Back to school time is here. Soon you will hear buses riding through your neighborhood in the morning. When you go through Wal-Mart, the school supply shelves will be picked over and almost bare. And the kids will be gone to school all day. Unless you are like my family and your kids are homeschooled.
Although back to school is not exactly the same as it is for traditional school children, there are some back to school similarities for a homeschooling family.
1. Summer school
The best way to prepare for going back to school in the fall is to not veer too far from the norm over the summer. Studies show that students who are not engaged in learning activities over the summer experience summer learning loss. Doing light, consistent, and fun work over the summer can help prevent this loss. Dad can also be more involved in the lighter learning activities.
2. Setting goals
What do you want to accomplish as a family in regard to your education and social development? Making sure everyone is aware of the goals and working toward them can provide the encouragement and momentum needed to reach them even when it gets tough.
3. Setting the calendar
If you are not involved in any other back to school activities, you have to be involved in this. Homeschoolers are able to set their schedule each school year. Just like planning for other family events and activities, discuss and set the schedule with your wife and then share it with your kids.
4. New curriculum
The curriculum is the foundation of what you want your children to learn. Your wife and kids will need your input to help determine the best curriculum to reach the educational goals you have for your kids.
5. Re-establish the habits
Even if you do light work over the summer, the summer will still bring some changes in your habits. More daylight usually leads to longer days outside and makes it harder for the kids to go to sleep at their normal time. When they go to bed late, they usually wake up late. As the summer is closing, re-establishing certain habits will be necessary to get in back to school mode.
