{"id":44471,"date":"2023-12-29T13:19:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/?p=44471"},"modified":"2023-12-19T15:59:06","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T21:59:06","slug":"why-i-never-make-homeschool-new-years-resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/why-i-never-make-homeschool-new-years-resolutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Never Make Homeschool New Years Resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We are so close to the new year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am happy to say goodbye and start fresh. This time of year always causes a serious need to reflect and eventually create goals for my life. I mean, it’s New Year’s. Isn’t that what New Year’s resolutions are all about?<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"homeschool<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although I am happy to think through New Year’s goals for myself, and even for my family, there is one area of our lives that I never, ever make resolutions for: I don’t make homeschool New Years resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we first started homeschooling ten years ago, I had so many big plans. (Maybe you can identify.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were going to practice all the sight words, do all the math worksheets<\/a><\/strong>, and even keep the house tidy as we learned with a well-planned chore chart. I was going to teach them all the important life skills <\/a><\/strong>by the time year one was done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(You can laugh. It’s ok. I’m laughing too.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then reality hit and life interrupted those lofty goals <\/a><\/strong>in the form of two little boys who did not learn the way that I thought they should. Reality hit in the form of daily resistance and meltdowns. Eventually, reality hit in the form of my being ready to give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By January, I was ready to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. I thought a few well-chosen New Year’s Resolutions would be exactly what our homeschool needed to get right back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could not have been more wrong, and I have never made homeschool New Years resolutions since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why…<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"homeschool<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Written by Shawna of Different by Design Learning<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why I Never Make Homeschool New Years Resolutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my experience, the new year is perhaps the absolute worst time to reinvent the homeschool wheel. There are so many reasons why, but these are the ones I find to be the biggest obstacles that come our way each January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason One: I am tired<\/em>.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The holidays are a time of great joy for my family. We love the traditions, the movie nights, the hot chocolate, and even the holiday travel to see aunties and grandmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are a time of great joy – and also great exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time the Christmas decorations are packed away and the kitchen is finally cleaned up after one last baking session, I am 100% ready to rest. Not only am I physically tired, but my brain is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the time for creatively coming up with homeschool New Years resolutions and improved goals for our homeschool. It is a time for rest.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"home<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Reason Two: My kids are tired<\/em>.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As tired as I am, my boys are pretty tired as well. The joy of the season turns into one last trip home from a relative’s house and trying to find a place to put the new presents. They squabble more and overall find less and less joy in the holiday hubbub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are just as in need of rest as their mom!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason Three: We are out of routine<\/em>.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This might be the number one reason for me to never, ever try to introduce homeschool New Years resolutions in this time frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the New Year rolls around, we are coming off of the six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bedtimes have been more lenient. Sugar intake is at a year-long high. None of us remember what it even feels like to have a normal homeschool day without some special gift project or baking session<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My children do best with a loose routine. They operate at their best when they know what to expect and now to mentally plan for their days. I am the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of routine means not exactly happy, easy-going children (or moms) in my experience. It also means it’s not the best time to start with resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Reason Four: Getting back to “normal” feels new<\/em>.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After a few years of homeschooling, I realized that January was a month when I could count on our boring, basic routines to feel new again. After the break the holidays provide from the mundane day-to-day, any semblance of normalcy works best for all of us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My children seem to relax when we get back to the basic studies we employed before the holidays. It almost feels boring, and, for a short period of time, we like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why mess up the gift of boring by adding in more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I Do Instead Of Making Homeschool New Years Resolutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

January, for me and my kiddos, is a month of getting back on track. It begins with a very slow start and ends with us being back in what I consider to be a more reliable, productive routine<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once January has passed, then, and only then, do I start thinking about any goals I have for the rest of the school year or anything new I want to add to our days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February brings a chance to evaluate our current academic progress <\/a><\/strong>and goals. It is the month I look at our curriculum choices <\/a><\/strong>for the year and begin thinking about what may need to be added or tweaked to help us finish strong. It is the month I am better equipped to handle the pressure of making resolutions for our homeschool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you make homeschool New Years resolutions or not this year, I want you to know that it is OK to allow your family a bit of time to transition out of the holiday season. In fact, it might be the only resolution you need!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are so close to the new year. I am happy to say goodbye and start fresh. This time of year always causes a serious need to reflect and eventually create goals for my life. I mean, it’s New Year’s. Isn’t that what New Year’s resolutions are all about? Although I am happy to think…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":83938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[204,238],"tags":[17336,17337,17334],"class_list":["post-44471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-encouragement","category-posts-by-shawna","tag-homeschool-new-year","tag-homeschool-new-years-resolutions","tag-new-year"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":204,"label":"Encouragement"},{"value":238,"label":"Posts by Shawna"}],"post_tag":[{"value":17336,"label":"homeschool new year"},{"value":17337,"label":"homeschool new years resolutions"},{"value":17334,"label":"new year"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Depositphotos_231307582_L-500x667.jpg",500,667,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Shawna Wingert","author_link":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/author\/shawna-ntft\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":204,"name":"Encouragement","slug":"encouragement","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":222,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":118,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":204,"category_count":118,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Encouragement","category_nicename":"encouragement","category_parent":0},{"term_id":238,"name":"Posts by Shawna","slug":"posts-by-shawna","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":255,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":25,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":238,"category_count":25,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Posts by Shawna","category_nicename":"posts-by-shawna","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":17336,"name":"homeschool new year","slug":"homeschool-new-year","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":17353,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":17337,"name":"homeschool new years resolutions","slug":"homeschool-new-years-resolutions","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":17354,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":17334,"name":"new year","slug":"new-year","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":17351,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Depositphotos_231307582_L.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44471"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83937,"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44471\/revisions\/83937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}