This post contains affiliate links. By clicking on the link and making a purchase, I may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. I only promote products that we love and use in our homeschool. Please click here for full details on my Disclosure Policy.
The end of the school year is coming. Even though we homeschool year-round, we do wrap up one year, take a few weeks off, and start up again. On the last day, I like to have my kids fill out an end-of-year interview (which you can find here). However, this year I wanted to get a little more information from them. So, I created my own end-of-year activity.
My kiddos are older, 12 and 14 years old, so I want them to start learning to reflect on things they do in their lives and make plans to move forward. It is a great skill to have.
As adults, we are always thinking about how something went, how to improve it, and how to move forward.
As a homeschool mom, I know I’m always thinking about our homeschool. I want to know how things went so I can plan the coming year.
This year, I’m getting my kids more involved. I involve them with our homeschool planning; they can certainly learn to think about their year. Plus, it helps me plan the next year and make it even better.
Usually, I informally ask my kids about the year. Now I want them to write it out for themselves. It is good practice.
I wanted to share the end-of-year activity I created. You can download your own copy below. You can download a color version or a mostly black and white version (if you want to save ink).
Using the End-of-Year Activity
Now you’ve downloaded your own copy, it is time to get started.
• First, it may be helpful to have the kids brainstorm some of the things they’ve done this year. You can make a list of the different things you learned, books read, field trips you did, etc. It gets them thinking about their year, and they may be able to fill out the activity better.
• Talk to them about how people learn differently. It will help them understand how they learn and be able to explain what works best for them. You may help younger kids by explaining that some people like to listen to things, some prefer to use their hands, and others prefer to read
These couple of steps will help get your kids ready for the activity.
{RELATED: Diplomas and End-of-Year certificates at My Teaching Library (affiliate)}
Once your kids are ready, you can fill out the sheet a few ways.
- Have your kids fill it out for themselves. This is a perfect option if you have older kids in your homeschool.
- Interview your kids. Set some time aside to interview each child alone. Talk to them, using the end-of-year download as your guide. Then you jot down the answers for each child.
- You can have your kids interview one another. Sometimes when kids hear what others have to say, it makes them think of something they hadn’t thought of.
Next Steps
Now is the fun part!
Look over the answers your kids gave you. This is valuable information! You can see what they enjoyed, how they like learning, and what they want to explore more about. You now have helpful information for planning your next homeschool year. I think this is just as important as any end-of-year testing. You get insight into your child’s learning, so you can plan a homeschool to meet their needs.
And that is the beauty of homeschooling!
Now, DOWNLOAD your End-of-Year Activity and get started today.
