Tips for Wrapping Up Your Homeschool Year Right and 2019 May Writing Prompts {FREE PRINTABLE}
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What does wrapping up your homeschool year look like at your house? We’ve got some tips to help you wrap up the year right, plus free writing prompts!
I can’t believe it’s almost time to start wrapping up the year! Do you take a summer break? We have in the past, but at this point, we’ve become unschoolers by default and have no idea what our plan is for the upcoming week, let alone summer.
I’m sure we’ll be doing some things over the break, but technically, our school year calendar ends in May.
What does wrapping up the year look like in your homeschool?
Are you celebrating accomplishments or beating yourself up for not getting enough done? If I’m candid, I’m busy doing much more of the latter. It’s a been a rough year.
Homeschooling a child with OCD, anxiety, or mental illness can be discouraging at times, and this year has been one of those times for our family. If you’re the parent of a special needs student, you understand the roller coaster of emotions that come with the job of homeschooling a child who’s different.
Am I doing enough?
How will I get through to my kid who hates school?
What if we don’t finish?
Anybody?
No matter if you’re homeschooling a child with special needs or not, the homeschool mom worries tend to creep up at the end the year, don’t they? If you’re feeling down about your year, know you’re not alone!
It’s an excellent time to remind yourself of all the positives. Focus on what you’ve accomplished and celebrate milestones, no matter how small!
Celebrate Milestones
One significant accomplishment for my middle schooler this year was taking an online class for the first time. I forced my homegrown kiddo to take a Spanish class, and it has been a fantastic experience for him. He went from being pretty ticked he had to take the course at all to sucking it up and doing a tremendous job!
It’s the first time he’s had to answer to another teacher or be accountable to deadlines. At first, it was all new to him. He’s had to adjust to using email and phone etiquette, following instructions, and being independent. Overall, it’s been a big positive for him.
Writing has also been an area of growth for us this year too. My son has gone from being a reluctant writer to pumping out some decent essays. Yay!
Our monthly writing prompts are a great way to add some last-minute additions to your year-end portfolios. Even if your state doesn’t require work samples or evaluations, you can still create an excellent notebook to document the hard work your kids have put in this year.
Document the Year
I keep it super simple and use a large 3-ring binder and dividers. I include a section for each subject covered along with a section for writing samples! It’s one of my favorite things to save because there’s always so much growth from beginning to end.
Spotlight Strengths
If you need some topic ideas to let your kids spotlight their writing skills this year, try our free printable writing prompts!
This month’s writing prompts are suitable for all ages and include topics such as:
- Gratitude
- Star Wars Day
- Florence Nightingale
- The Kentucky Derby
- Jokes
- Restaurant reviews
- Self-reflection
The writing prompt calendar is an exclusive free download for Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers subscribers. If you’re already a subscriber, head to the subscriber freebies page and scroll down to Free Printables.
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Try Photo Books
Photo books are probably my favorite way to document what we’ve covered. They also double as the perfect keepsake for your year. Include photos from your favorite field trips, vacations, or everyday homeschool moments like science experiments or co-op classes.
Include Letters and reports
In recent years, I’ve started including letters from our doctors and therapists in my son’s portfolios. If he attended public school, he’d an IEP for documenting goals and achievements. Not all accomplishments are academic!
I like to include reports from the team of people who work with my son and understand his growth and maturity. I want our evaluator to recognize all those hours of hard work he’s invested in learning how to manage his needs and care. That is huge!
Letters and reports don’t have to come only from therapists. Maybe your child took some co-op classes this semester? Be sure to include letters from those teachers and classes as well. Did they volunteer anywhere? Letters of recommendation go a long way.
These are just a few ideas on how you can focus on the positives as you’re wrapping up your year.
What year-end ideas would you add to the list?
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Adrienne Bolton is a freelance writer and veteran homeschool mom. She began homeschooling in 2009 to meet the needs of her oldest son who struggled with the public school setting. Her boys have had different experiences with homeschooling, but both have thrived in spite of her. Her oldest son transitioned from public school after fourth grade and her youngest is 100% homegrown, having never stepped foot in a traditional classroom. Now with one son in college and one working his way through high school, she is proof anyone can do this. She writes with humor and heart, peppered with occasional snark and sarcasm. When she is not writing or working you can find her with a good book in hand, snuggling her massive Pitbull fur baby, or making something yummy in the kitchen. She loves to cook, bake, and be outdoors in the sunshine. The beach is her happy place and she's a true flip-flop wearing Florida girl. Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.