Because learning does not stop when the sun comes out. Free printables below.
When summer rolls in, many of us homeschool parents face the same obstacle. We long to keep our learning rhythms built throughout the school year. However, we also want the freedom and rest of summer. The good news? We do not have to choose between learning and rest, we can do both!
In our home, we follow a gentle yet simple, heart-led summer rhythm to keep learning alive but not overwhelm. Join me as I share how we will make a meaningful summer and avoid burn out. There are even FREE printables to help us get started. Cheer’s to a summer of love, learning and grace!
Summer does not mean an end to learning for the homeschool family. What we do is shift our approach to the summer months. We bring in more reading time – be sure to check out your local libraries for their FREE summer reading programs (Erie County Residents, here is ours). Copy work or scripture readings for each week, just once a week is easy as pie. Real world mathematics, whether through baking, grocery store visits or budgeting for a new bike – get them involved. Another fun idea is nature journaling – keep it easy, just a clipboard, paper and pencil. We can sit outside together and draw what we hear, or write words describing sounds, smells and textures. Let’s be creative and explore different spaces around our towns or cities. At the end of the summer, compare and choose all the favorite spots. Long drives? Listen to audiobooks or interesting podcasts. Choose some that relate to what we learned last year so there are familiar roots to build on. This heart-lead approach has a light touch while we build deep roots.
Summer time can be a time for delightful discovery. Instead of formal lesson plans, we can follow our children’s interests. Want to learn about birds? Let’s grab a birding book from the library, download a birding app and put out some bird feed! Sit in our own window and watch or head to a local park and see what we can see! Have a kiddo curious about baking? We can roll up our sleeves, pull out the flour and print some recipes to do together. Or maybe our child asking some big God questions. Grab a notebook and the bible. See what we can glean together. Summer gives freedom to be wonder-led, something that is easily carried into the coming school year too.
Be sure to make room for the extras in the summer. This is a special time that we can lean into things we may skip through the year. Say YES to handicrafts and creative play, bible memorization, music/nature studies, service projects. Choose more family traditions or vacation time. Consider spontaneous field trips. Let our kids choose something within a 1-hour drive away. Take the bus to the library and donate books we are not using. These extras can become the essence of learning being lead by the heart.
Finally, let’s remember that rest is not laziness, it’s sacred. Our families do not need to “keep up.” We need to take time to refresh, slow down and sit back a little. Let’s let summer be marked with slow, long mornings. Barefoot afternoons with books and tea. Popsicles on the porch and sliced watermelon in the lawn. What our kids will remember most will not be what they completed. They will remember how they feel, with us, right where they belong.
Mama, our summers do not have to be busy to be beautiful. Let’s allow this season to be one of connection, peace and gentle learning. Low in pressure, high in family time. Ask the Lord to guide our days, and trust He can do more with our small offerings than we could even imagine.
We are not just getting through, or surviving summer – we are planting seeds that will bear fruit for a lifetime. Remember mama, we are in this together, one Earnest MOMent at a time.
Love, Earnest Mom
Earnest Mom’s FREE Summer Printables – click to print:
earnestmom.com 