The Home Stretch: 5 Ways to Finish Your School Year Well

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Three more months and this homeschool year is finished. Whaaaat? Seriously!?!? For some it’s “Will this ever end? I’m totally ready for it to be over!” For others, including myself, it’s “I haven’t gotten half the things I planned even started yet!” Whichever one it is (or somewhere in between?), we are all at that point where we need to decide to face these last three months with intent and purpose to finish well.

When I was a traditional school teacher, I taught a few P.E. classes to junior high kids. I wasn’t a runner, but one thing I knew to teach my students when they were running the mile…something that I shouted over and over again as they ran, was “Run through the finish line! Run through it!”

Let’s do that.

So how do we run through the finish line as homeschool parents? Here’s some ideas that can be worked on in conjunction with each other or you can just pick one or two that inspire you:

1. Look Back and Look Forward

   Make a list of everything you did since school started in August: read-alouds read, field trips adventured, sports recreated, recitals performed, academic lessons learned, instruments played, recipes made, subscription boxes opened, friends played with, co-ops engaged, and more. Then ask, what are the gaps? What is missing that I want to make sure we do these last three months? Make that list, write the steps needed to implement what you envision, and start doing it this week with deadline dates. There is no more time to delay. Start now.

2. Set Quantifiable Goals

   The key to setting realistic, achievable goals is to ensure that they are quantifiable - so put a number in your goals. For example: We will read-aloud 5 picture books per week totaling 60 books. We will create and implement 2 theme days. We will learn 10 more spelling lists. We will play 1 new game per week. Utilize your knowledge of what was accomplished previously to inform an achievable quantity for these last three months. This way, you finish with a realistic mindset that is satisfied with the process and result. Do not be overly optimistic or set expectations so high that you miss out on the magic of being present. Enjoy the precious moments with your child(ren).

3. List Adventures and Make a Plan

   There are still lots of Covid-friendly adventures you can take, with and without masks. You have three more months to enjoy having real-life experiences as the teacher. Tie these adventures into a particular lesson or unit study. Get creative. Nature is one of the best teachers. So plan some hiking, digging, star-gazing, dune-boarding, tree-climbing, rock-sliding, snow-skiing, road-tripping, backyard exploring, neighborhood mapping, and more. Adventures can happen at home, in your neighborhood, and far away - so make your list, set dates, make your invites, call locations, print directions, and have it all ready to go so there is no procrastination getting in your way of creating memorable, enriching educational experiences.

4. Ask Your Kids

   Involve your kids! They have hopes and dreams for this school year too! If your kids completed their Interests Questionnaire at the beginning of the year, then pull that out to see what you can check off and what is yet to be started. Show your kids and ask them to each pick their 3 top things they put on that checklist that they still want to do this school year. No questionnaire? No problem! They can complete it now! Or, just ask them to consider books, field trips, theme days, creative projects or writing, etc. and write down 3 things they want to study or do before the school year is completed. Then, you sit down and make a plan with your child on how those 3 things will be implemented in these last three months. Besides running through the finish line, you are, more importantly, blessing your kids with training in a life skill.

5. Prioritize Your Favorites

   Do you have something that you’ve been excited to implement but haven’t yet? Is there a curriculum or activity or read aloud that is really important to you to complete this year that will super enrich your child’s education? Then, make it a priority! Pick a time each day (or week) that you drop everything and move on to do this one thing. Making it a priority will help you run through that finish line knowing you prioritized what truly mattered to you (and your kids).

Time has a way of sneaking up on you and passing you, but, if you have a plan, you will see it coming and be equipped for the home stretch. Finishing well means pacing yourself with realistic expectations, trusting the process, enjoying the moment, and letting the enthusiasm and gratitude flow so that you can sprint through that finish line, giving it your all.

And then at the end of the school year you can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7.

And let’s all do it like preschoolers when they run through finished lines - with persevering fire in our hearts, kindness in our hands, and laughter on our lips.

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