Have you planned your homeschool schedule yet? I’m looking at it this way: remember when you were pregnant and didn’t feel like doing anything late in your pregnancy, and then right before you gave birth you went into hyper-everything mode and got the whole house and universe ready? That’s gonna be me this year. I’m just enjoying summer too much.
Don’t be afraid of change! If something isn’t working, give it the boot!
I told you my Top 10 Tips for Newbie Homeschoolers a few weeks ago, and today I’ve got more super ingenious insightful nuggets for you!
Top 5 Tips for Scheduling YOUR Homeschool Year:
- Take this quiz — even if you’re not just getting started. It can help solidify in your mind the homeschool method that fits you best. This will help you in selecting and building your curriculum. And I don’t know if you can top it, but I got a negative 25 in the “traditional education” category, ahem… so yeah, there’s that. 🙂 Bookmark this quiz somewhere, because you’ll change and grow too Mom (or Dad) from year to year.
- Don’t be tempted to do what your friend is doing. Your kids are different from hers and probably so is her teaching style. That’s not to say that you can’t use some of their ideas…but be careful. You know your kids the best. Say your kids don’t like worksheets, but your friend does – following her lead would set you up for a miserable school year!
- Take into consideration your kids’ learning styles. If you don’t know what learning style they are – head over and take a short little quiz. And they may be different, so be prepared to have separate plans for each child. Don’t think of this as a burden. Think of how awesome it is that you can prepare a fine-tuned specialized plan for your child. Set them up for loving learning.
- Ask your kids what they want to learn this year! You may have to preface this with (read in your best Squidward voice): And they’ll know you’re serious so you can get down to business. If they don’t know, offer some suggestions or options on what you would want them to do. They may be cool with your plan, or you may find something that they’re shocked and appalled that you even dared to add! You can constantly reassess midway through your first semester also.
- Make curriculums work for you. Feel free to mix and match. I think in all my years of homeschooling I’ve only known one homeschooler that sticks to one set curriculum and never strays from it year after year. That did NOT work for us.
Every year we get better, and every year we learn more. And every year the kids’ interests change and you need to plan for that year. For example, your child may be interested in reading books, like full-on beast mode. So give him/her, the option to read books.
I hope this gives you some encouragement to make the best school for YOU and YOUR crew – you know them best, and just as you would research and advocate for any medical treatment they needed, advocate for their best education.