5 Reasons We Homeschool Year Round…and a Giveaway!
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I’ll admit, deciding to homeschool year round wasn’t an easy decision, but I’m so glad we decided to go ahead and do it!
Growing up, I’d look forward to summer all year long. I was, after all, a public school student and the summer was one of the only times I could have something of a break. I’ve never really enjoyed the hot weather of the summer, but you can bet I enjoyed that break from the daily stresses of school.
Now that I’m homeschooling my own kids, though, we’ve decided that it would be a good fit to homeschool year round. As much as I enjoyed summer break I, even as a child, would notice the bit of educational regression that would occur during the summer. It was somewhat disappointing, you know? To spend September – June working hard only to forget information in the summer.
There is a giveaway at the end of this article – be sure to check it out!
Deciding to homeschool year round was not a decision we took lightly. A lot of thought and discussion went into it. If you’re considering homeschooling year round, you might have some of the same concerns and see some of the same benefits as we did!
Let’s chat about the reasons we decided to start homeschooling year round, shall we?
Learning All Year Long
No More Regression
Prior to homeschooling, my kids were enrolled in public school. Even though they were only in “the system” for a few years, they even noticed the summer time regression and were frustrated by it. Deciding to homeschool year round means that they’re learning new things every day…even if it’s not on purpose!
Deliberately taking 2-3 months off of consciously making the decision to focus and learn just doesn’t make sense.
Setting the Stage for Success
If you have a job, you are most likely working year round, right? I mean, unless you are a teacher, you probably don’t get to take summers off of work. You probably take a few days off here and there, but not 2 months at a time.
Not that I want to make my kids grow up any faster than they are already, but homeschooling year round does help to prepare them for having jobs later in life.
More Small Breaks
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that we do something called “Fun Friday” in our home. Instead of planning homeschooling lessons and such Monday-Friday, we will take Friday “off” for more fun and hands-on experiences.
Because we typically take 1 day “off” per week, it just makes more sense for my kids to continue their homeschool activities throughout the year.
More Travel
We LOVE to travel and, because we homeschool year round, we’re able to take advantage of multiple opportunities to travel throughout the year.
Public school families are typically restricted from travel during the regular school year unless it’s during a holiday weekend or the summer. And, if you ask me, those are the times when I’d rather not travel because places get so crowded!
Homeschooling year round allows us to take time “off” to travel during the “off season.” I’m all for avoiding crowds and taking advantage of lower travel prices!
A Love of Learning
As a public school student myself, you can bet that I was NOT open to any sort of academic activities during the summer months. Sure, I’d participate in summer reading programs, but that was about it. I had already done my time and the summer was my time to relax. Even if it did eventually get boring!
Homeschooling year round helps my kids (and yours!) to develop a true love of learning. They are often free to complete activities at their (reasonable) pace, aren’t held to any hard deadlines (even adults ask their bosses for project extensions!), and aren’t controlled by the thought of “summer is a break from learning.”
Starting a New School Year
If you’re considering homeschooling year round, I’d love to hear your reasons for doing so! Even though we are still somewhat homeschooling newbies, I’m thrilled that we’ve made the decision to homeschool year round. And, if I’m being completely honest, it seems like the boys are enjoying this “schedule,” too!
Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,
Elizabeth Dukart is a proud born and raised Jersey Girl, wife, and mom of 2 human boys & 1 canine boy.
Created in 2021, Elizabeth owns and publishes That Homeschool Family: a free resource for homeschooling parents and beyond! A seasoned blogger, Elizabeth previously published a popular location-specific family resource blog, but decided to “Pivot!” her blogging focus after she started homeschooling her two boys in 2020. In addition to this blog, you can follow Elizabeth’s homeschooling and family adventures on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.
When sheβs not busy taking over the world or homeschooling, Elizabeth can be found listening to music (especially The Beatles & Harry Styles!), being silly with her boys, watching movies with family, shopping, or traveling!
Have a question or want to work with Elizabeth? Send her an email!
During the kids’ elementary years, we homeschooled year round with three months on, one month off. That way we had three nice breaks rather than one super long one.
I like the sound of this!! We’re still working out the best schedule for us (besides Fun Fridays), so I’m thinking we’ll give this a try!