New Year, New Strength: 5 Hacks for Homeschooling Success

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." ~Isaiah 40:31 

Are you ready to push the reset button on your homeschool year? 

Do you need a new plan and new strength for the new year?  A new beginning in January always brings time to reflect and renew.  What has been working in your homeschool?  What needs to go?  Where can you insert more fun to finish this second half of the year well?  Fall semester is a time to tackle academics and establish good routines.  Spring semester is a great time to lighten up and plan more field trips, interest-led units, and enrichment to keep motivation high.

Over the years of homeschooling, we realized that just because we started something in the fall, didn't mean we had to keep going with it into the spring semester.  This time of year is the perfect time to switch things up to allow for the upcoming doldrums of winter, the lack of academic drive with spring fever, and the fizzle out at the end of the year. Thankfully, there are ways to combat these pitfalls!

We have 5 homeschool hacks to help you revamp your spring semester for homeschool success.

Homeschool Success Tip #1:  Add something fun or new to your schedule.

You don't have to keep the same subjects from the fall or the same schedule. Consider adding something new to keep things fresh.  Some examples we have tried in the past that have worked for us:

• use videos instead of books for history
• add art classes once a week (we love Yellow Spot Sun!)
• celebrate fun holidays
• study geography through cooking recipes from different cultures (we used Pinterest and cookbooks from the library)
• daily/weekly nature walks
• add a music composer or artist study if you aren't already doing so 
• dive more deeply into science topics
• study Shakespeare (my boys especially liked Macbeth by Bruce Coville)
• involve other family members routinely for enriching lessons (thinking cooking with grandma or mechanics with grandpa!)

Homeschool Success Tip #2.  Make sure you plan time for recordkeeping. 

The worst feeling is to have piles and piles of papers at the end of the school year that you have to clean up.  Also not fun is to get to May or June and realize you have not yet finished the lessons you wanted to complete!  Implementing these tips can keep you on top of your game:

• Plan a few days each month (like once every other week or so) to file, purge, plan, and keep up with whatever recordkeeping is required from your state.   
• Look ahead now and prioritize lessons that need to be taught before year-end. Write them on a calendar or lesson plan book to ensure you get to them.
• Make sure you know what is required from your state and plan accordingly (portfolio? test? researching evaluators?).

Homeschool Success Tip #3.  Plan more field trips and outings. 

February burn-out is real and spring fever is no joke.  Lighten up by planning more outings around this time:

• visit museums
• plan day or weekend trips
• get out in nature more (and in the sun when possible!)
• look for educational movies to attend
• meet up with friends routinely
• plan daily exercise

Homeschool Success Tip #4.  Facilitate interest-led units to keep motivation high. 

What are your kids curious about?  Plan some time to study what they want to learn about so they will be more engaged.  Try this plan:

• Brainstorm a list of ideas with your kids that they want to study -- sea life, history of Legos, World War II, how to make video games, etc.
• Choose 1 of the ideas and generate a list of questions that they would like answered about this topic.
• Figure out how they will find information on the topic-- library, field trips, internet, interviewing experts.
• Help them keep their findings together in some way to organize their thoughts, like a binder or Google doc.
• Encourage them to find a way to culminate their thoughts and findings of what they've learned -- make a video, write a song, write a paper or speech, paint a canvas, make a photo essay, form sculptures, sketch a scene, write a play, make a diorama, etc.
• Have them present their findings and tell what they learned in some way to others -- invite friends or family over for a special dinner and showcase what your children have learned in some way.  Celebrate their research and learning!

Homeschool Success Tip #5.  Commit to finish well.

Staying the course and finishing what you said you were going to finish teaches your kids to persevere:

• Choose a last-day-of-school date and work heartily towards completing lessons.
• Take time to talk to your kids about their school year. Ask them to tell you some of their favorite things from the year like books, trips, lessons, topics.  Find out from them where they grew the most this year and what they think they need to work on next year. Ask your kids what they may like to study next year.  It gives them time to reflect and is so interesting to see what they say! :)
• Wrap up records.
• Plan time to clean up, pack up, and make notes for next year.
• Plan time to celebrate a job well done! 🎉🎉 

We’re Here to Help

We are praying for renewed STRENGTH for you, mama, in this new year!

If you loved these ideas, you're going to love hanging out with us in our community, where we answer questions, share ideas, and lift each other up. We encourage you to prayerfully consider joining The Homeschool Well Community for easier and more enjoyable days.

We pray this blesses you!

Be encouraged,

Kim & Jenny

👓Other articles you may find interesting!

Know Your Why: Choosing What to Teach In Your Homeschool

Choosing Homeschool Science Curriculum

Teaching Reading in Your Homeschool: You CAN Do It!

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