I love the start of a new homeschool year! New school supplies, plans, books…it is an exciting time filled with hope and anticipation for all that the new year will hold. But, this can also be overwhelming, because homeschool is a lot. This is especially true if you are just starting out, are adding a new student (or “little” to occupy while the older ones are doing school), are coming off a difficult year, etc.
To help make your process easier, I’ve thought through what steps I take and am sharing some of the key ones below. I hope they are helpful for you! However, keep in mind that each family is unique with its own structure, personality and needs. So, use what I share to help spur you on as you create your own process.
HOMESCHOOL PREP TIPS:
1.) PRAY
If possible, this should be your first step. Spend time in prayer before you do anything else! (If you’ve already spent time preparing for the year, it isn’t too late though!) It is easy to ask the Lord to bless what you’ve already decided to do, but this isn’t what I am talking about. I mean, spend some time asking the Lord to give you wisdom and an understanding heart for the year ahead. Ask Him what He would have you do with the year ahead. Then, listen! Make note of what He says—thoughts you have or something that happens in your heart, etc. Then, make (or adjust!) your plans accordingly.
2.) DETERMINE YOUR TOP PRIORITY / VALUE
During this next school year there will be many tasks you need to accomplish. However, those are separate from this. This is the driving value that will determine the how not the what. For example, it may be that the main reason you are homeschooling is for the connection it will create between you and your child(ren). Or maybe you want the opportunity to engage more purposely with their spiritual formation. Perhaps, it is because your child is coming out of a tough season and you are trying to protect them and help them regain their sense of self. Even if you are homeschooling because you have no other option, there should be a top priority, even if it is simply to survive the year with your sanity intact. (I do encourage you to dream at least a step beyond this, however!) It is important to know this because it will inform the way you approach everything else. If your goal is connection, then it is important to keep that in mind so that you protect your connection in the midst of the busy days. Determine your top priority and then allow it to help shape the plans you make!
3.) KNOW YOUR TOP 3-5 GOALS
There will be many things for you to accomplish this year. Some are required because of the stage and age of your children. Others are skills or activities that you want to add for other reasons. One of the best things about homeschooling is the fact that you can tailor your experience to encompass all of this! However, it is helpful to know what your top 3-5 goals for the year are. These are practical things that you need to accomplish. These can be a subject or curriculum or a skills your child needs to develop or grow in. Whatever the case, knowing clearly what they are is important because if a day comes when you hit a bump in the road—a life circumstance, a child struggling in grasping a subject or skill, etc.—you can pare down the rest of what you are doing and focus on the top goals only. Then, as the road smooths out, you can add back the “extras”. This helps you to maintain progress and, ultimately, will lead you to a successful year, even if it looks differently than you had originally planned.
4.) RESOURCES
There are so many amazing resources out there to help with homeschooling today! Take advantage of them! I highly recommend finding a complete curriculum to use as your base. This is so helpful in helping to give you a framework for each year. It is also extremely helpful in your record keeping (especially for older kids who will need to have credits organized on their transcripts, and so on). However, with that said, use the resources out there to your advantage! It may take some time, but don’t be afraid to tweak the curriculum to better fit your family That way you can use its strengths without being limited by its weaknesses. No curriculum will be perfect! I especially recommend this for larger families. I use the same curriculum each year, however, I have tweaked it over time—subbing in books that I prefer, etc. I still cover the same subjects and it helps me to have peace of mind that all of the basics are covered. But, I have found books and prefer for various reasons and that work better for my kids in some of the areas. Also, there is a lot of variety in both styles and price ranges in terms of what is available. So, take the time to research a little to find what best fits you. (And, if you settle on something and it doesn’t work, that stinks! But, don’t let the cost you’ve contributed keep you tied to something that isn’t a good fit. Instead, as you are able, make changes.)
