6 Ways To Reset Your Homeschool

Have you lost focus and traction in your homeschool? Do you need to reset your homeschool? I have found that it is a good idea to reevaluate and look over your homeschool goals every few months. 

Life with young children changes quickly as your children reach new milestones academically and developmentally. Even the weather and seasons can be an influence on the moods and dynamics in your homeschool. Here are some questions to ask yourself and 6 ways to reset your homeschool!

These ideas to reset your homeschool are so good! Great ways to change things up and save the rest of the year.

Disclosure: *This post may include affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the disclosures and terms for more information.

6 Ways To Reset Your Homeschool

Curriculum – One of the first places to start is to consider how the curriculum is working for each of your children. Has something been a complete flop? Does something need to be tweaked to better fit your child, family life, or your schedule?

Often you can simply adjust how you are using the curriculum and not have to completely switch to something new, but if you must switch (and can afford to do so), then do not feel guilty! Part of the blessing of homeschooling is being able to customize the curriculum to fit your family’s needs. 

Schedule vs. Routine – Do you need to rethink your planning style? Does your schedule set you up for feeling like a failure? Does it put too much pressure on your students? Perhaps a routine would make better sense for your family.

The difference between a schedule and a routine is that there are no time slots attached to a routine. You can simply write a list of the homeschool-related things your family does each day, in the order they need to be completed. Add in what you know to be necessary additions, and then tack it up for all to see. If you can simply work through the list each day and accomplish most of it, then you will feel much better than if you are trying to fit each task into a limited time slot.

However, the opposite may be true, too. If you need more structure and accountability, then a schedule may be something to consider. The secret is to only schedule in the most important tasks and leave room for real life to happen. 

Slow Down – Maybe you need to actually slow down in certain subjects, focus on concepts, and master key skills. If you are rushing through the lessons just to complete them, but your child is not absorbing the content in a way that makes sense to them, then you will need to slow down and review with your child to avoid learning difficulties later. Helping your children master important areas of their education (no matter how long it may take) will make learning easier for them in the future. And teaching them will become easier, too. 

Skip The Nonsense – You are the parent and you have the freedom to choose what to teach or not teach. This goes hand-in-hand with the curriculum changes mentioned above. You might feel like parts of your (favorite) curriculum are pointless or unnecessary, but you aren’t sure if you can just skip those parts. You can!

Often, curriculum will have its foundation and then several add-ons to make it easier to customize. These add-ons can be used as you see fit, even being completely eliminated if you so choose. You do not have to do anything that you feel is “busy work”, or work that is not beneficial to your child’s education. 

Independent Learning – Sometimes it will sneak up on you and you will not realize that your child is actually old enough to do a lot of their lessons on their own! Usually when your student has become a strong reader, you will realize that you have a very capable young student on your hands and that you can make things easier for both of you if you provide curriculum and resources for them to work through on their own. It can also be a great motivator for the child to know that their education is mostly their own responsibility!

Of course, you will still be their guide and director, but transitioning your child to a more independent learning style will give you more time in your day. If you have multiple children to teach, more time can be used to focus on teaching the younger children, while teaching your older child to become independent.  

Creative Week – Sometimes what you need to reset your homeschool is a break from the traditional style of schoolwork. Something you can do is have a Creative Week, or a week where you do your lessons more creatively and hands-on. You can do a lapbook, notebooking pages, lots of read alouds, art projects, several field trips, or whatever else you feel your children would love to do.

The idea behind this is to continue learning but in a completely different way than you are used to. You may even find that you enjoy using lapbooks or literature as a main teaching tool. Switching things up and being creative for a week can offer new perspective on learning/teaching styles. It may be just what your homeschool needs! 

What do you do when you need to reset your homeschool?

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Leia

    So perfectly timed! I was literally talking about this with a friend yesterday. It’s my first year homeschooling and we need a reset; I just didn’t know where to start. Thank you

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.