How to Wrap Up Your Homeschool Year

Now that summer is here, we’d like to congratulate you on another successful homeschool season! Whether you began homeschooling in the spring semester or have been doing it for years, reaching summer break is no small feat and deserves to be celebrated! 

If you’ve recently finished up your homeschool season, you may be wondering — now what? After so many weeks of learning, new discoveries, and school routines, what comes next? 

It can be helpful to wrap up your homeschool year in a meaningful way to get “closure” on the school season and fully unwind for summer. Reflecting on the school year can also be a great time for both the parents and students to look back at what worked well, what didn’t, and start making a plan for what to bring back in the fall. Ending the year on a positive note can also help you feel more accomplished and start the next homeschool semester strong!

Here’s what we suggest to wrap up the year:

1. Celebrating Achievements

As with any big achievement, finishing the homeschooling year is a reason for celebration! Discuss with your student what big academic and personal achievements they’ve accomplished this school year, and highlight them in a creative way! Some ideas to celebrate: 

  • Making a timeline or scrapbook of the year’s accomplishments together
  • Throwing an end-of-year party
  • Putting together your student’s annual portfolio
  • Displaying your student’s best work in your home or with a digital presentation

And finally, time off is a great way to celebrate! You’ve both worked hard all year, and now it’s time to play hard! Plan a family vacation (or staycation) to promote rest and relaxation. You’ve earned it!

2. Reflecting on the Year

After the celebrations are done, now is a good time to sit back, relax, and reflect. You can have a simple discussion with your child about what they enjoyed, what they found challenging, and what were their favorite things they learned this year.

If your student participated in an end-of-year evaluation or test, you can use the results of the evaluation as a jumping point to talk about what they enjoyed learning most. Test results can also help you make informed decisions about next year’s curriculum and can pinpoint areas to strengthen in the fall.

For older students, you can create a structured feedback session to encourage them to think critically and practice providing constructive feedback for you as an instructor. Journaling is another great way to reflect and can help create a paper trail to refer back to later.

3. Evaluating Curriculum and Methods

As a parent, you can also do individual reflection about the curriculum you chose and the way you implemented it. Keeping a journal can be an effective way to organize your thoughts and keep track of things you want to remember for next year.

Some questions to ask yourself include: 

  1. Was the curriculum effective? How so, or why not? 
  2. Were the teaching techniques effective? How so, or why not?
  3. Did your child meet their learning goals for the year?
  4. Did your child’s end-of-year test scores show that they’re making progress (if relevant for states that require standardized testing)?
  5. Are you satisfied with the progress your child is making?
  6. Does your child struggle with their lessons? Do they find them too easy?
  7. Was your curriculum easy to follow for your family? Does it work with your schedule or needs?
  8. Did you need to supplement your curriculum with outside resources to make it effective for your child?
  9. How could you improve your teaching techniques?
  10. Did you feel that the curriculum was effective? 
  11. Did your child engage with the material and enjoy their learning?

4. Setting Goals for the Next Year

Setting goals for the upcoming year can be a great way to get your student excited and involved when school starts again! In addition, setting goals can help you track progress and can give yourself something to look forward to. Things like posters, journals, or vision boards can help you visualize these goals and can be a source of motivation to continue working towards them. 

You can also take this time to involve your learner in next year’s planning — for example, creating their schedule on Miacademy or voting on field trips.

5. Maintaining Summer Learning

Now that you’ve spent so much time learning, you don’t want to lose covered ground! While it’s completely normal to need a little refresher the first few weeks of school, there are things you and your child can do to retain some knowledge and prevent a “summer slide.” Plan for relaxed, interest-led learning opportunities (see unschooling) to keep your child’s mind engaged and curious through the summer months.

Reflecting on and celebrating the end of your homeschool year is crucial for both you and your student. It provides a sense of closure, an opportunity to appreciate all the hard work, and a moment to set intentions for the future. By taking the time to recognize achievements, reflect on the year, evaluate your methods, and set goals, you can ensure a smooth transition into the next homeschool season and continue fostering a love for learning.

We encourage you to celebrate your unique homeschool journey and the milestones you’ve reached this year, and we hope to see you back again soon on Miacademy!