New Year, New Things!

By Patricia Huey

Happy New Year, Homeschooling Families!

January is here, and now that family travel, gift-giving, special events, and celebrations are over, homeschoolers often struggle to return to a routine! Feeling sluggish as we get back into our regular academic schedules is normal. The Bible says in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (NKJV).” January doesn’t have to be a challenging month for homeschooling—we just might need to shake things up a bit.

I was outside my home today, walking through the snow in the beautiful Pacific Northwest mountains. I noticed how bright and new everything appeared, from snow-covered fir trees to the snowy trail. It reminded me that January offers a clean slate—a new beginning. There’s something freeing about a fresh start! It’s also a great time to settle indoors by the fireplace with a cup of hot tea or cocoa to review or revise our homeschool plans and goals.

January offers several outstanding events that we’ll discuss in more depth later in this article. For instance, did you know that January 5^th is National Bird Day? Birds take the same route but vary in how they approach migration challenges. Some walk, some swim, and some take the scenic route. Like birds on their migration course, we homeschoolers have done our best to stay on course. And like birds, it’s okay to vary how we stay on our homeschooling course.

I hope some of the following ideas will inspire you as you continue your homeschooling journey with your students this month.

Motivating Homeschoolers to Get the Work Done

Many of us have heard our children say, “I can’t do this! It’s too hard!” or “This is boring!”

When we hear such comments, we should consider why our children might be experiencing these emotions. If we can identify the reason, we can usually fix the issue.

To begin, we might consider what our children are experiencing. Are they experiencing

• Pressure?
• Not understanding how assignments relate to the real world?
• Not seeing academic progress?
• A disinterest in the subjects they are assigned?
• Difficulty mastering a concept?

Student-oriented Motivation

Allowing students to be more involved in their daily schedules can help them feel more connected to their learning. When students set their schedules, plan their daily goals, and review their progress, their pressure and stress are usually lessened.

One young man I know decided to work on one subject for 50 minutes and then allow himself a ten-minute break for exercise, a snack, or phoning a friend. He’d set a timer, and when the ten minutes were up, he started the next subject. He repeated this throughout his day getting through his academic subjects. Whatever he had left over to do at the end of the day, he finished for “homework.”  This young man was empowered once he was in charge of his time management.

In my years working with homeschoolers, I have found that most students need to see their progress. Students can do this by checking their work themselves with parental supervision. Parents can help students overcome any concerns they cannot verbalize by highlighting their good work.

It is helpful to meet with students individually to find out how they perceive their performance in a particular subject. Sometimes, my kids would say they felt behind but planned to catch up. When I asked how they would catch up, they usually had a plan but needed help implementing it. Others felt they had mastered some of the material but were weak in other areas. Meeting with the students individually gave me insight into how they evaluated themselves.

The bottom line is that open communication helps prevent stress, worry, and boredom.

Healthy Competition Breeds Excellence

When homeschoolers lose sight of their goals, competition can help. Competition works for all age groups and grade levels, and it’s a great way to assess progress informally.

For students of all ages, I like to present reading contests. Reading contests can be held with students of all ages. Here is how I like to manage reading contests, but of course, you can tailor these ideas for your homeschooling program.

Reading Contest Guidelines:

• Set a date for the contest to begin and end (I usually schedule about a month to six weeks from start to finish)
• Announce what the prize is (see below)
• Students choose a book to read (You might have them choose specific categories)
• Students read the book
• Students fill out a book report sheet on which they write the number of pages read, a summary, and a brief review indicating whether or not they recommend it.
• Free book report sheets can be found at https://www.123homeschool4me.com/free-printable-book-report-worksheets-and-template-form/   or at https://laytonadventures.com/free-book-review-sheets/ or at https://thehomeschooldaily.com/7-printable-book-reports/#google_vignette

Making It Work:

• If you have children who are close in age and reading ability, let them compete. If you homeschool one student, have him set a goal of a certain number of pages. If he reaches that number, he will receive a prize.
• If you are part of a co-op or have homeschooling friends, ask them to participate for even more competition.
• Record progress. I like to put each book report form in a three-ring binder in a separate sleeve for each student.
• Hint: Posting progress on a form for all to see is highly motivating. One form that works well can be found here https://images.template.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/18193203/multipurpose-class-list.pdf

Math Fact Competitions:

Math fact competitions can be run similarly to reading competitions:

• Select a category for each child: addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. 
• Download the practice sheets and print several from each category. 
• Set a time limit in minutes for each math fact page to be filled out.
• Record on a chart and display on a wall.
• Place each student’s math fact timed sheets in individual folders.

