3 Tips for Returning to Homeschool after Break

Wrapping up a homeschool break can be tough, and for me it’s especially tough after Christmas. Where I live, we are in for several months of dreary weather– usually in the 40s and rainy. An instagram friend commented that she loves this time of year because it’s her most productive. Wow, I thought, that’s a great perspective! As I type this, I’m still looking at my decorated Christmas tree, not quite ready to get the house back in order. This week and next I’ll be taking some time to collect myself to launch back into the homeschool rhythm. Here’s what I’ll be doing:

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Take a step back. This is a more emotional goal than a checklist-oriented exercise. I love to pull out our scrapbooks and photo albums and just recall what we were up to a year ago at this time, two years ago, even more. My state is very lenient in requirements, but I create a simple scrapbook style portfolio once per month throughout the year. I spend maybe 20 minutes on the last day of each month documenting the read alouds we completed, field trips taken, any special nature hikes, stand-out lessons, curriculum completed, or milestones met, and I collect our photos from the month. Looking back at those helps me to see the progress we’ve made, and also how quick the time is actually going. That orients me when the current season feels hard, that it truly will pass in a flash.
Spend time in self-assessment. I have a list of questions that I go through twice a year, at the start of the school year and the calendar year. These questions focus me on the WHY of our homeschool and help me to sort through the noise. They are directed at looking at the big picture of our homeschool and on the strengths and goals for each of my learners and myself. You can get the list of questions here in PDF format.

Read inspirational books. You knew reading was going to be on this list, right? There are so many wonderful homeschooling books that can serve as that pep talk to hang in there, model the way forward in a new season, help with logistics and planning and vision. I have a giant list of my all-time favorites in this post here.