13 Ways to Revitalize Your Homeschool

Hitting a mid-year slump in your homeschool?  Here are 13 ways to gain a new perspective as we begin a brand new year:

1. Purge old papers and books, and re-organize your school space. Sort out what you need to keep for each child’s portfolio, and get rid of the rest.
2. Chunk what isn’t working. If necessary, pare down to the three R’s for awhile to strengthen key skills in reading, writing, and math. If kids are struggling with multiplication tables, set aside their math for a week and concentrate on learning the times tables. We like Pyramath and Math Wrap-Ups.
3. Form a club and meet with other homeschoolers for science experiments, foreign language activities, or a history festival. Have moms take turns being the planner.
4. Do a family unit study for a few weeks. We spent a few months working through the Little House books, and it was such a special time for my boys. Try a lapbook, a literature unit study, or a hands-on history unit.
5. Choose a funny book for read-aloud time. Have each of your kids choose a book they want you to read and add it to your list. For our nightly read-aloud time, I read a chapter from our chapter book, a section in our devotional, and a picture book of my kids’ choosing. A laugh out loud favorite is I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More. We also love books by Kevin Henkes, the Olivia books, and books by Diane deGroat.
6. Get outside. Meet some friends at the park for a winter park day. Bring a thermos of hot water and packs of hot chocolate or tea and enjoy some mommy-time while the kids play.
7. Plan a field trip and invite other homeschoolers along. Some of our favorite winter field trips are to the history museum, the art museum, a fire station, or the post office. Some grocery stores, such as Whole Foods, offer free behind-the-scenes field trips. The zoo is still open in the winter, too.
8. Go for a winter nature walk, and take your camera along. When you get home, look at your pictures on the computer and have kids sketch in their nature journals. Talk about the changes in your surroundings winter brings. The Handbook of Nature Study is a great nature study resources.
9. Watch a movie that relates to what you’re learning. The library has many great choices for free.  Host a movie day and invite other homeschoolers over. Provide popcorn and have everyone bring their own candy.  Our teen book club is watching The Scarlet Letter next week.
10. If you are a veteran homeschool mom, offer encouragement to a new homeschool mom and check in with her from time to time.
11. Schedule some teacher conference time for yourself and curl up with a homeschool magazine or a good book.  Start making plans to attend a homeschool convention in the spring.
12. Find encouragement in the online homeschool community.
13. Don’t compare where you are to where others are. Look at how far you’ve come. Flip back through your planner and look where you started. Encourage your kids and compliment them on all the hard work they’ve done. You aren’t behind. You’re right where you need to be.