It finally happened this week. We flipped our 2017 calendars to the very last page- December. Our family receives several free calendars in the mail, so there’s already a 2018 calendar hanging right behind the 2017 calendar. I can't help but think of how that picture of one calendar ready to go right behind another affects our homeschooling planning as well. We’re wrapping up our lesson plans, assignments, activities, and more while we are thinking ahead to the excitement of a fresh new year. Just as one calendar date and year follows right after another, the activities of our lives and homeschools continue moving right along.



Right now most families are trying to finish up the lessons and academic activities they planned many months ago to accomplish before the year’s end. Perhaps you were ambitious in January and set out to achieve many things with your kids. I fondly remember planning for each of my children on New Year’s Eve, year-after-year for many years. I would write notes in my journal with names, dates, and goals for each child. For example, one year, one would learn to tie his shoes, another would learn to read, another would learn his multiplication tables, and another would learn to make his bed and clean his room without help. We would work toward those goals throughout the year. Often at the end of the year, we could check those milestones to see that indeed we did accomplish those goals. And sometimes, we exceeded them! Not only did one learn his multiplication tables, but he could also work through long division without help!

And then there are the goals that we miss. Nope, we didn’t quite get that goal under our belts. Should we rush through the remainder of the year to pound that out? That's certainly an option, but if it causes stress on you and your child, you might want to consider backing off a bit and work on it in small doses. It really isn’t about accomplishing within a certain time frame as much as it is accomplishing the goal and being able to move ahead and build on that skill. It might take an extra month or two. I remember carrying over certain goals for kids from one year to the next because some goals are only accomplished when they are mature enough intellectually, physically, emotionally, or spiritually to work through them. This requires patience, consistency, and prayer on the part of Mom and Dad. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t set goals, but it does mean that they should be made with flexible dates and outcomes.

We trust the remainder of the calendar goes well and that the transition to a new year is smooth. Our HomeWorks Consultants are available year-round to assist you and provide encouragement. They are great at planning, scheduling, and working with families with different learning and teaching styles. Contact a consultant by following this link: http://www.homeworksbyprecept.com/consultant-and-event-locator