A Slow Start to the Homeschool Year – 2020-2021
What exactly is a slow start to the homeschool year? You have purchased all of the resources you want to use. There is a starting point with a weekly rhythm. Why wouldn’t you want to jump right into it?
The reason you want a slow start to the homeschool year is because it is a brand new year, and you need to get used to what your new year will look like. Plus, you don’t want to overwhelm everyone (including yourself!) trying to fit in too much right at the beginning.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
A Slow Start to the Homeschool Year
When we first started year-round homeschooling, it seemed like an easy thing to ease into the school year. We weren’t in a rush. Because of that, starting slowly gave us a way to get our bearings without feeling too overwhelmed. Homeschooling in and of itself can be overwhelming because you are teaching multiple grade levels, so if one small step in starting slow eases some of that overwhelm, you ought to take it!
What does a Slow Start Look Like?
Once you have all of your resources for the year it can be exciting. You want to jump right into all of it! You have been spending a lot of time researching the *perfect* resources for your kids, and now that you have them in hand, it is time for full-steam ahead, right?!
But, what if I told you that can be a bit of a disaster?
When you go from 0-60 in 2 seconds, it can be jarring. Not just for your kids, but for you as well. You haven’t figured out your rhythm yet. And that is OK! It doesn’t mean that you will struggle throughout the year, instead it means that you need to take a little bit more time to get started.
Instead of starting all the subjects at once, take one, and start it. If you have been homeschooling for any length of time that may seem crazy, but it won’t always only be one subject.
The Purpose of the Slow Start
The purpose for starting slow is to get comfortable with the materials that you have in front of you. You want to be able to work through them at your pace, at your child’s pace. And because of that, a slow start is a good idea.
When you get a handle on the first subject, add in another. Keep doing that until you have a good weekly rhythm that focuses on all of the resources that you want to use.
You may find that you have to put off using some of the resources, even some that you were so excited about. That is OK. It is more important to get into a good learning rhythm with your kids than it is to make sure you are using every single resource that you picked out.
Slow Start to the Homeschool Year and not year-round
Did you know that even if you aren’t a year-round homeschooler you can still start slow? You do not need my permission, but I am going to give it to you anyway. Oftentimes we forget that even in public school there is a grace period at the beginning of the year, at the start of a new term, or when classes switch.
It is OK to take it slow, and you will be more successful if you do that rather than trying to force every piece of curriculum.
You make some really good points about starting slow. It is so easy to burn out if you pile too much on at once.
This is my first year homeschooling my children and I have such high hopes! A slow start would really help us be successful though and I’m sure my kids would really appreciate not being pressured to do so much right off the bat, lol. Thanks for putting the giveaway together–my mom used Christian Light with my sisters and I when we were young and I’d love to look into it!
Thank you for the advice. I am definitely grateful to have learned this ahead of time.
This is my first year as a homeschool mom to 7 yr old boy/girl twins- scared but excited and this was such a helpful way for me to feel more at ease as we get into the new school year. Thank you
Thank you so much for posting this! A slow start to homeschooling year is just what I needed to hear especially since this our first year.
This was really, really helpful. This is my first year homeschooling and I’ve been spending so much time every day to prepare for September 1st (the day we agreed we’d start). Remembering that every day my kids can learn something and remembering that “unschooling” is perfectly acceptable helps make my life a little easier. Thank you!
This is so great! As a former elementary teacher, I had to give myself permission to do this. It helped to look back on my classroom teaching days and realize that I also eased my classroom students into the regular schedule…doing so with my own children has been such a blessing!
I’m so excited to get started, but the more I keep hearing about a slow start, the more I realize that it would work best for me and my kids