Isn’t homeschooling a sure way to drive an extrovert mom out of her mind?
It depends on the homeschool and on the mom.
As an extrovert homeschool mom you can set up your schedule and methods to take advantage of your strengths and fully come alive in your role.
Here are five ways to do just that.
1. Find the right kind of refill time.
Just because you’re an extrovert doesn’t mean simply hanging out with friends is your automatic refill activity.
If you’re an ENFP or ENTP, you’ll want to put yourself into situations with a lot going on, where you’re “all in” and immersed in a bustling situation that gives your intuition a lot of scope for potential. Also, you don’t want to set up a packed schedule of activities because being over-committed or feeling pinned down to a strict routine is draining.
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SC019: 5 Homeschooling Tips for Extroverts
If you’re an ESFP or ESTP, you’ll crave engagement with the concrete real world, working with material and jumping into dynamic situations that give immediate sensory feedback – you enjoy action.
If you’re an ESTJ or ENTJ, you’ll want to act logically and help others do the same, taking charge and making things happen – that will be your zone.
If you’re an ESFJ or ENFJ, you’ll crave people-connections and group harmony, sharing your contagious energy and enthusiasm to create a movement or at least a tradition.
2. Find a co-op, book club, or nature group to meet with regularly.
Your group activity doesn’t have to be for school. A meeting doesn’t have to be academic to be legit. Getting together with your community is a legitimate need all by itself.
Find a reason to gather your group and make it happen regularly, even if it’s potluck fellowship dinners or simple park days.
ESTJs and ENTJs might love putting together a complete co-op aligned with their education ideals, but whatever they do, they’ll want to be in charge.
ENFPs or ENTPs, on the other hand, just need to have fun with friends without too much structure.
ENFJs and ESFJs will want to have a chance to exercise their dynamic leadership ability and contagious enthusiasm, listening to needs and responding inspirationally.
ESFPs and ESTPs will value the experience and visual or relational cohesion of the gathering, adding the right touches and details that make it feel pulled together and unified.
3. Reserve time to make and do.
Extroverting is about more than wanting to be around people. Extroverting is about adapting to external stimuli. Extroverts want to make and see a difference in the outer world, whereas introverts are concerned about seeing consistency and depth in their inner world.
So another avenue for rejuvenation and refueling for extroverts is to make and do. Create things – crafts, businesses, dinner, paintings, music – and do things – ski, workout, dance, play.
ENFPs and ENTPs will look for creative outlets that allow them to pull together a variety of elements into a unified whole, whether that’s with music, paint, or words.
ESFPs and ESTPs will enjoy creating sensory experiences through decorating, varied-medium art, and fashion.
ESTJs and ENTJs are driven to make and do – there’s no stopping them. They should ensure they also develop their introverted function to remain balanced and sane.
ESFJs and ENFJs will want to make things for people they care about that also connect people to the values and ideas that inspire and ground them. Whether it’s sewing clothes or writing stories or taking photos, they will be drawn to creative arts that communicate love to the people that matter to them.
Whatever you choose, find a way to make a difference you can see in some way that you enjoy.
4. Develop your introverted function.
Even extroverts have to introvert, and that doesn’t mean staying home. Everyone’s introverted function is our preferred way to learn – and learning is something we should all be doing. Set aside time to grow by developing your secondary function.
ENFJs and ENTJs should reserve time to develop their introverted intuition, connecting to the big ideas motivating their goals and projects through reading deeply.
ESFJs and ESTJs should connect with their introverted sensation by taking a quiet walk and remembering past experiences or learned information to shed light on your current path.
ENTPs and ESTPs will find growth if they take the time to consider whether or not their path is consistent and being followed with integrity and authenticity.
ENFPs and ESFPs should reserve time to produce something creative and artistic that touches people and communicates their vision of the world.
5. Plan in line with your executive mode.
The third letter in each type’s acronym is the executive function, the one that tells how the type makes decisions and chooses what to do. The more you can plan and execute in line with your decision-making function, the more satisfied you will be with the effort and the result.
ESTJ’s and ENTJ’s executive mode is extroverted thinking, and it is also their primary function, which means they are good at it. Everything is business, nothing is personal, and they make prioritized change happen.
ENTP’s and ESTP’s executive mode is introverted thinking, which means they will need to work harder to implement it, their secondary function. Introverted thinking looks like evaluating options in accordance to priorities and principles.
ESFJ’s and ENFJ’s executive mode is extroverted feeling, which looks like spreading warmth and enthusiasm and building relationships with charismatic leadership.
ENFP’s and ESFP’s executive mode is introverted feeling, which means they must pause before acting to gut-check and empathize with the people involved before making a decision or putting together a plan.