Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop: Last Minute Tips and Ideas to Start the Year

It’s been a packed summer of fun, excitement, and making beautiful memories. Maybe you’ve been putting off back-to-school until the very last minute. Or maybe it’s been a summer full of life changes that have turned your world upside down.

Whatever the reason, if you find yourself scrambling to get the school year together, you’re not alone! The Crew has an entire week of tips, tricks, ideas, and even a fantastic giveaway to help you get the year together in a hurry.

Ease Into The New Year Slowly

It’s very easy to get caught up in the mild panic associated with a looming deadline, or in this case a start date. It’s ok to ease slowly into the new year. Start the first day with something fun, like a special breakfast. Then, rather than tackling every subject that first day, start with the basics only. Most states require math and reading, so begin there. Add in more subjects as you go until you’ve found the schedule that works best for your family.

Scheduling the Day

Fitting it all in can feel like an impossible task, especially if you have more than one child to homeschool! One of the best things about homeschooling is that you have the freedom to “do school” anytime you’d like. If you want a traditional school schedule with set times for each subject, you can do that. If you’re drawn to block scheduling, then go for it! Don’t like schedules at all? No problem. You can do that too. You can complete schoolwork in the morning or the evening, on weekdays or weekends—it really is completely up to you.

Give Yourself Grace

You’re going to need a lot of grace on this journey—grace for yourself, grace for your kids, and grace for your spouse. The dynamics of each homeschooling family are different, which makes it very difficult to give specific encouragement and advice, but grace really does cover it all. When the days start feeling like it’s too much, the kids are melting down, and your spouse is irritated that the house looks like a tropical storm went through it, dole out the grace! It’s just one day, not the end of the world, and you can begin again tomorrow.

Have Fun

Remember to have fun. Academics are only one part of homeschooling. The greater goal is to cultivate a wonderful relationship with your children. The best way to do that is to spend time with them every day doing something fun. You don’t want to become just the “task master” to your children, and that’s easy to do when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Make it a point to do something fun every day, even if it’s just dancing in the kitchen while you put dishes away together.

Last-Minute Decisions

If you find yourself making a last-minute decision to pull your children out of public or private school, don’t panic! Stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and find comfort in knowing that thousands of parents are successfully homeschooling, and you can too! You aren’t going to ruin your children, we promise. Be sure to research what the requirements are for your state and make sure that you meet those, then find a group of homeschoolers that can provide support, answer questions, and help you navigate the day-to-day decisions. Talk to them about their curriculum choices and search the internet to find other homeschoolers who are sharing about their curriculum choices. Reading those can help you narrow down your own choices.

One of the easiest and best ways to get started at the last minute is with a subscription to SchoolhouseTeachers.com where you’ll find hundreds of courses from preschool to high school, complete with lesson plans, videos, printable resources, and much more. There are full curriculum packages put together for you—starting school is as easy as point and click!

Through September 6, 2021, you can get a two-year membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com for the price of one during the BOGO sale!

We are also giving away a one-year membership this week! Simply follow the instructions below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the Crew member blogs to find more tips, ideas, and encouragement for getting your school year off to a great start!