What a 12-Month Homeschool Cycle Looks Like for Our Family
An Honest Peek into our Homeschool Year
Have you ever wondered what a 12-month homeschool cycle really looks like? Do you feel overwhelmed about homeschooling because you can’t see the big picture, no matter how hard you try? Does it make you anxious? Maybe even a little fearful? I get it. I understand how you feel because I’ve been there.
Today, I want to encourage you and remind you that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you take the first step. You’ll learn and grow as you go along. What you know now will evolve over time. So stop. Take a breath. I promise it will be okay and work out for your good and the good of your children.
Our 12-Month Homeschool Cycle aka The Simple Homeschool Plan
With this in mind, I created a resource that gives an overview of what a 12-month homeschool cycle looks like for my family, it contains helpful posts throughout and resources that you can use as needed.
I’ve set it up with this huge table of contents so that after you read through the first time you can bookmark this page, come back, and jump in wherever you need to. If you’re in August, great jump to August, and here’s what can help you. If it’s January, you can jump right in there too. I’ve been working on this resource over the summer, and I hope it’ll help you see things more clearly and shut the door in the face of all that anxiousness and fear. Ready? Okay, let’s get started.
Planning for the New Homeschool Year
As we begin our 12-month homeschool cycle, we will start not in January, but in the weeks preceding the homeschool year with planning. Here you’ll find resources specific to the planning process. Once you complete a cycle you can come back again and again. Remember like a recipe, you can view how our family and other families “do it” first, then be sure to adjust to fit the needs of your family.
First things first. Find a rhythm that works to keep your home tidy. For us, we have personal chores, morning chores, and evening chores. Also, the first Monday of every month is “In-Service Day” where everyone helps deep clean the house.
Side note: I’m working on a home tracker that I think you’ll love. If you subscribe, I’ll keep you updated on its progress and you can swing back and get it when it’s finished! I love printables, don’t you?! 😍
Resources for Planning for the New Homeschool Year
Planning printables: Free Homeschool Planning Printables
Choosing curriculum: 5 Tips for Choosing Homeschooling Curriculum
Setting up a homeschool portfolio: How to Create a Simple Homeschool Portfolio
August
Overview
- Back to school
- Easing Back into School
- Feeling great energy and anticipation for the new school year
- Grateful to have the freedom to ease in.
Resources
Blog Post: Easing Back into the New School Year
It’s good to be reminded that perfection is impossible and that taking your time to ease into the new school year is more than okay.
Evaluations
- What is going well?
- What is not measuring up to expectation?
- Are my expectations realistic?
- How can I improve this scenario?
- Overall how can I improve our days?
- As I look back over the last month what am I most grateful for?
September
Overview
- All in
- Working the kinks out of our full schedule
- Reality check – Pare down if needed.
- Still great energy
Resources
Blog Post: Weekly Teaching Loop for the Homeschool Mom
Blog Post: Creating a Daily Routine
Evaluations
- What is going well?
- When are we starting each day?
- When are we finishing?
- Are certain subjects taking longer than anticipated?
- Do I need to pare down?
- If yes, where?
- Is there busy work I can cut out?
October
Overview
- Working hard and strong
- Routines are established.
- Feeling pretty good about the school year
- Beginning to think about the holidays approaching.
- Extracurriculars added in – basketball, art classes etc. – not too much though very conservative here.
Resources
Blog Post: Don’t Eat Pumpkin Pete!
Fun activities nurture relationships. Enjoy!
Evaluations
- What is going well?
- Are the routines working?
- What is something fun to add to reward hard work?
- The sky is the limit – you know your family best 😉
November
Overview
- As the holidays approach, it becomes increasingly difficult to focus on established routines.
- We focus on core subjects up until the week of Thanksgiving.
- Transitioning more and more to a relaxed version of homeschooling aka holiday homeschooling.
Resources
Blog Post: Fall Activity Pages
Evaluations
- What is going well?
- Are the routines working?
- What is something fall fun to add to reward hard work?
- The sky is the limit – you know your family best 😉
When I reflect over the last month, what am I most grateful for?
December
Overview
- Holiday homeschooling – some might say we “take off”.
- We prioritize slowing down and cherishing the moments during Christmas.
- Refuse to hurry or rush for Christmas.
- Our curriculum includes minimal math and plenty of fun Christmas-themed reading, movies, letter writing, gift creation, wrapping, holiday unit studies, and Christmas carol studies.
- Very low pressure remembering the focus is on relationships.
Resources
Blog post: 6 Tips for Enjoying Holiday Homeschooling
Evaluations
- What went well?
- What did you love most about Christmas school?
- How can you implement this relaxed way all year through?
