Hit the reset button with these simple homeschool refresh ideas! Diving into a brand new year gives us a fresh start. It’s the perfect time to get your vision back and reignite your excitement about discipling your children.
These homeschool refresh ideas involve recommitting to your priorities and remembering the goals you started with. It also means finding ways to improve your time management and running your home more efficiently. Whether it’s tweaking your schedule, reorganizing your home, or managing your time better, this refresh will make a big difference. Regain your excitement and get ready to make this new year your best!
4 Ways to Refresh Your Homeschool For the New Year
1. Recommit to your priorities.
These are laid out for us in II Peter 1:8 where it says:“….add to your faith, virtue (character), and to virtue, knowledge.”
Our first priority should be building our children’s faith.
Keeping the Bible at the center of your homeschool should be a top priority. In Deuteronomy 6 God gives a command to PARENTS to diligently teach God’s Word to their children when they walk, sit, rise up, or lay down. So pretty much, we should be teaching God’s Word to our children all the time and making it a part of our daily training and instruction.
How do we keep His Word as the main focus of our homeschool?
- Start the day with His Word – read it together
- Sing Scripture before breakfast
- Memorize God’s Word together
- Apply the Bible to everyday situations
- Use God’s Word throughout the day for training & correction
Our next priority should be teaching virtue or Godly character.
One of your top priorities as a parent should be to help your kids grow in Godly character. Our main purpose for homeschooling our kids has always been to influence them and shape their values while training them in character.
Character training prepares our kids to do better academically and is the most important fruit we can nurture in their lives. If our kids were taught nothing but character, they would be better prepared for life than those who are taught pure academics, but no character.
Don’t just assume your kids will develop good character because you homeschool them, or because they go to Sunday School every week, etc. Since it is our job as parents to teach and train them in Godly character, we need to have a plan for how we are going to do that.
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Here are some ways to help your kids grow in Godly character:
- Teach character by example – how you live, and the role models you give them
- Teach character through training & correction. When they show wrong behavior, it’s an opportunity
- Make character training a priority. Have a plan for when and how you will teach lessons and how to apply the lessons.
- Focus specifically on one character trait at a time through daily character lessons
Our third priority should be knowledge – or academics.
It is our responsibility to give our kids a sound education and be sure we teach them the academics they need. However, keep in mind that this should not come before our top two priorities.
Building their faith lays the foundation for our kids to develop Godly character, and growing in Godly character is the foundation for academic success.
2. Remember your goals.
When we first start our homeschooling, we have goals that we are excited about and focus on. Often, however, those goals get forgotten as we get caught up in curriculum choices, and the busyness that homeschooling can bring.
It’s important to list your goals, pull them out and review them. A homeschool refresh is a great idea as you begin a new year!
Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes... in You and Your Kids
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A good habit is to ask yourself questions at the end of your homeschool day to determine how you did with accomplishing your goals. Did you stay on track, and remember your priorities?
Some things to ask yourself:
- Did I prepare my heart today by spending time with God, and seeking His wisdom?
- Did I point my kids to God today?
- Did I focus more on relationships than accomplishments?
- Did I take time to laugh & have fun with the kids, and nurture our relationship?
- Is there something I need to apologize for or make right with any of the kids?
- Did I spend time in activities or teaching that would build their faith?
- Did I do some intentional character training?
- What did I do to win or keep their hearts?
- Did I affirm more than I corrected?
- Did I teach and train with Scripture, rather than just scolding or correcting?
These questions will help you determine if you are accomplishing the goals you have set for your homeschool, and keeping your God-given priorities in place.
3. Evaluate how you are using your time.
Time management makes all the difference in how well we are able to accomplish the many tasks that we have as homeschool parents.
A few tips for better time management:
- Focus on your priorities. You can’t do it all, so choose the most important.
- Simplify as much as you can.
- Delegate what you can.
- Limit electronics.
- Use a timer.
- Do a time audit to see where time is being wasted, and to accurately see how long tasks take.
- Use school charts to guide your kids daily so they can work more on their own.
- Have a daily routine to guide your days & keep you on track.
4. Evaluate how you can run your household better.
As a mom, you are responsible for making things run smoothly in your household and creating a clean, orderly environment. This requires planning, and some regular routines you follow to get things done.
Things to help you manage your household:
- Have a chore chart for kids.
- Have a chore routine to guide you in daily/weekly tasks.
- Do a declutter challenge at least once a year to get rid of excess.
- Do daily pickups, and have kids do the same.
- Have a morning and evening routine to get daily tasks done regularly.
- Break tasks down so they aren’t overwhelming.
- Take advantage of small windows of time to do small tasks.
- Plan a monthly catch-up time for things that didn’t get done. This will keep things from getting out of control!
- Plan your menu weekly or monthly; keep meals simple.
I hope these tips and homeschool refresh ideas have inspired you to evaluate your homeschool in the new year. Remember that every small step you take to do better in these areas is progress, no matter how small. Get excited about the opportunity to make changes that will reignite your passion for teaching & pointing your kids to God. Here’s to a year of growth and God’s blessings in your homeschool and family.
12 Related Resources to help you refresh your homeschool in the new year:
- Why & How To Help Your Kids Think God’s Thoughts
- How To Keep Kids Interested in Reading The Bible
- Bible Reading Plans Your Children Will Enjoy
- Why We Neglect Teaching the Bible To Our Children
- 3 Godly Priorities For Your Homeschool
- 10 Questions to Ask At The End Of Your Homeschool Day
- How To Help Your Kids Grow in Godly Character
- 10 Tips for Intentional Character Training
- As a Homeschool Mom, How Do I Get It All Done?
- 10 Time Management Secrets Every Homeschool Mom Should Know
- The Best Housecleaning Schedule
- How To Establish An Effective Chore Routine
