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The New Year and Homeschool

school We’re just around the corner from a new year—have you set your goals yet? Of course we all set a goal to lose weight. That has to be the most overused, and yet underachieved, goal in history. But what are your goals for your homeschool?

When it comes to homeschooling, the goals we set need to be a little less rigid than we might set in other areas. We can’t say, “Johnny will reach level three in his book” and expect that outcome if it’s one that Johnny isn’t capable of reaching at this point in his education. What we can do is say, “Help Johnny feel supported and nurtured as he learns,” and then see where that nurturing takes him. He may very well reach level three, but he’ll do it with a foundation of love and support. We can’t set goals for others’ behavior or achievements, but we can set goals for how we will help them along the journey.

At the same time, we don’t want our goals to be too lax. If a goal doesn’t make us stretch, it’s really no good at all—our goal sheet simply becomes a to-do list, and sure, the items on it get crossed off, but we’re no further ahead than when we began. For a goal to be really effective in our lives, it should cause us to step out of our comfort zones a bit, but not so far that we lose our footing altogether.

Be sure to talk with your children about their goals for the new year as well. Some might be serious, like my son’s desire to find an art teacher, or they might be hysterical, like my other son’s dream of bringing all his stuffed animals to life. But regardless of their goals, you can find a way to support them and to work those goals into your daily curriculum.

The start of a new year is always exciting. Build on that excitement and shake things up a bit—school goals can be fun, when you set them together, make them attainable, and celebrate when they are achieved.

Related Blogs:

How to Set Great Goals

The Horriblest, Most Slackingest Mom

Journaling New Year’s Resolutions