How this school year will make the next better.

There’s something about that last month of lessons – no matter when that last month is. The paper piles seem higher. The dust and bits seem to multiply from the corners faster. The chaos builds quicker.

Maybe when your school year is over you want to totally abandon all structure and routine. Maybe you relish digging into those piles and throwing out as much as possible. Maybe you feel ready to simply peter out and languish on the couch for a month to recover.

Before you do any of these things, I have a suggestion.

Brain dump to the rescue

While the school year is still fresh in your mind and in front of your attention, do a thorough homeschool-related brain dump.

I call it a Homeschool Audit.

It will make your summer break more refreshing.

It will make your next school year better.

Homeschool Audit

We don’t want to simply write off this homeschool year, rush into break mode, and then start back into our old patterns again in September.

If we take an hour or so while we’re still immersed in the real nitty-gritty of homeschool life, declutter our heads before our closets, and think through what went well and what went ugly – we’ll make better decisions about next school year and know what strategies we need to build into our days after our break is over.

The break is necessary. But the break will be so much more refreshing and uplifting if we go into it with our heads cleared of the stress and pressure – not just cleared by forgetting, but cleared by dealing with it and setting ourselves up to do something productive with our experiences moving forward.

Take notes now before going into vacation mode. Whenever you do your school planning, even if it’s still a month or more out, you’ll have your notes and you’ll know the logistics that will make a difference, regardless of your curriculum choices.

The changes that make the biggest difference to our days and our energy levels are typically not the books or programs, but the way we set up our day and the relational habits we have going.

If we can set those up with intention, we will have better, more satisfying, less draining homeschool days.

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