How To Make Your School Year More Successful!

September 8, 2009

in Homeschool Building Blocks,Works For Me Wednesday

It's Hard To Travel A Path With No End In Sight.

I was so excited when I noticed that the theme for this week’s WFMW!! I love “back to school” time. Being a homeschooling family, we never really *leave* school but there is just something about autumn that helps us get even more geared up!

I decided to repost one of my favorite articles relating to school. I try to look at this one every couple of months to keep me focused. I hope it Works For YOU!

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Do you have any goals for this school year? (You know, besides getting to the end of the year with all your sanity!)

Is there a mark that your child is trying to hit by the time this year is finished? (And, not the mark on his sister’s forehead!)

For us, having a goal in sight can make our daily load feel just a little bit lighter – which makes the whole year that much more successful.

It is really hot outside!

My family and I were taking a walk (is it still considered a walk if you stop every two minutes for a water and snack break?) at a beautiful local park recently. It was really really hot! I live in the jungle called Florida – it is always hot! My youngest is only a year old, so Daddy had her in the baby backpack, but my other two (who are 3 and 4) were walking along beside me.

"Sweatnen"

They were “sweatnen”, as my daughter says. Even though the heat and the blazing sun were making it a little difficult to totally enjoy our time together, they were being troopers and sticking with it. But, about half way through the trail, my son said that he was ready to go back to the van.

My husband looked up ahead and saw a lookout tower not too far off in the distance. He said to my son, “Oh wow! Look up ahead guys! It’s a lookout tower! Do you think you can make it that far before we head back to the van?”

Both of them were already running ahead as they answered, “YEEEEESS!”

The Finish Line!

Just having that landmark to look forward to gave them a huge boost of energy. It made them stop thinking about the discomfort they were feeling and, instead, think about what was ahead.

It seems to me that the homeschooling journey is much like that scenario.

We do our best to make sure that our kids are having a good time while learning, but sometimes the work just has to get done no matter how much they hate Math or how boring English might be to them. Life outside the home will be full of things they just don’t want to do and they will have to know how to make themselves do it.

We MADE it! Yessss!

Sometimes, having a goal to look forward to or a mark we’re trying to hit can make all the difference in the world. We aren’t thinking about the discomfort of “now”, we’re thinking about the excitement of “then”. Whether it be the academic goal of graduating high school or the fun goal of getting a week off when a predetermined amount of work gets done, goals motivate!

Here are some goals that you might be able to use to motivate your kids when the going gets tough …

Computer time – Especially when the school year schedule is in full swing, my kids rarely get any computer time. Sometimes, they get this reward at the end of the day for doing all their work with a good attitude. Sometimes, they get it at the end of the week for not complaining. Sometimes, they earn it with good behavior that we keep track of on a homemade chart or with homemade coupons.

Coupon system – Speaking of the coupon system, you could use this system in any number of ways to motivate your kids toward a certain goal. You could work up a system that is written out and posted. Spell out those certain things that will earn them a certain number of coupons. Each coupon is worth 5 minutes on the computer or 10 coupons equals ice cream after dinner, etc. Usually, I just use it on a spur-of-the-moment basis. If I see they are dragging, I’ll say, “5 coupons for doing this math page in 5 minutes!” Or, if I happen to see them working on something hard with a good attitude, I’ll just slip them 3 coupons without saying it ahead of time. They get to turn in coupons whenever they want and the “exchange rate” is posted where everyone can see it.

Day off – When my oldest son would drag through his work right away Monday morning, I knew it was going to be a long week. Their little bodies are growing so fast and going through so many changes, I think that sometimes they are just tired or just a little “off” and they really do need a break. I would tell him that if we could get all the work done, we could have Friday off. We sat down to figure out how much he had to do each day in order to get that day off and many times, he got MORE work done each day than normal just because he knew he would have an extra long weekend!

Lunch at a friend’s house – Other homeschooling families around you might be experiencing the same motivation issues that you are. Talk with the other family about organizing two lunch dates, one at your place and one at theirs. I’m sure the children in both families will be excited enough to work through their math problems when they know a friend is coming!

Pizza party – At the end of a particularly long week, throw a pizza party! Decorate with items you already have around the house and quit school early and make homemade pizza together. (Make sure to set aside one crust for cinnamon sticks!) You could tell them about the idea early in the week so they can look forward to it or you can surprise them with it the first time and then use it as a motivator later on – “Get all your work done this week and we’ll throw another pizza party!” You could also let them invite one or two friends over to enjoy the party with them.

Prize box – This is an idea that I picked up from a Christian school principal. She runs a coupon system in the school and they can earn coupons for lots of different things. If they pass a test, they get one coupon. If they get 100% on a test, they get two coupons. If they are spotted doing something extra sweet for someone else, they get a coupon. If they are caught tipping on their chair, they get a coupon taken away. And lots more things. Once they earn a total of 10 coupons, they get to go to the prize box and pick something out. I loaded up a box with items from the $1 store and closed it up. Then, he got to feel around without looking and picked his prize that way. He really enjoyed the surprise!

Video day or evening – The next time you go to the library, try to find a video that the kids would enjoy. Pick a goal you want them to hit, like getting all the work done or working without fighting or cleaning up after themselves all week. If they meet the goal make up some popcorn, bring in all the pillows from the bedrooms and snuggle up for a good movie.

Having a friend over – I would only give this option to one child at a time because it makes it more special for that particular child.

Having a picnic lunch either at a local park or in your own backyard.

Camping in the backyard or in the living room

End of the year party – Maybe, planning a party for the end of the year would help them keep working toward that finish line. You could talk about lots of ideas, themes, or games to have at the party. Advance planning always leads to a better product – I am sure you’ll have one fabulous party planned by the time the year is over!

Nail painting – my daughter just LOVES to have her nails painted, especially when I do mine as well! But, its just one of those things that I rarely do with her. This one would be a great motivator for my little girly-girl!

I’ve tried to keep the ideas to things that are free or really cheap. Depending on your economic situation, you could also consider ideas such as taking the child to their favorite restaurant or to the zoo. There are lots more ideas when you have a little extra cash to use.

You could also ask your kids about some fun ideas. Many times they have great ideas for things that we would never have thought of!

Happy To Have Reached The Goal!

Stay tuned! There are always more great homeschooling articles and reviews coming up! You can get each one delivered right to your RSS Feed or email address immediately after it is posted!