January
Overview
- Back to work
- The first Monday of the month is our “In-Service Day,” where everyone helps deep clean the house and put Christmas away.
- Ease back to work, typically beginning with math. “Easing in” will take less time than at the beginning of the school year because the kids most likely remember the routine.
Resources
Blog Post: Review “Easing In”
Evaluations
- What went well?
- Is everyone getting back on track?
- Is math an issue?
- Do we need to review concepts?
February
Overview
- Working hard but never as strong as before the holidays
- If feeling winter blues find something fun and new (unit study, book, curriculum)
Resources
Blog Post: How to Create an Engaging Unit Study
This is a hugely popular post that has detailed steps and a printable template to help you pull a unit study together quickly and easily.
Evaluations
- What is going well?
- Are the routines working?
- What is something fun to add to reward hard work?
- The sky is the limit – you know your family best 😉
March
Overview
- Begin evaluating what we need for next year.
- Make decisions about where you can and shop early, if possible. When I shop for new curriculum for the next year, I like to get it out of the way before the fall rush.
- Still working on the present school plan with one foot in front of the other and beginning to long for a break.
Resources
Rainbow Resource – my go-to source for new curriculum
Cathy Duffy Reviews – my trusted source for reviews
eBay – When I am really trying to save my pennies, I will see what I can find on eBay. I am kinda persnickety about used curriculum so I purchase ours new most of the time. But I wanted to include it here because there have been a few times when eBay came in for the win.
Evaluations
- What went well?
- What is needed for next year?
- Who needs what for each child?
April
Overview
- Focus on finishing strong.
- Evaluate what to let go and what to finish.
- Finishing curriculum early and, in some cases adding fun to that time
- Double up on others (only if necessary). Sometimes, I will do half one year and half the next, in which case a more relaxed pace wins over doubling up.
Resources
Helpful Blog Post: Finish Strong: 3 Simple Tips to Help You Succeed
Evaluations
- What went well?
- What to finish early?
- Something fun to add – bird unit study maybe?
May
Overview
- Finishing what you set out to do – not the teacher’s book.
- Testing
- Evaluate what (if any) curriculum is still needed for next year.
Resources
Blog Post: Summer Bucket List
Make plans for a relaxing summer with the family!
Evaluations
- What went well?
- Did you finish?
- If yes, YAY!
- If not, decide what to do will what is left.
June
Overview
- Celebrate a job well done.
- End-of-year reviews
- Transcripts
- Portfolios
- Have one-on-one meetings with each child to evaluate the year and discuss their expectations for the new year.
- Finalize curriculum for next year.
Resources
Helpful Blog Post: How to Create a Simple Homeschool Portfolio
Help with transcripts: Lee Binz, the Homescholar
She specializes in high school transcripts and preparing for college.
Evaluations
- What did you enjoy last year?
- What did you not like?
- What are you interested in learning next year
- What personal goal do you have?
- As you look back over the last year what are you most grateful for?
July
Overview
- A mental break from school
- Lots of fun reading, exploring, and natural delight-directed learning.
- Evaluate needed improvements to home routines and take the summer to implement them.
- Out with old in with the new for school (clean out school room or shelves)
- Make purchases for the new year: books, supplies, etc.
- Have a meeting with each student for next year giving an overview of each subject and expectations.
Resources
Helpful Blog Post: Homeschool Planning Then and Now
Evaluations
- Do you need anything else for the new year?
- Do you have your routine laid out for the new year?
- Are you prepared for your one-on-one with each child?
- What are you most excited about for the new year?
- When I reflect over the last month what am I most grateful for?
Conclusion to a 12-Month Homeschool Cycle
As we have gone through a 12-month homeschool cycle, I want to encourage you the homeschool lifestyle is one of joy and peace when done from your “mom heart” and not from standards placed on you from somewhere outside of yourself or from even comparing yourself to another mom.
I’ve been homeschooling for a very long time and it is always changing. Just when I think I know exactly what to do circumstances change and I am required to adjust in order to keep up. The one thing that doesn’t change is the Creator who made me and His decision that I be the mother of my children. The best thing you can do for your homeschool is nurture your relationship with your Creator and learn to trust the intuition he gave you to mother your children well. You Are THE Best Choice because God said so.
Invitation
If you have found this post helpful, I invite you to subscribe to The Simple Homeschool Plan, where you can download all of this information and have monthly evaluation worksheets all ready to go for each and every month.
As you go through these exercises you will learn and grow as a homeschool mom. If you get stuck, I’ll be right here. Ready to help in any way I can. The homeschool life is the best life…I don’t want you to miss it for anything!
Much love,
~Tammy 🙂
