PrincipledMom™

In the final part of this series I wanted to end with some practical application, because that's what I enjoy.

Imagine the classical music playing in the background as you gather your little chicks for a day of lessons. As you finish your opening prayer your little cherub-faced angel is looking up at you longingly for some words of inspiration. You pontificate as your child sits at your feet, enraptured by your wisdom. Yea, right. Let's get real...

Reasoning with yound children is a little like swimming for the first time. It's scary but you can't wait to do it again. You don't have all the answers (who does??) and you don't feel fully prepared (you probably never will, honey). The phone rings, the littlest ones get into stuff they shouldn't and you sometimes have a bad day. How do you manage to carve out some time to reason with your kids?

1. Reasoning takes place anywhere, anytime. It can be with a simple discussion about grasshoppers or a memory verse from church. Next time your little one asks you a question, I challenge you to ask them some questions back. See if they can answer their own question, at a basic level.
2. Also you must pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you instant in season and out of season. Kids come up with conversations at the strangest times and you would hate to miss out on a wonderful opportunity.
3. Build time to reason into your daily plans. Don't fill up with facts and activities and leave no time to ponder things. Give them time to respond with their own thoughts, even if they must take a day to do it. Let them think and get back to you. But don't forget to get back to it!
4. Get rid of notebooks with fill-in-the-blank answers. They will never learn to reason that way. Ask your own open-ended questions. When they are young it is very easy to do.
5. Take time, as you can, to prepare beforehand. I know this can be a struggle sometimes but when you read the lesson ahead and write some points out to reason together it will boost your confidence and you will be more porductive.
6. Keep your Bible and 1828 dictionary close. They will be invauable to your family as you reason together.

read comments (2)

Another benefit of reasoning from God's Word with young children is that it really takes the pressure off me. I have one job to do, and it is up to God and my child to do the rest.

My job is simply that of planting seeds. I am to make sure my children have the rudiments, the seeds of every subject. It is not my job to freak out about how they will ever learn all they need to know to "make it in the real world." No child, no matter how "well educated," learns everything before they reach the magic age of 18. That's what living is for, to continue learning and growing.

This quote may help you, as it has me:

When we teach the principles of God's Word, the rudiments or "bare grain" of any subject, we do not know how the individual will mature or how the body of wisdom and knowledge implanted will be expressed by future generations. But, we are assured if we teach whole, complete principles, and "sow" them in the good ground of a diligent student, that these seeds---will produce fruit ofeter their own kind, and God will give them a body---and identity and individuality---that pleases Him. Careful sowing, watering and weeding cultivated the Truth sown. (A Guide to American Christian Education p. 127)

I do not know what my children will need when they are grown. I don't even know what I will need tomorrow. But with prayerful preparation, diligence and faithfulness I know I can prepare my children as God would have me to. And that preparation includes reasoning with them from the time they are very young.

It is important to allow your children to reason. These are their property, their own thoughts that they have discovered. When they discover that ability your school time will never be the same. When my children are able to reason, however simple it is, I make a point to remind then that that thought belongs to them. I didn't gove it to them, they did it on their own. Intellectual property is a powerful force. Any insight they gain through reasoning for themselves can never be taken from them. This will strengthen their faith and their ability to reason affectively with others as they grow up.

read comments (0)

There is a philosophy of education that takes the perspective that reasoning is for older children. Younger children are to be filled with facts and enticed to learn with interesting topics and presentation. I don't happen to agree.

On the surface, this sounds reasonable enough. How on earth can you reason when you have nothing to reason with? You need a certain amount of knowledge to be able to reason, to think things through. So what about reasoning with a second grader? A kindergartener? Is that even possible? I exhuberantly shout YES!!

The beautiful thing about reasoning from God's Word is that it is God's Word. It is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It is not head knowledge. It speaks to the heart, to the spirit.  A child can hear the voice of God, just as adults can.

In A Guide to American Christian Education, Mr. Rose discusses the seed principle, that is, when you use the Principle Approach you plant the seeds of the whole subject in principles, notdisseminating facts in an evolutionary, fact-based method. You can see in the salvation message that a child and a full-grown adult hear the same Gospel, feel the tugging of the same Holy Spirit and receive the same salvation. It is only the expansion of the idea that is different. It is the same with math, science, HisStory or English. When you are reasoning those subjects from God's Word then your child, even a young child, can reason at a rudimentary level. The principles are planted and God can grow them into mature plants for His glory.

The most powerful thing I can really say is that I do it every day in my own home. I know that I would have missed out on some wonderful discussions with my children if I had simply been filling their minds with facts and fun. Since we are looking for principles and reasoning together, I cannot imagine doing anything else. And it gets better each year, because they are able to reason deeper and we can take the discussion into uncharted waters. God is good!

read comments (1)

We are officially back in the swing of things. Our next break will be in December (I can't even see that far yet!). It sure felt good to dust off our routines and head into the next exciting year. We have some terrific things lined up for this year. I look forward to reasoning more with my now 4th grader. And I have things planned for my 1st grader and 3 yo that will satisfy their desire to learn without stifling them or pushing them too hard. We are working to step it up this year, and that must begin with me (sigh). I want to look back and say, "That was a great year. I'm so glad I worked hard...and that I took the time to enjoy it!"

And now for the news. Our little homeschool of three will be adding one student in the spring. Yes, we are expecting our fourth child in March. And I guess we aren't really adding the baby to our school in the spring, just to the family. The pressure's off until the baby turns one and then I better see some progress! lol It has been a very difficult first trimester, but moving into the second will bring more joy and anticipation.

Here's to wonderful new things in our homeschools this year, things we are afraid to even ask God for. Beautiful blessings and joy to you and yours this new year.

read comments (6)