Spring is here! Which means the end of the school year is finally in sight. This year has been a journey for us just like any other with its ups and downs, challenges, and things we didn’t see coming. We got derailed a time or two. We got a little behind in our studies. This is the time of year when it is easy to feel tired and like you’re simply dragging yourself to the elusive finish line. I encourage you, however, to open up the curtains, let some sunshine in, and press on with new strength!
Here are ten practical tips to keep the homeschool year moving toward the finish line:
Organize your school supplies. After several months of schooling, things can get a bit messy when it comes to our school areas. It’s time to spring clean! Reorganize, dust the bookshelves, and if you need a good visual on what’s left for the year, pack up the books you’ve already used. Restock supplies if needed. You’re almost there!
Reflect on what is working and what is not. You may need to set aside a curriculum that does not fit your child’s learning style. It’s not too late to do that! If they have been struggling with it all year, why continue to torture yourself? Learning should be fun, and if it’s truly not, figure out why, and move on to something that would be a better fit.
Assess where your child is at and write a “must-do” list for finishing out the year. If your child is in high school, refresh your memory of your state’s requirements for graduation and make sure you stay on track throughout the year with your child’s transcript. Keep it handy on your computer and fill it in as you go. If your child is young, simply encourage him to complete his schoolwork for the year. (A fun reward for finishing might help!)
Nurture your family’s spiritual health. Book work isn’t the only important thing during the school year. The heart and togetherness of your family is even more vital than academics. It is easy to get so caught up in checking off lists that we forget the care needed for our family’s emotional and spiritual well-being. And then we wonder why godly character in our child or ourselves is lacking. If something feels off-kilter in your home, you may need to give the workbooks a little break and attend to the deeper work of the heart.
Renew your commitment to your own health and well-being. It is often said that you can’t pour from an empty cup. How true is that for parenting, teaching, and serving in any capacity! Many people call this self-care. Take care of YOU so that you can take care of others. That may mean waking up earlier for alone time with God and coffee. For someone else, it may mean taking a nap or dropping the kids off at Grandma’s for a few hours. Whatever your mind and body needs, take time to care for yourself so that you can take care of others.
Reconnect with homeschool friends and your support group. It’s time to shed those winter blues and cultivate friendships that can often become stifled during the cold months. Get together more often. Plan a park day, find a kid-friendly hiking trail, and/or go on at least one last field trip. Tour a factory, visit a museum, local radio station, newspaper office, recycling center, or post office. Keep your kids engaged with learning and having fun with friends in the process.
Support your child who is “behind”. Maybe they slacked off during the year. Maybe you weren’t as consistent with them as you should have been. They may just need a little more help and understanding from their teacher. Perhaps, knock some less important things off the list. Or if your child has the will to, help them make a doable plan to accelerate their work in order to finish on time. But remember it’s okay if you leave a couple of lessons at the back of the book untouched. For most subjects, your child’s curriculum will likely go over some of the same material next year or later down the road. Reservea few things for summer if you have too. This is great for those read-alouds you didn’t get to during the school year as well.
Reward yourself and your kids for making it this far in the year. Go out for ice cream. Go on a short day trip as a family. Get outside and hike! Pack a picnic and head to the playground. Do something you haven’t been able to do all year. Have a spring party. Plan and plant a garden with the kids. Plan your summer. Get the wheels turning and hearts pumping. Hey, school’s almost out! Let’s finish strong! If you homeschool year-round, it’s still a great way to revitalize your outlook.
Treasure your memories of the school year with a memory book! One way to do that is to keep your child’s best work throughout the year in a binder. Let them decorate the front however they like. There are also many free printables online for end of the school year memory books. Print and help your child remember the fun times and hard work they’ve done this year. Or simply make your own. You could also make a picture collage. Gather up all the photos from the year pertaining to school and stick them to poster board. Don’t forget to add an end of the year photo of your child!
Remember your WHY. Remember the reason you started homeschooling in the first place. Maybe it was so your family could be closer and do more things together throughout the year. Or perhaps, your child has a disability, or was being bullied in public school, or that he simply requested to be homeschooled. Maybe you just knew in your heart that homeschooling was the right path to start out with. Whatever the case, renew your commitment to sticking with it when the hard days come. Because they will come! Homeschooling can certainly feel like a huge task. And that’s because it is. But take it from a homeschooling mom of 17 years: It is worth the journey!
I am a wife, homeschool mom, musician, and songwriter; but most importantly, I am a daughter of the King. My heart’s desire is to draw closer to God and bring other people with me! Truly, there is no greater joy.
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