Do you want to avoid the summer slide and take breaks whenever they’re needed? Try homeschooling year-round! Follow these tips to do it successfully.
Benefits of Year-Round Homeschooling
Year-round homeschooling has its benefits.
It allows for greater flexibility, which is compatible with less predictable schedules.
This is helpful for families with lots of extracurriculars or those who like to travel.
You can break up the school year more frequently, reducing stress and academic fatigue.
It prevents the summer slide, the typical loss of academic ground since students typically don’t do any academic work over the long break.
You can proceed at the child’s natural pace of learning. This is especially helpful if your child needs remediation in certain subjects.
Does this sound appealing to you? Make homeschooling year-round work with these tricks and tips.
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How to Make Homeschooling Year-Round Successful
The following tips will make year-round homeschooling work for your family.
Plan for Breaks
Year-round homeschooling should not mean that you homeschool all year long without stopping.
The opposite is true: you take more breaks when you homeschool year-round.
Instead of moving haphazardly through the year, make an academic calendar where you plan for regular breaks.
Plan for some longer breaks when academic burnout typically looms.
You can also plan for weeks with fewer school days in busy months (like December).
Embrace Flexibility
Your homeschool schedule does not need to mimic traditional school.
That goes for the homeschool day as well.
One of the benefits of homeschooling year-round is that the consistency helps students cover more academic ground.
That means you can adjust your daily or weekly routine to accommodate travel plans, family commitments, and other important events.
Take Advantage of Seasonal Learning
Consider tailoring your homeschool activities to take advantage of the wonders of each season.
Spend time on seasonal outdoor activities like nature walks (and scavenger hunts), seasonal gardening, and outdoor field trips.
Align your homeschool curriculum with the rhythms of nature.
Make Homeschooling Practical
Homeschooling year-round means that you can adapt your schedule to fit valuable practical experiences.
Real-life experiences like volunteering, internships, apprenticeships, and job-shadowing opportunities that align with your child’s interests are invaluable.
Incorporate Project-Based Learning
Long-term projects are perfect for year-round schooling. Projects could last weeks…even months!
Once you finish a project, take a break.
Project-based learning allows for a deep dive into the subject matter. It’s perfect for cross-curricular learning.
Projects also allow students to develop their creativity, critical thinking, and presentation skills.
Utilize Online Resources
You may school year-round because you travel or have an unconventional schedule. Online resources may be a perfect fit for you.
Online courses, virtual field trips, educational field trips, or learning apps may fit nicely into your year-round homeschooling curricula.
Don’t Forget to Set Goals
When you do school year-round, it can blur your sense of the academic year.
While this doesn’t impact your day-to-day schooling, measuring progress can be challenging.
Set short-term and long-term goals for your student. Decide how and when you will evaluate progress.
If you set long-term goals, break them into smaller milestones so you can celebrate along the way.
Participate in Group Activities
If your schedule allows, participate in group activities during your homeschool year.
Co-ops, classes, sports teams, and clubs allow your kids to build friendships and experience cooperative learning.
They are great for you, too! Homeschooling parents need support.
Attend Workshops and Events
With a flexible year-round schedule, you can take the time to attend valuable educational workshops, conferences, or seminars.
These events can be inspiring, equipping, and fun!
Use a Planner
Year-round homeschooling requires organization.
This is especially true if you are teaching unit studies or your student is in different grade levels in various subjects.
Find the organization tools that work best for you. These may be a teacher planner, calendar, organizational apps, or online platforms.
Help your child stay organized, too! Teach your kid to use a planner.
Keeping organized will help you stay on track during year-round homeschooling.
10 Tips for Homeschooling Year Round
Homeschooling year-round may be the perfect fit for your family.
Ensure its success by following these ten tips and tricks for year-round homeschooling.