Make Homeschool Language Arts Fun with These 7 Exciting Elements

Learn how to get out of your boring routine & add some fun to your homeschool Language Arts program with these 7 time-test elements that work with any program, curriculum, or homeschool lifestyle!

No other subject is quite as broad and all-encompassing as Language Arts. Containing reading, writing, grammar, spelling, poetry, and more, Language Arts is an easy subject to get overwhelmed and rigid with simply because of the sheer volume of material to cover.

But, what if there was an easier way? What if you could cover all that Language Arts entails and do so in a fun, authentic, and engaging way?

What if you could, with seven easy elements, learn to have fun with the art of language and your homeschool Language Arts program fun?

Learning To Have Fun While You Homeschool

As a busy mom, I know how easy it is to get bogged down with a to-do list a mile long. To feel the pressure to run our children through their days, checking off boxes and counting accomplishments only by the number of items completed.

Yet, as a homeschool mom, I also know that I am not interested in a cookie-cutter education for my children. We took them off the conveyor belt of learning for a reason and I have no desire to recreate that method in our home.

And I’m willing to bet, you feel the same.

You too are tired of checking off boxes and using programs that simply recreate the same learning you had at your school.

You too are done with memorizing endless lists of rules for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

And you too are done making Language Arts, with all of its wonderful parts and components, seem like drudgery to your children.

Making Language Arts Come Alive In Your Homeschool

Language arts is truly about learning how to use language to communicate effectively. It’s a written or oral form of art and artistic expression.

When used properly, it allows the author to convey their meaning and intentions.

Yet, getting to proper usage is a struggle.

As our children begin using words we cheer them on. We engage with baby talk and babble excitedly. We encourage toddlers to use their words and express themselves. And we listen as younger children carry on about adventures and what excites them.

Then, we put a pencil in their hands and sight words in their field of view.

And all of that excitement and energy is slowly lost as our children, who are still filled with adventure and awe, are told they must pause with a period, capitalize that sentence, and spell every word correctly.

We drill out their love of language and sharing in what appears to be a well-meaning ritual of teaching.

But not anymore!

Today I am giving you 7 easy to implement steps to help you have fun with your homeschool Language Arts program!

1. Design Your Homeschool Language Arts Program Around Books

This one is truly the best, and that’s why using books in your homeschool is number one on my list of seven fun elements you should include to make homeschool Language Arts fun in your home.

With books, you are free to travel and explore. Jettison off to faraway lands, explore time past, or visit times and places that can only be enjoyed in your imagination.

It’s all possible when you simply open a book.

In our home, we are surrounded by read-alouds, both short and long. With four kids ranging from early elementary through upper high school, it may not always seem easy to find tales that will capture the imagination of such a wide range, but it is possible. I have a growing list of captivating chapter books we use in our homeschool – and I’m always adding to it!

We spend a large portion of our days reading, listening to stories, and engaging in literature – and not just for Language Arts.

Reading is a great way to bridge the gap from other subjects to Language Arts and make your homeschool more efficient, effective, and engaging… which leads me to #2.

2. Combine Classes To Make Homeschool Language Arts More Fun

Why assign one book for Language Arts and another for History when one book can work for both?

And why read a book about space, or planets, or the lifecycle of a flower and only count it for science?

It just doesn’t make sense, does it?

Lighten the load and increase the enjoyment for both you and your child when you find a great book and make it work for multiple subjects. Read historical fiction. Explore space. Or simply grab a great biography about a person of interest and see where it takes you.

And count it towards both Language Arts and another subject.

3. Narration – The Fun & Easy Way To Gauge Learning

While it may not sound fun, narration can improve your homeschool Language Arts program quickly.

Narration is simply the retelling of what was read or listened to. It’s pausing to say, “What did the author just tell us?” It’s looking for reading comprehension, review, and gauging your child’s learning all at one time.

And it’s a super low-key way of seeing if your child is retaining the material they learned or if you need to go over something again.

Think of narration as a great way to give an oral book report while working on public speaking. However, if your child is a writer, feel free to allow them to use a book report template to aid them in their narration.

Oh, and it can be used across subjects, too!

4. Use Copywork For Penmanship, Grammar, and Mechanics

In our homeschool, we love copywork – and not just for Language Arts!

Just as the name implies, copywork is simply copying something that was written by someone else. It’s a fabulous way to work on penmanship, spelling, sentence structure, and grammatical rules in a low-key and easy way. We even find that copywork can be one of the best homeschool spelling curriculum options around!

Using copywork for homeschoolers can be as simple as writing a sentence from the book you are currently reading. Ask your child to pay attention to things like capital letters and punctuation.

Younger children can copy a short sentence, while older children can work on longer, more complex sentences and even entire passages. You can ask about elements such as nouns and verbs, why there is a comma in a particular location, or for synonyms.

Your child can learn new words, work on homophones, reinforce things such as spelling rules, and see how older sentences are typically longer than they are now. You can even work on cursive writing using copywork!

And all of this can be done without a curriculum in sight! Just grab a book, select a line or a passage, and start writing – or use this copywork starter pack. See where your learning takes you when you pause to look at things like word choices, older spellings, or descriptions that are deep and detailed.

