Help for parents

How to Talk to Your Teen Like an FBI Negotiator

Sharon Hancock

How to Talk to Your Teen Like an FBI Negotiator

End the battles with your teen by using FBI negotiation techniques

Some Unseen Factors Behind Every Decision, Including Homeschool

Sharon Hancock

Some Unseen Factors Behind Every Decision, Including Homeschool

Acknowledge any sense of loss. Move past your lack of training as a teacher. Use the 10/10/10 principle to gain perspective.

Is Your Self-Identity Sabotaging Your Habits?

Sharon Hancock

Is Your Self-Identity Sabotaging Your Habits?

Who are you? Or better yet, who do you want to become? An organized mom? A woman of grace? A generous friend? An excellent homeschooler?...

Zip Your Lips: Commonsense strategies to get your kids to listen

Sharon Hancock

Zip Your Lips: Commonsense strategies to get your kids to listen

Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue & let anger straggle along in the rear. Listening to your kids takes conscientious effort.

The Gift of Gratitude: Finding more satisfaction in life

Sharon Hancock

The Gift of Gratitude: Finding more satisfaction in life

Gratitude is one of the top three traits that predict a person's well-being and satisfaction in life. And gratitude can be taught.

Turning Tornadoes into Blue Skies: How to dissipate temper tantrums

Sharon Hancock

Turning Tornadoes into Blue Skies: How to dissipate temper tantrums

Managing anger is a life skill. Teach it by taking advantage of your blue sky moments, those times with no tornado on the horizon...

Homeschoolers Still Required to Submit Assessments Despite Coronavirus Shutdown

Sharon Hancock

Homeschoolers Still Required to Submit Assessments Despite Coronavirus Shutdown

Homeschoolers in some states may still have to take standardized tests even though public schoolers don't.

Sharon Hancock

How to Get Going by Getting Going

Many people think you need motivation before moving toward a goal. And yet the opposite true: Your actions spawn motivation.

Sharon Hancock

Quick Tips to Stay On Track

Some quick tips to help your homeschool succeed include consistency, stopping interruptions, managing 1-on-1 time, and watching your words.

Hackers Target Homeschoolers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: The keys to prevent cyberattacks at home

Sharon Hancock

Hackers Target Homeschoolers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: The keys to prevent cyberattacks at home

Have you inadvertantly set out a welcome mat for hackers? Cyberattackers seek to steal students' personal data during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Sharon Hancock

Belay the breakfast battle

Years ago I had a friend with six children who fought every morning over what should be for breakfast. “I want cereal!” said one. “No, I...

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 3: Conquer fears and overcome procrastination

Sharon Hancock

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 3: Conquer fears and overcome procrastination

People procrastinate for all kinds of reasons. Little things, big things, never-before-tried things. They don’t want to do whatever...

Entertaining flies for lunch: The consequences of our words

Sharon Hancock

Entertaining flies for lunch: The consequences of our words

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz. The fly flitted around the dining room chairs, looking for a place to land. Bzzz, bzzz. It finally settled on the wall...

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 2: Deter distractions to stay on track

Sharon Hancock

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 2: Deter distractions to stay on track

If we as adults have so easily succumb to distraction, how can we expect to keep our kids from doing the same? Especially when they’re not

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 1: How to conquer your to-do list and find peace

Sharon Hancock

Shed that nagging mental weight, Part 1: How to conquer your to-do list and find peace

Your daily tasks demand attention. They interrupt your day. They continually fight for space in your brain, jostling with your thoughts and

Swimming forward: How to stick with homeschooling after you've begun

Sharon Hancock

Swimming forward: How to stick with homeschooling after you've begun

Jot down the progress your child makes, the accomplishments in each school area, no matter how small. I suggest keeping a notebook rather...

An encouraging word--Not! Be a good role model for your kids

Sharon Hancock

An encouraging word--Not! Be a good role model for your kids

It had been one of those days. You know the kind: Everything seems to go wrong. I’d been in a sour mood, which only exacerbated the...

The four-letter word: A simple tweak reaps surprising results

Sharon Hancock

The four-letter word: A simple tweak reaps surprising results

“Just.” It seems like a simple word, a nice adverb to qualify our actions. It’s such a wallflower in the scope of language that we...

Sharon Hancock

Time savers: Sticky no more

Ever get stuck scraping honey out of a measuring cup? It's a gooey mess. Fortunately, there's an easy solution. For recipes that call for...

Essentials of Homeschooling

Learning Styles
How to Boost Learning by Reinforcing
Your Child's Strengths

Contact
sharon@essentialsofhomeschooling.com