In this post, I’m giving you my entire checklist for a productive summer homeschool so that I start the next year feeling refreshed and organised. It’s like a Sunday Reset on steroids – it’s the ultimate list covering the areas of school, home, self, career and fun. You can find a printable pdf version of this checklist at the bottom of the post.
School
I pack our school schedule during the academic year. From September through May, we work hard and accomplish a lot. So when it comes to summer, I try to schedule the bare minimum for my daughter – just those subjects that really need daily maintenance to keep them up to standard and not lose ground. For us, that’s just music, maths and reading. And it can all easily be done before lunch. We don’t go into marshmallow mode during the summer, but we also aren’t year-round homeschoolers.
As a homeschool teacher, I need the summer to prep for the upcoming school year. This is when I read through teacher manuals for new subjects, collect resources for science experiments and track down books. I’ll make a tentative weekly schedule and then when the days and times for extracurriculars are confirmed, I move blocks around and set the schedule for our first semester. I also use this time to go through craft supplies and organise any materials like coloured pencils, construction paper, glue, etc. It’s not that these won’t be used over the summer, but not nearly as often as when school is in session. So this is a great time to clear out and set straight.
Home
Summer is when I evaluate and tweak my housework schedule. I take stock of what’s getting neglected during the school year and try to make adjustments. It’s also when I do my “spring cleaning” – all the time-consuming tasks that I have put off because I was just too busy during the school year.
If you are involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, summer is a good time to clean out your vehicle. I like to get it cleaned, organised and stocked (tissues, trash bags, diaper-changing essentials, etc.). Anything I can keep in the truck that won’t spoil in the intense heat, I will keep stocked so I don’t have to haul things back and forth with three kids in tow.
I also use summer to revamp my meal planning. Especially once I know what the schedule will look like when school and extracurricular activities start back up in full force, I put together a skeleton meal plan based around which days I’ll have time to prep, which days I can make dinner from scratch and which days I’ll need to have a quick meal ready.
Self
If you are super busy during the school year and you’re anything like me, self-care gets pushed – unintentionally – way down on the list of priorities. So I use summer break to take care of those things that need a refresh. For me, it’s usually stuff like scheduling a great hair cut and going through my wardrobe. Whatever those things are for you that need attention, now is the time. And with the shift in routine, now is also a great time to revamp (or restart?) your workout routine. Figure out what needs to change and SCHEDULE IT. And don’t forget your hobbies! Prioritise those things you enjoy. If you don’t take the time to plan these things, the summer will slip by and you will regret not getting to the things that make you feel refreshed.
Career
As a freelance consultant, my work is very flexible. It has to be. But since a lot of my clients are graduate students, PhD candidates and MBA students, the majority of my work is done during the academic year. Keeping to an academic rhythm, even for work, naturally has its pros and cons. A light workload during the summer means I can focus on things like marketing that require creativity. I can also use the time for professional development. However, nothing would get done if I didn’t start the summer with a plan. So near the end of the school year, I take time to reflect on my non-homeschool career and what I want to accomplish over the summer.
Family Fun
And last but not least, I like to think ahead of ideas for fun ways to spend our free time over the summer. The words “planning” and “fun” might not seem like they go together, but let’s face it. Fun times require some planning and forethought (like that trip to the aquarium). That doesn’t mean I have some activity planned for every moment. In fact, I purposely do NOT schedule certain days or blocks of time. Otherwise we would never get to relax before September.
The last few summers, I have made a list for my daughter of activities she can do on her own or we can do together. That way, when she gets bored, she has a menu of sorts to choose from. Of course, boredom itself is not a terrible thing. It’s quite a luxury, actually. So I’m not opposed to my kids being bored. But when I need time to get something done, it’s nice to be able to point to a list of ideas that the kids can choose from to entertain themselves.
I also make sure to put a cap on screen time. A sudden increase in “free time” can mean a lot of asking to watch television. So whatever that looks like for your family, I highly suggest thinking through ahead of time what you consider acceptable screen time during your summer break and make it law at the START of summer. The bar might slip over time, but it’s nearly impossible to raise later.
Planning Your Summer Homeschool Break
Taking a summer break is such a nice way to get a refresh, reevaluate priorities and test drive new routines (like adding chores). If you’re debating whether or not to hit the breaks at the end of May or push through and keep doing school full time, I hope this post gives you some things to consider. Summer can really be both a productive and restful time for you and your kids… IF you have a plan.
For me personally, I find that it’s better to over-plan than under-plan. I have done the latter before and it’s NOT relaxing. Just the opposite. It’s stressful. Because there are things I know I want to do, but without a plan, I have no idea where to start and I end up feeling like I wasted my break. By over-planning, you won’t get everything done on your list, but you will feel like you accomplished a lot and spent your break time the way you wanted.
What did I forget? Do you get a lot done over the summer? Or do you homeschool year-round? How do you refresh your routine and stay on top of all the things?
Keep Reading About…
My top tips for homeschool mom productivity or my 6 Productivity Hacks.
How to get a jump-start on next year’s school schedule.
And if you want a printable checklist of things I think you need to set yourself up for a productive summer, CLICK HERE for the printer-friendly pdf version.
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