Find free printable math fact sheets at https://www.k5learning.com/free-worksheets-for-kids .

Choosing Prizes:

Fill out an award certificate with the student’s name, date, and reason for the award.  You can find certificates at https://www.canva.com/certificates/templates/award .

Prize ideas:

• Gift card to a favorite store
• Movie with a friend
• Books
• DVD, CD, or video game
• Lunch with a friend at a favorite fast-food restaurant

Other prizes might include:

• Extra screen time
• Extra FaceTime with a friend
• Staying up an extra ½ hour

January Events to Highlight

There is a treasure trove of exciting events to highlight during January. Highlighting any or all of these events can be incorporated into reading, writing, oral presentations, science, and math. Reading contest categories may be chosen based on the topics listed below. Visit the websites for more info. 

• Paul Revere’s Birthday  January 1 https://www.factsjustforkids.com/famous-people-facts/paul-revere-facts-for-kids/
• Betsy Ross’s Birthday  January 1 https://www.havefunwithhistory.com/facts-about-betsy-ross/
• George Washington Carver Recognition Day  January 5

Carver Day

• National Bird Day  January 5 https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/birding-basics/15-common-backyard-birds/

• Poetry Day  January 13^th https://poetry4kids.com/classics/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening/#google_vignette
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 20^th https://temeculablogs.com/martin-luther-king-jr-coloring-page/
• National Handwriting Day, January 23^rd https://nationaltoday.com/national-handwriting-day/
• National Puzzle Day January 29^th  (Don’t forget riddles!) https://imaginationsoup.net/national-puzzle-day-kids/

January Reading Suggestions

Find these books in your local library or on Amazon.

• Daily Bible reading https://www.wildlyanchored.com/daily-bible-reading-plan-for-kids-free-printable/
• Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
• The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• I Have a Dream (Book and CD) by Kadir Nelson
• Who Was Betsy Ross by James Buckley, Jr.
• Paul Revere: Boston Patriot (Childhood of Famous Americans by Augusta Stevenson)
• George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist by Janet Benge
• Backyard Birding for Kids: An Introduction to Ornithology (Simple Introductions to Science)

Integrating Subjects Makes Learning Fun

How do you integrate subjects? When reading a biography or studying a famous person’s life, you might ask your students questions such as, how many years ago did this person live? What century did he live in? What were some specific events that happened during this person’s lifetime? Students might view artwork from that time or listen to music from that region. They might study geography and location of that time period.

One homeschool friend took the integrating subjects idea to a whole new level for her high school students. Here are her ideas:

She had a large binder for the classic book her homeschooled students were assigned. She handed out sections of materials (related information) and assignments. The assignments were listed at the front of the binder, which students could choose from. They included artwork to copy, history to study, essays and poems to write, and questions to answer. She turned this into competitions with points awarded for the assignments. She bought large medallion stickers, gold, silver, and bronze. As students reached certain levels of points, she handed out the medallions to be put on the spines of their binders. She discussed the weekly assigned reading with her kids and also showed parts of some movie versions in class, such as Moby Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Lorna Doone.

For her younger kids, she assigned 3D dioramas for specific books read. She loved how this enhanced their creativity!

I pray you experience a smooth transition from the holidays into the new year as you set goals with your students, highlight January’s special events, enjoy some competition, get outdoors to bird watch, and integrate subjects.

God bless you and your homeschooling endeavors this month!

Patricia (Patty) Huey founded Hill Creek Christian, a program for homeschoolers in Mount Vernon, WA, where she taught and directed for 25 years. Her memoir, A 21^st-Century One-Room Schoolhouse, is a testament to the power of faith and the calling to homeschool.  Patty is a regular contributor to Grace Publishing’s Short and Sweet series. She is currently writing her second book, Tripp’s Time Travels, which invites the reader into a deeper relationship with God.