Also, on the topic of resources, homeschooling is the perfect opportunity to tailor your classes according to the skills and interests of your children. You may need some time to simply get the basics figured out. But, then, I do encourage you to add subjects or special projects that help them to discover more about the things they are naturally interested in. Bonus points if you can do this for the core subjects, too.
5.) FORMS
A note on forms: The emotion is usually (if not always) disproportionate to the experience.. For whatever reason, filling out the required intent to homeschool forms feels terrifying. But, it is actually quite simple—at least in MN. So, I encourage you to just do it! Note: There are forms available on-line that you can print off and mail in to your school district. I highly encourage you to use those. They are available on several sites with a simple google search such as, “homeschooling mn forms”. (Many useful sites are out there that will answer any questions you have about requirements and so on.)
6.) SCHEDULE
I definitely recommend taking time to plan out your schedule for the year—both your daily schedule as well as optional field trips, etc. For your daily schedule, think through when & where you will be doing school, what meal and/or snack times will look like, and what your expectations are for both your kids and yourself during school time. Helpful questions to consider are along these lines:
*What does it mean in your home to be ready for the school day? (For example: Is it okay to show up for school in PJs? Is breakfast a part of the day or do they need to eat beforehand? Etc.)
*Are your kids allowed to have a break before all of their school work is completed?
*Can they do independent work in their rooms?
*Are there daily chores you want to build into their schedule?
*What is acceptable for you during school? (For example: Is it okay to pause and throw in a load of laundry? What about checking your email?)
*What are your plans for any “littles” that you may have who aren’t yet in school? How can you help them to be successfully occupied during school time?
*When will you check over any independent work?
This is by no means an exhaustive list! But, hopefully these questions have helped you think through what daily life in your home looks like and what factors will be helpful for you to consider going into the school year. Setting clear expectations will help everyone to be successful! I highly encourage you to set the bar high, too. I don’t mean impossibly so, of course. But, it is much easier to loosen expectations & requirements as you go than to tighten them.
A few other notes: If you are adding a spiritual element into your day, I recommend doing it first. It is all too easy to throw it out the window if the day gets busy otherwise. Also, I highly recommend doing the hardest subjects first—these can be the most difficult for your students and/or for you! Either way, it is helpful to tackle those things first because then you won’t be tempted to not do it if the day gets busy, plus it helps you to end the day on a high note if you save the “fun” stuff for later.
Finally, don’t hold to the schedule you create as though it is unmovable. I do encourage you to stick with it for at least a couple of weeks to give you and your family time to adjust to it. But, then, feel free to tweak it here and there to best suit your families needs. Remember also that what works in one season may not fit in the next.
7.) ORGANIZATION
The more organized you can be, the easier life will be! However, organized doesn’t mean that there is no mess or noise, etc. (Make your peace with days of organized chaos! You home is now a schoolroom, lunchroom, gymnasium, preschool, possibly your remote work office, etc. Life is messy! But, it can still be organized.) Also, keep your organization as simple as possible. You want to set a standard that is attainable for both you and your kids.
A few tips: Everything should have a home—including your children’s schoolwork. If you have a separate school space, this should hopefully be fairly easy. But, even if you don’t, try to find a space where school books belong when they aren’t in use I also recommend providing a binder (or shelf or bin) for each child that they can keep their school papers & projects in. Also, help your children to grow their organization skills by making them responsible to put their papers, books, supplies away. (This means the system needs to be simple enough for them to be able to easily follow it!) Along with this, I highly recommend your students have an assignment notebook or a place in their binders to keep track of what independent school / chores they have to do. (Obviously, this is dependent on age.) This will help your days to go more smoothly, but even more importantly, will help them to grow in responsibility.
8.) REMEMBER: YOU ARE A PARENT FIRST
Much like motherhood, homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. This means that some days you will be more tired than others! Parts of it you will find that you thrive in, hitting your stride! But in other areas you will need to keep going until you either develop the muscles needed or simply get through it (or—most likely, both).