And for little learners who aren’t ready for copy work, be sure to check out these free sight word coloring pages.

5. Freewrite for Fun, Creativity, and Freedom from All The Rules!

Ever since our homeschool learned about freewrites we have been in love with this carefree method of writing.

The idea is simple – allow your child to write for a set period of time and don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar, or mechanics. Simply work to get the ideas out of your child’s mind and onto the paper they are working to fill in.

There are many different ways to approach freewrites. Everything from the topic, to the time you are writing, to how many people are participating is completely up to you.

The only rule is that the pencil needs to keep moving. Pausing for writer’s block, correcting a sentence, or changing something you previously are all not allowed.

In our home, we use freewrites every week – without fail. I like to keep things exciting by changing things up so we don’t do the same thing each time.

Some days we write about a topic. This could be as simple as snow, weather, or the color purple.

Some days we use Story Cubes (which I LOVE!) to help direct our stories. Often I will write using the same blocks as my children do and we then compare the stories. Doing this has allowed us to have a lot of conversations about perspective and the freedom an author has.

Some days I will begin the first sentence for them by assigning a longer prompt. “I awoke suddenly to a strange sound…” or “I wondered why the bread smelled so good coming from the oven. It was the same recipe Mom always used, but this time, I knew it was somehow different…” These prompts are better for my high school students, but my 5th grader is starting to enjoy these as well.

Some days we opt to grab free write ideas online like this LEGO Minifig Writing Prompt or these one sentence writing prompts.

And there are even days when I don’t give the children any parameters and instead send them off with just a time frame.

Freewriting has become a powerful tool in our home as it allows my children to simply care about the story that is churning in their minds. Without being bogged down by rules and guidelines they are free to take chances, try new things, and express themselves.

Mechanics, spelling, and dangling modifiers can all be dealt with at a later date.

Oh, and freewriting can be used even before children can write. My youngest is in the first grade, and her brain moves much faster than her pencil does, so often I will write for her and she will illustrate. I write every sentence exactly how she says it, which challenges me to not correct her storytelling.

6. Use Book Reports As An Opportunity To Be Creative

I’ll be the first to admit, we don’t do a lot of book reports.

Well, not in the traditional sense.

Instead, we have opted for book projects – and we rarely repeat the same style!

For this, we take to the internet for a bit of inspiration and guidance. What we have ended up with is a wide variety of projects, papers, drawings, and reports that all share the ideas presented in the story and help us to all dig a little deeper into the elements of the story.

7. The Best Thing To Add To Your Homeschool Language Arts…

Fun!

Add in some whimsy with a puppet show or craft related to what you are reading.

Add some excitement by including snacks with your reading time (bonus points if they go along with the story!)

And add in something different by watching the movie version of the book or listening to an audiobook.

Or join one of the many online book clubs to expand your reading options and even sneak in a little homeschool socialization.

Get creative and try something new. Write a story using something other than a pencil. Emphasize verbs as action words by acting out the verbs in the sentence. Show how vital good adjectives are by removing them from a section of a beloved book. Opt to use no pronouns and see how strange the sentences sound when you only use the antecedents instead. Enlist the help of digital resources like free spelling apps where you know you need to work on a skill.

The possibilities are endless when you stop thinking in terms of lessons, worksheets, and rules and simply enjoy learning, playing with words and mechanics, and being creative.

When It Comes To Homeschool Language Arts, Understand That It’s A Process

Just like we patiently stand there, waiting while our babies begin sharing their first words, eager to hear what they have to say, and willing to forgive a plethora of mistakes, homeschool Language Arts is the same.

We need to guide, nurture, and encourage our children… and sadly, many options don’t allow for that.

They don’t give your children the opportunity to travel and see what would happen with a different word choice.

They don’t feed the creativity and nurture the natural storyteller inside of all of us.

And they rarely encourage experimentation and trying something new.

Yet, regardless of what program you opt to use or how you approach homeschooling in general, these 7 fun elements are easy to add, incorporate, and adapt to fit your home, your schedule, and your learning.

And with these 7 elements, you can add a bit of fun and energy to your homeschool Language Arts program and encourage your children to love expressing themselves with words.

Do You Need Some Help Finding The Right Homeschool Language Arts Program?

Let me help you find the best programs that work with these 7 elements so you can focus on nurturing your homeschool!

The following programs are all ones that we have used in our homeschool and loved. All of them work to help encourage your children to learn, read, and write more – in a natural way that produces results!

• Storytime Lessons – Created by Hope In The Chaos, Storytime Lessons are engaging packets that use well-known books to help start your child off on the right path.
• Grammar Galaxy – A product we have used for years in our homeschool, Grammar Galaxy transports your children to a galaxy that is all about grammar and makes your child part of the curriculum.
• Fit It! Grammar – While this is a grammar program, Fix It! Grammar is one that is fun, easy to use, and utilizes a single story to teach grammar in a way that solidifies concepts without being heavy or burdensome.
• Rabbit Trails Through Literature – A book-based Language Arts program for elementary students, Rabbit Trails Through Literature encourages learning and following the natural curiosity your child has.
• Brave Writer – A relaxed approach to writing and grammar, Brave Writer encourages both you and your child to dare to be brave when it comes to both reading and writing.