You guys, I’m converted.  I’m embracing the love of stickers after years of treating them as contraband and rationing them out.  I still have to regulate their use – a few minutes of divided attention this week resulted in me scraping stickers up off the floor again – but I’m using their force for good.

Lined notebooks are awesome!

The Engineer asked to do his school work in a notebook instead of on the chalkboard for the very first time (yay!)  He said it’s easier to read.  So we dove into the world of lined notebooks.  I’m happily consolidating his practice work into one place even though my handwriting sometimes leaves him protesting he can’t read it.

Of course, whatever the oldest does, the younger ones want too.  So, 3 notebooks.  1 for second grade, 1 for kindergarten, and 1 for preschool.  All with Batman and Superman on the cover, because again, whatever the oldest wants the younger two clamor for too!

Sticker time

Armed with a chunk of Dollar Tree stickers, I’ve been brainstorming ways to get the kids interested in schoolwork.  So far, I’ve done estimating, patterns, math problems, handwriting practice, pictogram graphs, and color prompts.  They also serve as incentive – a properly checked off sheet of work earns a sticker of their choice.  Woohoo!

Too much work?

Sure, I could print off a worksheet and have them do it.  Or pull out one of the workbooks that the Princess actually likes to do.  As with all of our school stuff, this is just another option that helps keep things interesting.  The kids love stickers – and I love that the stickers help them actively participate in the work.

We actually have a few short workbooks that use stickers too – I bought them all!  They’re mostly the Destroyer and Princess’ level, and the Destroyer loves sorting the colorful fruit stickers into the color wheel over and over.  He went from not recognizing colors at all to confidently naming colors – all because of stickers.  (and not for lack of trying in other ways.)

I know veteran homeschoolers are probably laughing at me – that’s ok!  You have to find what works for your kids.  For mine, it’s stickers.  For now.  Tomorrow it might be Pokémon or superheroes or Minecraft time.  As long as I can keep up, we’re good!