This means that there may be days that you need to work extra hard to protect your “mom / dad” relationship with your child. For example: Especially if your child is struggling as a student, you don’t want your relationship to be dominated by the ‘teacher / student” dynamic. You need to put that aside and connect as mom & child, too! (Or, maybe you are the one struggling. Same thing! Put aside the teacher hat & connect as a parent.) Hopefully your kids will experience you as a loving, engaged teacher. But, no matter what the school dynamic is like, it is especially important to protect your relationship with them as a loving, engaged parent!
Also, if you find that you are having trouble helping your child to be successful in an area or skill, don’t be afraid to get outside help. First of all, it doesn’t mean that homeschool is failing or you are failing. It may simply be that they need more help in a specific area. (This happens in public school, too!) As a parent, your number one priority is to help your child to be successful. So, don’t let the fact that you are their teacher stop you from getting them outside help or changing up your curriculum or methods to address the area that is need of help.*
*On a different note, but worth saying: Children don’t develop the same!! Some will easily grasp a subject while others may take more time. Don’t compare their progress with each other. And, don’t be too anxious if progress is slow. Instead, simply know what markers that require you to get outside help or address the situation differently. And, then don’t panic! Just keep going, giving both of you ample grace & patience as you grow together!
9.) COMMUNITY LIFE: CO-OPS & OTHER ACTIVITIES.
As homeschool has grown in popularity, there are more and more co-ops and other activities that are available to homeschooling families. (Homeschooling kids are also able to participate in sports and other extra curricular activities in your local school district.) So, don’t feel limited by your choice to homeschool! It may require more intention on your part, but your children have the opportunity to be as involved in outside activities as you & they would like.
With that said, don’t feel obligated to participate in any of it. Don’t base your choices off of what others do, either. Instead, look at what best fits your family! Because our family is a larger one, we have often limited outside activities like organized sports. This is a bummer! There are a lot of good things that come from participating in sports! However, the cost for us has always been too high. (For example: It would make family dinner a lot more difficult. Our family is on the larger side and it is very important to us that we have regular family time for many reasons, one being that it helps all of our kids maintain connection with each other. At dinner we talk about our day and specifically connect with what is happening in each other’s lives. We also do a prayer time together after during the school year. If we had kids participating in different sports that would all but be eliminated as the family scattered in different directions to drive, cheer kids on, etc.) That is the choice that we have made, but that doesn’t mean it is the right choice for another family. It also isn’t necessarily going to even be the right choice for us in every season. The point is that you should both be aware of what options are out there for you & your kids, and then you should make thoughtful & intentional choices based on the values & priorities driving your current season.
10.) THE GOAL IS PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.
No school is perfect. This is comforting because yours won’t be either. But, also? Yours won’t be either! Should I say it one more time, just to make sure you get it? You are not creating a perfect system! Instead, you are doing your best for your kids. This is all you can do. And, you know what? Chances are good that it will be enough!
But, it means that things won’t be perfect. There may be days that you don’t get through all that you hoped to get through. In those times, know that happens to everyone. (Even the best public school teachers!) There may be days when things feel hard. That happens to everyone too. The good news is that you will learn (along with your kids) and things will get easier. Don’t be thrown off by imperfection. Instead, know that the journey is about progress! If plans are continually falling apart, stress levels are unbearably high & not going down as time passes, or your kids (or you!) are really struggling or failing to make progress—by all means, step back! Get help! Make changes! But, otherwise? Don’t be thrown by imperfection. No situation is going to be perfect. So instead of worrying about that, make peace with it. Then, keep going! You will be amazed at how far you & your kids will actually go as you faithfully stay the course.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But, I hope it was encouraging and helpful for you nonetheless. Homeschooling requires a lot, but it has amazing potential for you & your kids. So, know that the investment you make is worth it & there will be lasting good that will come from it! Blessings to you and your families at the start of this new year!