Every year of homeschooling teaches me something new. Last year taught me a lot about what works for our family, what doesn’t, and what I want to do differently moving forward. One of the biggest things I’ve been thinking about going into this homeschool year is that I want to have more fun.
Not necessarily more school, more worksheets, or trying to fill every minute of the day with educational activities. I just want to make the learning we’re already doing more enjoyable, hands-on, and memorable.
More Field Trips
One of the biggest things I want to incorporate more this year is field trips. And when I say field trips, I don’t mean that every trip has to be some huge or expensive adventure. It could be going to a museum, visiting a farm, exploring a nature trail, going to the library, visiting a historical location, or even finding something interesting right here in our own community.
There is so much learning that can happen when you actually get out and experience things. Sometimes I think we can get so caught up in making sure our kids are doing “school” that we forget that the world around us is school, too.
More Science Experiments
I also want to do more science experiments this year. My kids are naturally curious, and I want to give them more opportunities to ask questions, make predictions, test things, and actually see what happens.
It doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes a simple experiment in the kitchen or backyard can turn into a conversation that leads somewhere completely unexpected. I think those are some of the moments that make homeschooling so special because they’re not just memorizing information—they’re actually experiencing it.
More Hands-On Learning
Another thing I want to incorporate is more hands-on learning. Of course, we’re still going to have books and traditional schoolwork because those things have their place, but I don’t want every lesson to mean sitting down with a pencil and paper.
I want more crafts, cooking, building, experiments, art, projects, and opportunities for my kids to actually participate in what they’re learning. I want them to be able to touch it, build it, create it, and experience it instead of everything coming from a textbook.
Learning in Different Rooms & Settings
I also want to get more comfortable with doing homeschool in different rooms and different settings. If we’re reading, maybe we’re curled up on the couch. If we’re cooking, we’re learning in the kitchen. If we’re studying nature, we can go outside.
Maybe one day we do school at the library. Maybe another day we take our books outside. Maybe we go somewhere in our community and turn that experience into part of our school day.
I don’t want to feel like homeschool has to look exactly the same every single day for it to count. Learning can happen anywhere.
Finding More Homeschool Community
Probably one of the things I’m most excited about is finding more homeschool community. I want to find more like-minded homeschool families who want to get together for playdates, field trips, crafts, science experiments, or just to let the kids play while the moms get to connect too.
I don’t necessarily feel like we need to join some huge, structured homeschool group with something scheduled every single day. I would love to find people who are interested in doing simple things together and building friendships naturally.
I’ve even been thinking about doing themed homeschool days where parents and kids can get together. Maybe we have a craft day where everyone brings a craft, or a science day where each family brings a simple experiment. We could do a baking day, a nature day, or even just get together at a park.
I love the idea of creating a little community where the kids get to learn and socialize and the parents get to build friendships too. And honestly, I think it would be fun for me as well. Homeschooling can sometimes feel like you’re doing everything on your own, and I would love to change that.
Making Memories, Not Just Checking Boxes
At the end of the day, I think that’s really what I’m getting at with all of this. I don’t want to spend the entire homeschool year worrying about whether we’re doing enough. I don’t want to measure our year only by how many pages we completed or how many assignments we checked off.
Of course I want my kids to learn, but I also want them to enjoy learning. I want them to be curious, experience new things, make friends, get excited about a science experiment, remember the field trips we took, and probably make a bunch of crafts that end up all over my house. 😂
I want them to understand that education doesn’t only happen when you’re sitting at a desk.
So this year, I’m not necessarily trying to make homeschool more. I’m trying to make it more fun, more hands-on, more flexible, and more memorable. And I’m really excited to see where that takes us. ❤️
