“I’m not good at this. How on earth am I supposed to teach it?”

It’s okay to wonder that. We’ve all been there (or we’ll get there eventually).

In fact, it’s good you’re wondering that because it shows how much you love your children and want what’s best for them. You’re willing to tackle something hard.

But how do you answer that question? Here’s the first way: realize that you don’t have to know everything or be great at everything to teach your children. You don’t have to be that homeschool supermom who seems to do everything perfectly.

With that knowledge, you’re already ahead of the game. But here are other ideas to help you get a handle on those tough subjects.

1. Start with God.

You can do anything with His help! He wants to help you, so ask Him for encouragement, patience, and wisdom.

2. Learn together.

Admit to your kids that you’re not the strongest in this subject and that you’ll be learning together! The brain is a muscle that grows with exercise, and you’ll be giving yours and theirs a workout.

3. Be neutral.

You don’t have to jump for joy at the thought of teaching what intimidates you—or just plain annoys you. But don’t share your dislike of the subject. If you say, “This is really hard and I never liked it, but I’m sorry, you have to learn it,” (or anything vaguely resembling that), you’ll choke out the chance that your child could actually enjoy it.

4. Use your tools.

When you learned the subject, you didn’t have the teacher’s edition and solution key to give you the detailed explanation and the clear path to the answer. Now you do! That can make a huge difference. Plus, you can always look at free resources like YouTube videos or online tutorials if you need the extra help.

5. Work ahead in your prep.

Study ahead of your child’s lesson so you don’t feel like you’re always learning concepts at the last minute.

6. Take it slow.

It’s okay to take more time. You’re homeschooling, after all! Throw in an extra day of review. Break up that extra-challenging lesson into two parts. Alternate tough subjects with fun ones for a brain break. How it works is up to you.

7. Realize older children can teach themselves.

When you’ve taught your children reading, responsibility, and independence, they can learn so much on their own. Be ready to help, but give them a chance to succeed by assigning the day’s lesson and work, then seeing how they do.

8. Celebrate success.

Continually reward those understood concepts, that good attitude, that drive to work hard. Encouragement for not giving up, for even one more right answer than last time, means something.

9. Trade teaching.

Maybe you’re not great at everything, but you ARE great at something. If math isn’t your thing but grammar is, find a math-minded mom who’s not great at grammar and trade teaching.

10. Try video lessons.

With video lessons like Abeka Academy provides, you don’t have to teach a subject that’s not your forte. An expert teacher with an education in that subject—and a passion for teaching it—will do that for you. It’ll save you and your children frustration because you won’t be the one wading through advanced concepts or assigning difficult work. Their video teacher will be the unbiased guide.

11. Look for a co-op class.

Search Facebook or ask your local homeschool group to see if there are any co-ops near you that offer what you need.