does not have to depend on perfect systems. It can be built on repeatable rhythms, meaningful tools, playful hooks, and a willingness to notice what works for the children in front of us.
Reading begins with a language-rich life
We often think reading must begin with a curriculum. Sometimes it does. But reading can also grow from a home full of language.
Read aloud constantly. Read to toddlers, big kids, teens, and even each other as adults. The cadence of written language enters a child’s body through the ear long before they read fluently on their own.
Then add visual reinforcement. Captions on a favorite show can help children connect spoken words to printed ones. Sign language videos, especially programs like Signing Time, add movement, music, visual memory, and language all at once. Bob Books can offer gentle phonics practice without turning reading into a high-pressure event.
None of these tools has to carry the whole burden. Together, they create a rich environment where literacy has many doorways.
Routines give learning a place to land
A homeschool day does not need to begin with a bell. It can begin with a song.
A short morning ritual can become an anchor: stretch, sing, recite a poem, toss bean bags while skip counting, then move into copywork or math. The repetition is the gift. Over time, a few lines of poetry become a memorized poem. Skip counting becomes multiplication. A simple song becomes family lore.
Quiet time can serve the same purpose. An hour after lunch for reading, music, independent play, or one-on-one time with a parent gives everyone space to reset. In a busy home, quiet can be as important as instruction.
Learning sticks when it has a hook
Songs help memory. Schoolhouse Rock, Horrible Histories, Latin chants, presidents songs, musicals, and even Broadway cleaning soundtracks can give facts a rhythm.
Geography can come alive with a globe, a map, postcards from around the world, or apps like Stack the States and Stack the Countries. Math can become less abstract through a birthday analogy for telling time or a playful algebra app like DragonBox. Writing can feel new again with beeswax crayons, dip pens, or a personal stationery kit.
Hands-on kits like Snap Circuits offer more than science. They teach children how to follow directions, troubleshoot, and use reading for a real purpose.
The imperfect moments count too
We put so much pressure on ourselves to prepare the perfect snack, plan the perfect activity, or present the perfect lesson. But children often remember the moments when we improvised.
The paper cups. The circus animal cookies. The snacky dinner pulled from whatever was in the fridge.
These moments tell our children something important: family life does not have to be polished to be meaningful. Learning does not have to be flawless to be memorable.
Sometimes the best homeschool resource is the one already in your hand.
Resources
- DragonBox Math Apps – International Award Winning Series
- Postcrossing: Postcards connecting the world
- Find books and other resources mentioned in this episode in the Brave Writer Book Shop
- Brave Writer class registration is open!
- Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
- Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
- Find community at the Brave Learner Home
- Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
- Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
- Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
- Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
- Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684
- Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com
Connect with Julie
- Instagram: @juliebogartwriter
- Threads: @juliebogartwriter
- Bluesky: @bravewriter.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter
Connect with Melissa
- Website: melissawiley.com
- Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
- Instagram: @melissawileybooks
- Bluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social
Produced by NOVA
Re-Parenting Yourself
Raising children puts us face-to-face with our memories of what we did or didn’t get as children, ourselves. Parenting your children is a chance to re-parent yourself, too.
Give yourself the same…
- kindness
- patience
- support
- enthusiasm
- and faith
…that you offer your children.
If You Need Help
One of the goals of Brave Writer (and our membership community, Brave Learner Home) is to help you heal your own uncomfortable relationship with your education. If you were the kind of person who struggled with grades or boredom at school or have memories of homeschool that were not positive, our work is dedicated to helping you reimagine your role in learning with your kids.
Also, my book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing, is my manifesto. Bad writing instruction causes lingering damage—yet everywhere I turn, the same tired, harmful practices are being adopted by many parents and teachers. There’s an entire chapter in my book called “Healing the Damaged Writer in You.” It will help.
My other books support the atmosphere and power of learning and critical thinking. I promise you. Your homeschool will feel completely different when you stop thinking in terms of schedule planning and curriculum and instead focus on the deeper experience of learning.
Comic Strip Capers Activity
“Writing can be a lot of fun if you like what you’re writing about.” —Everett
Think your kids aren’t artistic enough? Don’t like writing enough?
Drawers of stick figures, reluctant writers, AND avid illustrators and storytellers are all welcome in Brave Writer’s Comic Strip Capers online class. Because the most important thing about a comic strip is the story—and we all have stories to tell.
What stories will your kids tell?
Let’s find out!
First, check out the below expertly drawn comic (ha!) with your family.
Now ask: What did they do next—in that third panel?
Brainstorm together and see what emerges!
If your family enjoyed this activity:
- Download our free sequential art page to play with.
- Listen to the Brave Writer podcast episode, Comics Make You Smart.
- Join us in Comic Strip Capers for a deep dive into what goes into making a comic strip.
