When I set out on this homeschooling journey, I didn’t give it too much thought to whether we would homeschool all year. I think it was an unconscious decision I already had in mind to do. My kids had done preschool year-round with me when they were little. During the summers they always worked on reading, writing, and fun unit studies on topics like stars or oceans. So when we began homeschooling, it was a natural thing for us to homeschool year-round.
Here are some reasons why we homeschool year-round and why you may enjoy it, too.
Flexible Schedule When Homeschooling Year Round
One of the main reasons I can’t give up homeschooling year-round is the flexibility it gives us in our schedule. We do schoolwork three days a week in the summer. In doing so, we have over 20 days started in our school year by the time we start our full 5-day-a-week schedule after Labor Day. I now have a lot of options with our school year. I’m not rushing to get our days in.
When things come up, as they often do in life, we have the wiggle room in our schedule. We don’t have to pass up on an opportunity or panic when appointments need to be scheduled. If we get sick, a family member needs our help, or we just aren’t in the mood that day, we aren’t worried about the school days we are missing and that we are getting behind.
Personally, I wouldn’t really have a start and end date for schooling. Learning is an ongoing process. I am required to track days and fill in forms with grade levels, so I do.
No “Summer Slide” with Year-Round Homeschooling
My kids work hard all year. I certainly don’t want them to regress over the summer. There has been a lot of research done that shows kids regress in reading and math when not engaged in it over the summer. I saw it when I was a teacher in the school, and I notice it when my son takes too long of a break from math. This is why we continue to include reading and math during our summer work.
I’ve had friends, teacher friends, that have said to me, “Your kids are already ahead in these areas. What does it matter?” What?! Are you serious?! I believe in kids working to their own potential, not some arbitrary standard set by some bureaucrat at the state or federal level.
Childhood is Preparation for Life
I will get a lot of people who don’t agree with this point. I see it all over the internet, and I’ve got it from friends and family. They’re only a kid once. Let them be kids. We only have 18 summers
I get it. I am not cracking my whip and yelling, “Work, work, work.” My kids do play and have lots of free time “to be a kid.” They need to realize, though, that life is not long extended vacations with no responsibilities for most people. I was a teacher and was fortunate to have summers off. Most don’t.
They don’t have it rough in the summer, either. Our school week is three days a week, and we finish by lunch. They pick their own reading and writing for the summer, math continues as usual, and we do some fun science or history. By lunch, they are off playing. They like the structure in the summer, too.
This isn’t a strong reason for us, but it is something I take into consideration.
Life is Learning
Along with preparing my kids for life, I try to show them life is about learning. Even as adults we are always learning. We read, visit places, talk to people, and attend classes or workshops on things that we want to learn more about.
I want my kids to always see there is something new to learn and explore. By doing so, they will continue to evolve as a person. The world presents so many opportunities. There are no set calendar days where learning takes place in life.
Learning is Fun
I feel my husband and I model the importance and fun of learning. I might read something I think is cool and share it with the kids. I pick classes to take for my teacher recertification I think will be fun. Everyone in our family reads a lot and discusses with one another what we are reading. It is just what we do.
Our family takes off to museums, exhibits, and presentations that we think will be fun, and we will learn something from it. Most of the time, the kids see it as a fun trip somewhere and don’t think, “We are off to learn something.” They just do.
Rosie the tarantula.
For my kids, homeschooling year-round is a way of life. They love planning out the fun things to explore or try during the summer. I find things they will like to try or learn about during the rest of the year. We get out and do things for fun and see how learning is applied in the “real world.” Learning is fun for them. I really don’t get a lot of complaining about doing their work.
Vacations
We do take vacation time. We follow the public school schedule during the school year. The kids’ extra-curricula activities follow the public school schedule, so it makes sense for us. We tried taking vacation time that didn’t follow the school schedule but ended up attending activities in the afternoon and evenings. We didn’t have much time to do
During the summer, we take some time off, too. We take time off in June before our “summer” schedule starts. It ranges from 2 to 3 weeks. Then we usually take a week or so off at the end of August before we start our full curriculum and 5-day-a-week schedule.
All in all, I love homeschooling year-round because of the flexibility it allows us and the lack of pressure of “not getting things done” before the school year ends. I don’t worry about repeating topics because they forgot how to do them over the summers, and it is a great time to incorporate so many fun things to show the kids how much fun learning can be. That is why we do what we do.
Want to learn How to Homeschool Year-Round? I have some great tips and ideas to help you get started. Check it out!
What does your homeschooling schedule look like? What do you love about it?
Happy Homeschooling!
