Whether this is your first year of homeschooling or your twelfth, it may take a while to find your rhythm. In fact, you might just now feel that you’ve worked out the kinks and things are starting to roll. And that’s ok!
The first month or two of the homeschool year can be a time of trial and error. Maybe your child actually doesn’t have a grasp of the math basics you covered last year, or perhaps handwriting has taken a nosedive. You may be attempting to cover everything on your own and find you need help or, conversely, perhaps you’ve signed up for classes or a co-op and now see that it’s counterproductive. Whatever the case, you’re changing things up here and there.
But it’s November and you’re just getting settled! Are you feeling behind?
I understand. However, if things weren’t working, they needed to be fixed. At this point, you should have a handle on how to proceed for the rest of the school year. If not, here are a couple of suggestions:
- Make a set schedule for accomplishing schoolwork
If you’re floundering around and can’t seem to get any traction, a schedule might be just what you need. Every day needn’t look the same but having a structured weekly plan can really help keep you moving towards your goals.
Create something that you can actually look forward to.
Consistency is the key to progress, so arrange a schedule that is realistic: one that you can stick to. Sometimes it feels good to establish a solid schedule, but if you wake up in the morning with dread because of it, then that’s not the schedule for you! So, create something that you can actually look forward to.
To offer an example, we don’t do every subject every day. Instead, we have a main lesson each day: Monday is Language Arts, Tuesday is Civics, Wednesday is Science and Thursday is Math. Friday is catch up day and art or seasonal projects. We spend in depth time on our one main lesson each day, and then there is assigned work in that subject to be done during the next six days till we have that main lesson again.
I wake up knowing we have only one main lesson to conquer.
We do some fun things together each day (French, music appreciation, read a book together) and there are some skills that need daily work (ex: they work on typing or math facts on their own). But when I wake up in the morning, I don’t have to think about getting through an entire day of teaching English and Literature and Math and Social Studies, etc. Instead, I wake up knowing we have only one main lesson to conquer, and then go on auto pilot with the other subjects.
You are free to create whatever type of plan that works for you! And once you hit on something that is truly doable (and maybe even enjoyable), you’ll find that things will start ticking along.
- Be Ruthless About Cutting Out Whatever Isn’t Needed
The second thing that could supercharge your homeschool experience is to cut the chaff and only do what is valuable and is working for your family.
If in November you’ve made little progress with school subjects and feel as if you’re slogging through mud, it’s time to let some things go. Programs, curriculum and add-on materials that seemed so charming and enriching last summer, may have become more of a burden than a blessing. Those things are holding you back and keeping you from reaching the promised land! Set them aside and possibly they will fit in more effectively next year (or next summer).
If you are feeling discouraged about the progress you’ve made so far this year, take heart. It’s not too late to have a successful homeschool year. All it takes is a tiny bit of discipline and an effective plan of study to get you moving on .
PS: For more help, lots of strategies can be found here.