How Year Round Homeschooling Can Be Beneficial

Posted by Nikowa Lee | 0 comments

In our very first year of homeschooling, we stuck with the local public school’s schedule. We took 3 weeks off for Christmas & New Years, 1 week off for Spring Break & planned 3 months for summer. But, 4 weeks into summer the boys were saying they were bored & it was too hot to go outside. So in our second year, we decided to try out a crazy thing we’ve heard about – year round homeschooling!

Year round homeschooling really fosters the love for learning & it fits well with our homeschool motto “Learning never ends”. After all, it’s not a 8 to 3 “job”.

5 things we love about our year round homeschool schedule.

1. We don’t have to spend the first 6 weeks of school in review.

Sure, we still review things but we’re moving forward, progressing in academics.

2. We can essentially make our own schedule.

We take off our birthdays, every major holiday that we personally celebrate & even every Thursday! It’s not a big deal if an emergency comes up & we have to change our schedule. So the stress factor is a lot lower with year round scheduling than with the traditional school schedule.

3. We don’t have to wait for Back to School sales to get curriculum.

We buy curriculum during all sales! We don’t have to fight the crowds & pray that the store’s stock won’t be picked through. We don’t have to attend conferences to buy our material. Ultimately, staying away from these “sales” saves us money. We have time to think about our purchase & not buy things on impulse.

4. We can go at our own pace with the curriculum that we’ve chosen.

No need to rush to get done “in time”. Isn’t that one of the main reasons to homeschool, to provide a customized education experience? If something isn’t working for us, we don’t have to use it for the rest of the year because we bought it on a back-to-school sale.

5. We get to take frequent breaks (we like to call them field trips).

We can go to the beach or the mountains during off seasons, thus saving money. We can experience the sights & sounds without the huge crowds & sometimes price gouging. This also works for local field trips. I’ve actually become quite spoiled with this, loving the mall & Chuck-E-Cheese on a Tuesday vs going on the weekend! Again, the stress factor is lower. I don’t have to worry about us “missing school”. We have plenty of time to accomplish our goals!

Our weekly/daily schedule is something that I’m constantly adjusting. What works today might not work tomorrow. What works for one person might not work well for another. Overall, year round homeschooling works extremely well for us. I can’t imagine homeschooling any other way & I highly recommend it to any future, new or seasoned homeschooler.

Nikowa is a 2nd year homeschooling mom to two boys. (Ages 9 and 5) With her “learning never ends” philosophy, they have an eclectic year-round approach to learning. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys photography, organizing, cooking, reading, and knitting. She is a #1 LOST fan and watches UGA football too! (Go Dawgs!) You can visit Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy.