Hello, our incredible Homeschool Quest community of 244,000 awesome members and growing! As the new homeschooling year revs up, we are pumped to tap into your collective brilliance. You’ve always got the best ideas for making learning fun, flexible, and meaningful, so we’re called on you to share your top back-to-school tips!
Whether it’s a game-changing way to spark your kids’ curiosity, a trick to keep the daily grind exciting, or a mindset shift that ditches perfection for progress, we want to hear it all. Your wisdom helps every family in our community shine, we've picked 15 of our favorite tips you shared to make this homeschool year the best yet!
How do I know if I am doing enough as a homeschool parent?
"I tell myself, if I’m thinking about whether I’m doing enough, that alone means I am.
If you are asking yourself those kinds of questions it means you care and are putting in the effort to reflect, so you can change what isn’t working and become better.
It’s not about being “perfect” (which doesn’t exist;) it’s about trying, failing, learning and amending. You’re going to fail or feel like everyone else has this magical secret you don’t, but the truth is everyone else is figuring it out too and it’s okay to struggle. What’s not okay is continuously blaming ourselves and beating ourselves up over it. You are enough as you are and always will be." ~ Sara Wiley
"Sometimes it feels like I didn’t do enough today, but when I look back at what my kids knew 6 months ago vs now. That’s real progress!" ~ Costa Marazita, Moderator
"I always come back to my mission statement- the heart and soul of why I’m homeschooling. Am I matching the mission?" ~ Iris Deanna
"I know I am doing enough if:
1) my daughter is growing academically and personally
2) she has good mental health
3) she is socially active
4) she is learning daily living and life skills
5) we have meaningful conversations on what she is learning
6) she is becoming independent and is a self-starter
Do not focus on perfection but key your eye on growth and progress. If she is achieving our homeschool goals, she is growing personally and academically!" ~ Tina McNelis Arozena
"I have forced myself to give up the concept of “enough”.
My goals are:
Teach them to read.
Teach them to write.
Teach them how to do math.
Read to them often.
Provide the means to learn every day.
Have good discussions, follow rabbit trails, take it one day/week at a time." ~ Marissa Casas
How do you include your kids in planning for the year?
"Ask them what they would like to do. I do incorporate my kids interest, hobbies and ideas and it makes a difference." ~ Hester Stewart
"We usually do this once a year. It's as simple as sitting down and writing out some goals. Some I choose, some they choose. Some are learnings focused, some their interests etc
We normally look at them at the end of every term and see how far we are to reaching them and so on.
They're laminated and stuck on their bedroom door!" ~ Kate Louise Canary
"Mine usually pick a theme each season & I center their lessons around that theme as much as I can. They also choose one new skill to focus on for the year." ~ Sarah Hayes
"Ask them what non core subjects they want to learn and explore for the year, where they think will be some cool field trips, what they liked about the past year and what they didn't like, and I ask what was the hardest part of last year so I can make that not so hard for them." ~ Erica Harris
"Habit trackers and visual aids. Sometimes i'll mark a specific page in their books and if they get to that specific page, they get a reward. Also, when I'm grading and they over a certain percentage right, they get a reward. I use poker chips as well for rewards. Once they get to 20 chips, they get a movie date or bowling." ~ Ann Clark
"We are very unit study focused so we have an ongoing list where they get to add ideas of things to learn about. I also have prizes set up for certain goals like finishing a grade or reading a goal amount of books so it helps them stay motivated to keep going." ~ Lara Saldaña, Moderator
"Ever since my oldest was about 5, I've asked my kids. What do they want to learn about? How do they want to learn it? I will often provide multiple options for how to learn something and my kids will pick. I'm still asking them and reminding them that if something isn't working for them, we can make adjustments." ~ Ashley Wright, Moderator
What’s one big lesson you’ve learned about making your homeschool day actually work?
"Consistency. Even if it’s 2-3 assignments/ subjects. 15-30 minutes is better than an off day. The routine of it being a habit." ~ Claudia Noyola
"In the days they are more productive we do more in off days I cut the lessons shorter. It seems to all balance out." ~ Connie 'Cobb' Sutphin
"Zero carb, high protein breakfast with 5min of moderate activity immediately after breakfast. Keeping glucose spikes (and therefore insulin spikes) low not only prevents begging for snacks every 15min, it provides steady energy without hyperactivity and crashes.
My boys concentrate better, learn new concepts faster, retain learning better, and complete work faster with a high protein/moderate fat breakfast. We finish 8 subjects by 11am vs 3-4pm when they were eating high carb breakfast." ~ Grace Owen
"You learn from everyday life just as much as workbooks and computer time. Just do what you do and don't put so much pressure on everything." ~ Jamie Ann Harper
More threads with great back to school advice:
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