How to Keep Your Homeschool Momentum Going?

You’ve finally gotten your homeschool back up and running after a long summer break.  All subjects have been added to the schedule and things are moving along smoothly. It’s a great feeling!  Now you may wonder, how do you maintain this momentum through the coming months?  With a little strategic planning it’s a doable goal.

For starters, I would encourage you to begin your learning days with the hardest subject first. After a good breakfast, most people are the most alert and therefore capable of doing more strenuous thinking.   Plus getting the hardest subject out of the way first also gives the student a leg up on the rest of the day.    In turn, this frees the student up to tackle the remaining subjects and gives mom some relief in the process.

Another strategy to consider, is to aim to tackle your main subjects at least 3 times a week. The reason for this is because if life gets slightly derailed, you’re still on target without missing too much work and are able to  finish your year close to the desired time.

Let’s not ignore one of the biggest culprits to diminishing momentum – burnout.  How do you keep chugging along while keeping burnout at bay?  Rest.  Be sure to schedule periods of rest  and relaxation.  This is a must for your health and your homeschool’s and is a precursor for forward momentum.  Scheduled breaks help to keep the ball rolling as the year progresses by giving your children opportunities for predictable down time.  So, when the time comes to work, they are recharged and ready.   You can either follow your local school systems calendar for breaks or come up with your own.  What was beneficial for our homeschool was to take a week long break about every 6 to 8 weeks.  Do whatever works best for your family!  As you enter back into learning mode from your short rest period, you’re sure to be recharged and able to keep running throughout the year.

Finally, one more strategy to consider employing is having field trips planned throughout the month. Be sure to write these on  a calendar for all to see as this will encourage your children to continue to complete their work.in order to have these fun planned outings.

With a little strategic planning in tackling the most difficult subject first, and building in periods of rest and fun you actually help to control and maintain your homeschool momentum throughout the year.