While a number of homeschooling families do not take a long summer break in sync with regular schools, they may take a short break during this period from the homeschool classroom. When getting ready to go back to a normal schedule of classes, it may be a good idea to set up some rituals to help the homeschool students get back in the flow.
The School Supplies Shopping
All children do well with organized activities. Taking them shopping for a list of school supplies that they will need the next academic session, is a good way to draw their attention to the fact that the summer break is nearly over and homeschool classes will begin again. It’s a good idea to have a written list that they need to shop by, else yu may overspend your budget before the year begins!
The Start of Year Photograph
Get them all dressed up and pretty for the first photograph of the new academic session. Keep these printed photos in the yearly scrapbook. Add field trips, special projects, and other images to it as you go along. The children will enjoy leafing through the pages at the end of the year. It also gives them a sense of structure of things to come in the upcoming year.
The Student Interview
Have a list of questions ready for your little homeschool classroom celebrities. Let them answer in written just to get back into the habit of writing. They can answer questions about their favorite book, movie, sports, and friends. It’s a worksheet that’s all about them. You can even add a section for them to paste in their photographs. A sneaky way to get them to start writing again.
The End of the Day Ritual
A simple thing like going out to get a burger at the end of the first day of school can become a ritual. Or you can incorporate some creativity in the kitchen and have them make food art which is edible for supper. Just think of something fun that can be done over the years to establish the ritual.
