We’re offering 4 reasons for summer homeschooling in today’s post. Many families have just finished the school year and the kids have been clamoring for a big summer break. If your family is anything like mine, after a few days the kids are bored, eating all of the food in the house, and screen time use is creeping up higher and higher.
Summer homeschooling can help alleviate these issues and improve summer for you and your hungry little offspring. Read on to see how a summer of learning can be the best choice you make for your family.
Catching up
Let’s be honest, due to our busy schedules, many homeschooling families end the school year not having done what they set out to do. While it’s not necessary to finish every page of every workbook or complete every textbook, in some cases you do need to complete some material before you can move on to the next level. We fell behind in math and will be using the summer to get back on track. Twenty minutes of math each day is all that we need to be ready for the next level of math for the new school year.
In addition to catching up, working on a core subject in the summer keeps your child’s skills strong so you don’t have to do as much review when you start your new school year. This can apply to any subject where skills tend to regress during a long break. You can work on your core subjects in fun ways by playing games and finding interesting ways to strengthen the skill over the summer.
Getting ahead
Homeschooling families have so much going on during the school year that it’s tough to squeeze in everything, so why not take the summer to get ahead on some subjects? Did learning a foreign language fall by the wayside during the school year? Summer is a great time to get a foundation going to build on during the upcoming year. Whatever you wish you had done during the school year can get a nice foothold over the summer.
Does your high school student want to graduate a year or two early? The lack of a full course load in the summer makes it easier for them to knock out several subjects so they can achieve their goal. High school students are also eligible for dual-enrollment at their local community college, allowing them to earn high school and college credit at the same time. The courses offered in the summer award a full year of learning in the span of six to eight weeks.
Alleviate boredom
Doing school in the summer helps to alleviate the boredom that comes after the kids have had no school for a few weeks. While boredom IS good for kids, at a certain point you can tell that they need some challenge and exercise for their brains. There are so many fun learning opportunities that are available only in the summer- library summer reading clubs, free community concerts, plays, and musicals, not to mention the many classes that libraries offer in the summer. Our libraries have clubs for kids of all ages. The teen club at one of the local libraries has a maker’s lab with 3-D printers, Cricut machines, and other handicraft supplies. Another is offering computer courses, acting courses, chess and game playing meetups, and more. These activities are definitely educational and I keep track of what my son has done in my teacher planner.
Try a new educational method
If you’ve been thinking that you may want to change your method of homeschooling, summertime is a less stressful time to do this. When I began homeschooling I used a traditional textbook approach, but after a couple of years it began to be too overwhelming as I added more students. We made a move to unit studies which are so much fun they barely seem like school.
In the late spring and early summer, there are many homeschoolers selling their used curriculum at rock bottom prices, so you can get a new curriculum inexpensively and give it a whirl without the pressure of the regular school year breathing down upon you. If you find that this new homeschooling method isn’t suitable, you have time to order materials, prepare your schedule, and get your ducks in a row before the new school year starts.
These 4 reasons for summer homeschooling are not the only reasons to pursue a learning lifestyle in the summer, but they are my top reasons to homeschool over the summer months.
If you’ve never tried summer homeschooling, I encourage you to give it a try. You will still have plenty of time to enjoy traditional summer activities with family and friends, while advancing your child’s education and preventing the “Mom, I’m bored blues.” Happy Homeschooling!
