My Homeschool Goals for 2014
It’s the beginning of the year, and that means I’m setting goals and getting organized. I shared my personal goals for 2014 on Intentional By Grace this week. I wanted to share some of my homeschool goals with you today!
My Homeschool Goals for 2014
(Re)Focus on Reading Aloud
Reading with my children is very important. A chance to fall in love with reading is one of the best gifts I can give my child. Reading teaches language, which has a lot to do with a child’s emotional development. When life gets busy, this is one of the first things to go. Therefore, I want to set specific goals of reading to help me stay on track.
- Read 4 chapter books aloud with my three year old this year
- Read (at least) 14 books aloud with my three year old & (at least) 7 books aloud with my 4 month old each week
Check out 5 Tips for Reading Aloud with Your Child for further encouragement.
Create a Routine and Stick to It
We thrive on routine. I have a habit of being really great about doing homeschool preschool, and then it gets shelved for weeks on end (if I’m not careful).
Yes, I realize it’s preschool. Yes, I realize it’s not even totally necessary. Yes, I realize my son is only three.
But it’s important to my little boy. He loves spending time with Mommy, and he loves doing school. It’s part of speaking his love language for me. I want to focus on getting a workable routine for us that we can stick to!
Incorporate More Nature (aka, get outside!)
Being outside, exploring nature is very important for my little boys. Getting natural vitamin D, being in God’s creation, and experiencing various sensory activities through the natural world is truly one of the greatest classroom settings for preschoolers! My boy loves nature scavenger hunts.
- Get outside at least three times a week in the winter and everyday in the summer
- Create three new scavenger hunt printables (little guy loves checking boxes…wonder where he gets that from?)
Engage in Intentional Discipleship of My Boys
We already do consistent family devotions with our toddler. But it’s sort of like going to church on Sunday, and then forgetting about Jesus the rest of the week. We do our devotions and then, I forget to incorporate teaching my children about Jesus throughout the day. I compartmentalize the Gospel. I want to be more intentional about discipling my oldest son.
- Memorize 6 new verses
- Read through entire God’s Love for You Children’s Storybook Bible
I am praying that by setting new goals, we can grow in our consistency. We are just starting out on our homeschool journey. I believe incorporating the above habits into our homeschool now will reap great dividends later!
What is one of your homeschool goals?
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We do so much better with routine, but I am still having a hard time finding a regular time to do homeschool preschool! Some weeks I fit it in, others it just doesn’t happen!
I think that’s okay for the most part! I aim to do at least something focused everyday. Sometimes that focused learning time is done in the grocery store as we talk about how many pears we put in our cart, or how much money we need to give the cashier. I think for me just broadening my perspective and not cornering us into “table time is the only preschool that counts” mentality really helps!
I’ve been taking my kiddos outside daily for almost a week now. If we skip a day, they get so upset! So that’ll continue.
I’m also going to start taking them to the library to get books a few times a month.
I’ve download the ABC Jesus Loves Me 2 year curriculum that I’ll do for both kids, my son’s 27 months, and my daughter is 15 months.
It gives me a focus for them, and they love Mommy time, as your son does! 🙂
Other than that, I’m not sure….lots of reading though! I’d like to instill in them a love of reading like I had at an early age.
I think we’re kindred spirits on the reading. 🙂 I think your goals sound great!
Reading is a great skill to have, and love. I need to consider also, how to keep the Word alive through the day, as you are aiming to do. I don’t want the “God on Sundays” mentality!
What are your thoughts on homeschooling only children? I have a 2 year old son with many ADHD characteristics (my husband and father in law have it- he hasn’t Ben evaluated but acts very similar. Let’s just say my mom had 5 kids and she said he is as much work as all of them at once! Lol) we probably will not have more kids because I have chronic health issues. He is in a 2 year old playgroup and is thriving. I’m thinking of going the christian school route with him, as I think he needs the socialization. But I have seen more and more people do homeschooling lately, so I thought I would get your thoughts!
Jennifer, we aren’t a homeschool at all costs family. I don’t think it’s right for everyone at every season of a child’s life. With that said, you know your child. If he’s thriving in a more social learning environment, then I say it doesn’t hurt to give it a try, or at least explore that route. For us, our son does best in small group settings and big social environments overwhelm him (to the point that he literally just wants to go to sleep!). So right now, homeschool is the right choice for him. We evaluate from year-to-year and plan on holding our ideals with open hands. I think remembering the choice you make isn’t forever and can be changed helps alleviate the pressure. If you put him in school and he’s not doing well, then you can always pull him out (and vice versa). Hope that helps!