Everything you Must do over the Summer to Plan for a Successful Homeschool Year
Summer is for chillin’ out, maxin’ relaxin’ and all cool, shootin some basketball outside of the school. (Okay, If you didn’t get that reference… I’ll wait while you plug the words into google- Go on…)
Now you’re singing it too right?
I live for that exact moment when we say we are d.o.n.e. for the school year. I love homeschooling my children but I LOVE not homeschooling my children. I need the break, they need the break… and mama you need the break too. Even if you only break for a week or two and jump back in, do it. We all need something to feel excited about when we return refreshed and ready to take on a new year. I am a planner. Well not really- but I do love lists, and I love to check them off. I always make a list of things I need to accomplish over the summer so that we can start back successfully. I want to share with you a few things that might help you start successfully as well.
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Beginning of Summer – Clean it all out
Clean out that School Room! Go through all the curriculum and books that you no longer need for the next year. Decide on a plan. Will you sell it? Will you store it? Clean out the old crayons, markers, broken pencils. Go through schoolwork and decide what you need to hold on to and what can be thrown away. Give your area a good cleaning so that you don’t have to think about it again until you start back up.
If your children don’t have chores, {How on earth do you survive!?} I mean… wow, you must be one tired mom. Now is the time to be thinking of how you might want to incorporate chores into their day, this is the perfect time to train them how to really clean a bathroom, or sweep. Training takes time, and during the hectic school year we don’t always have the time to really spend teaching our children how to properly do something. This might include teaching them how to make a few simple dinners from start to finish so that they can jump in and help when needed. If you need a chore chart check out this one.
Middle of Summer: Household Planning
Plan ahead- Grab your calendar or your phone, whichever one you typically use to put all your appointments in. Go through month by month for the last year and make a list of all the things that you know will re-occur. Birthdays, special events, holidays, regular activities. Look at your list and if dates have already been scheduled put them on your new calendar. Is there anything you can do over the summer to help you prep for any of those events? Take this time to also make note of when you are busiest and try to plan ahead. Can you pair down your schedule in any way?
Take care of any tasks that you can now. Are there appointments you have been putting off? If so take the time to get them out of the way now when you aren’t trying to fit 7000 other things into a week. Think far ahead to Christmas and other holidays. I know… I know… but come December, you will wish you would have thought about some of these things. Do you do family pictures? Schedule them. Teacher gifts? Buy or Make them. Do you order cards? Need stamps? Etc.
Menu Plan– If you already do this regularly you are a step ahead of the game. If not, then grab your cookbooks, open up your Pinterest and plan out some meals. I like to have a few master sheets. I plan a week of meals and make a grocery list for all of those meals. (I always leave room for extras) This way I have a master and I know I can just grab that week and all grocery items for those meals will be on there.
Take this a step further and use this summer as a time to make up some freezer meals to have on hand for when life gets busy.
End of Summer- It’s GO TIME
Go back to that school area and start setting up for the new year. Replace or sharpen the pencils, organize the new curriculum, set up whatever system you are planning to use for the new year.
Clean house. Cleaning your home has little to do with school, but you will feel better knowing that you are starting the school year with a clean and organized home.
Plan a few really fun activities for the end of the summer and if you don’t have a first day tradition, consider starting one.
Now you are ready! It’s going to be a great year.
Angela is the Homeschool Encourager for the Overwhelmed & Under-Caffeinated and the Chaos-to-Confidence Specialist behind Schooling with Grace. With a no-fluff approach, a dash of humor, and a whole lot of heart, she helps homeschool moms cut through the chaos, ditch unrealistic expectations, and teach with confidence.