Homeschool Ideas
New Year = Fresh Start
I don’t know about you, but a new year, whether it be an actual New Year (hello January 1st!) or a new school year (August or September or whenever you start your year schooling) gives me such an excited feeling!
As much as I love & thrive on a routine, the idea of a fresh start is so necessary in life to keep forward momentum. As the years have gone by I’m realizing this is even truer for me with homeschooling life.
Pausing and taking some time to see what’s working and what could use some tweaking is a great idea when gearing up for a fresh start to your homeschool.
This applies to curriculum you’re using, as well as to all of the extra, fun perks homeschooling provides to your family life. Making sure to take advantage of these perks is something to stay on top of as the day to day routine can quickly pass the days by.
One of my favorite quotes on mother/parenthood is “The days are long, but the years are short.” Remembering this can be hard some days when you’re in the thick of it but that’s why I wrote this post!
My main goal with this blog is to help you embrace the beautiful side of homeschooling your kiddos! So here are some of my favorite & best homeschool ideas to make your time with your kids the best it can be.
Seasonal Homeschool
I’ve written about the idea of seasonal homeschool before, but it’s worth sharing again. Homeschooling seasonally is such a wonderful way to truly embrace being in the moment, something I know we all are struggling with these days.
Homeschooling seasonally simply means that your homeschool life/routine changes with the seasons. It makes so much sense when you stop and think about it…we tend to change aspects of our lives with the season, why not be intentional with adapting your homeschool days to the current season?
As I’ve said before, the foundation of all homeschool families is the gift of being home together. Making your home & your learning experience together as comfortable as possible while creating memories with your kids is one of the most beautiful aspects of choosing to homeschool.
One of our very favorite seasonal homeschool traditions is what we call Christmas School.
Around Thanksgiving we start to feel the need for a break. While we do take a few days around Thanksgiving, we take an extended break in December which is our Christmas School time.
Basically, we come up with activities, or things we want to do during the month of December that are not curriculum based.
We put the text books & work books aside for most of the month and embrace all things holiday & Christmas related. Baking, crafting, reading favorite Christmas stories are some of our favorites.
Using math & reading & even handwriting in more creative ways is a great way to rest and enjoy the holiday season without the pressure of structured lessons. It’s also simply fun and a wonderful time to make some great memories with your kids.
I go into more detail on Christmas School here and also share more ways to embrace the seasons within your homeschool days.
Homeschool Fun
I wrote a whole post on homeschool fun, and could probably write 10 more posts haha! There are just so many, fun, creative ways to learn with your kids.
It’s very easy to get stuck in a routine of trying to get book work finished and lists checked off, but learning while having fun is such a wonderful gift to give your kids (and yourself!). And again, FUN is a huge perk of homeschooling!
No matter the style of your homeschool, incorporating some fun is so needed and so easy! Here are some great ideas to add some fun into your homeschool days:
Games
There are SO many ways to add games into your homeschool. And games teach children so much, while they have fun! Math & logic games, Scrabble for spelling, history & geography games, good old Mad Libs for reading & grammar practice. The possibilities are endless! There is even a form of homeschooling that is pretty popular these days called gameschooling.
Get outside
Depending on the weather of course, take your school work outside! Fresh air & being outside is the best at keeping kids alert and provides a great opportunity for more learning opportunities.
Move with your kids
Pairing well with being outside, get up and move! Draw a sight word hopscotch with chalk in the driveway, or practice math facts while shooting hoops. Take a mental/yoga break (inside works for yoga too!). Older kids can practice reciting memorization pieces or they can recap their reading to you on walks around the neighborhood. The idea is, incorporate some movement into your learning.
Bake & cook
Bake or cook recipes that go along with your studies. Story of the World history curriculum is full of fun ideas to bring learning to life, like great recipes to try with your kids after reading each chapter. Recently while working on French lessons with my kids, my oldest daughter asked to learn to make macarons. So for our next lesson, we played French music, made macarons and practiced what words they have learned. It was so much fun!
Art day everyday
Most kids love art and it’s probably like some of the other “fun” parts of school that can get pushed aside for the “real” work. But art is important and fun! Letting kids explore their creative side, and learn something along the way can easily be added into most days. Art can be intimidating to a lot of parents, but there are plenty of free, wonderful resources out there to help your kids into art without pressure on you.
Unit Studies
unit studies are another great homeschool idea to add some fun into your days. Deep diving into one topic or area of interest while learning through hands on activities or seeing your child really grasp a concept through multiple vantage points is one awesome benefit to unit studies.
Field Trips & Travel
Field Trips
The homeschool idea of adding in field trips & travel to your schooling could most certainly be listed under the homeschool fun section!
Field trips are fun for all but also a wonderful learning opportunity.
Studying animals and then visiting the zoo to see some of the animals you studied brings all that learning to life! Many zoos offer homeschool days with special programs just for homeschoolers.
Taking advantage of offers specific to homeschooling families is a great way to be able to add in some field trips to your school days. In fact, I wrote a whole post all about homeschool field trip ideas, hoping to help give some ideas as well as inspire you to add more into your school year.
Travel
Traveling is one of the biggest reasons a lot of families decide to start to homeschool in the first place. Road schooling has become a popular topic in the homeschool world the past few years and for good reason.
Getting to experience places you read about with your kids, or visit historic places, or different countries is an incredible way to enrich all they’re learning.
If you’re not able to or the type of family who wants to pack up and live on the road for months at a time, travel can still add to your homeschool life. Having the flexibility to travel during the school year, at off peak times, can also save you a lot of money!
Volunteer/Charitable Work
Another great idea to tie into your homeschool life is getting your children involved with some volunteer work. Here are a few ideas:
- Local food banks or food pantries at local churches is a great place to start.
- Small farms, your local Humane Society or equestrian centers are often very accepting to homeschooling families looking to volunteer. Great if your kids are interested in animals.
- Many libraries have volunteer opportunities available.
- Local VFWs or other veteran organizations are another idea to help children give back to those who served our country.
- Seasonally giving back to our veterans and recognizing fallen soldiers around Christmas can be done with the Wreaths Across America organization.
- Local nursing homes may also have opportunities for children to help out and make connections with an older generation.
Adding in some volunteer time to your children’s education is such a rewarding chance for them to grow and learn outside of the walls of your home.
Older kids, especially in high school years, may be looking to add volunteer hours to their transcripts and having the ability to help or volunteer during the day is a big plus.
Find the Beauty
I hope these homeschool ideas inspire you & help you create more beautiful moments in your days learning alongside your kiddos. Not all days are going to be perfect and go as we plan, but if we look hard enough there is beauty in every day!
Do you have any favorite homeschool ideas? If so, please share below in the comments. I’d love to hear them 🙂
