Helpful Homeschooling Tips - Using Narration
Narration is a beautifully, simple concept that allows the child to interact
with a given text on their level. If you have been homeschooling for any
length of time, and been using the Charlotte Mason method, you have
undoubtedly read For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. If you
are new to homeschooling or just thinking about homeschooling in a few
years, I highly recommend getting this book and digesting its principles. It
inspires the reader to develop an enjoyable environment at home that
stimulates active, thinking and learning as a lifestyle.

Narration is the retelling of a story in ones own words. It is the natural
result of enjoyable reading. With the Charlotte Mason method a child retells
a story in his own words. A very young child can draw, or tell back what he
heard and an older student would write out what they heard. In doing this,
they have to sort, categorize, and digest the story in such a way that their
brain holds its meaning long after the initial first reading. One of the
many benefits of narration, is that it eliminates the need for fill in the
blank testing. Months later, a student will be able to recall from memory
important facts and information from literature when they are asked
to "narrate" after the initial first reading. The deeper meanings of the
text will quietly work away and seep out into their play time and other free
times, all the while molding and shaping them.

That is why it is so important to feed their little hearts and minds
with “living books”. In this way, they are able to sit and be trained by the
greatest minds throughout history. You will be amazed to find that even a
six year old can love the work of Shakespeare. It does not matter the age of
your child, or how long you have been homeschooling, you can add the “art of
story telling” into your schooling plan and reap the many benefits.

Amber Bishop is the co-founder of www.smartmoms-smartbusiness.com and
www.smartmoms.freeforums.com ;online resources for work at home moms. She is
also the owner of www.homeschool-diva.com She stays home and home schools
her three children while building a successful home based business.