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and beat the end of the year blues
It's no secret that the end of the year blues is a real thing. Mom is tired and done. The kids are tired and done. The dog is even tired and done. Everyone is done, done, done. And yet, this is still stuff to be done! There is still that tiny lesson that needs to be finished, that concept that needs to be grasped, or that books that needs to be finished.
I TOTALLY GET IT.
Since homeschooling is a part of Looks Like Home, I figured it was time I write my first post about the subject. It’s May 2022, and we are about to wrap up our 9th year homeschooling. Gulp. I cannot believe it has been 9 years already! (If we are counting pre-k! If you've sat and taught your child anything in Pre-K, I say count it momma!)
I have been researching and gathering ideas, materials and books for next year. Before we get ahead of ourselves, I wanted to encourage you to finish the year WELL.
It is so hard to do with the end in sight. Do we still have math lessons left? Yep. Do we still have readers unread? You bet. But one of the best things you can do for your school is to pick a “last day.” This not only helps you see the finish line, but your kids as well.
There were times I didn’t have a last day in place. The kids would continue to ask, “Mom, when are we going to be done?” Other people would ask as well. I would just shrug my shoulders and say, “I’m not sure. But I’ll know it when I see it!” Let me tell you, getting kids motivated to finish well with no end in sight was hard. That is, until I gave them a last day date.
There is something about knowing when that is and will actually encourage your kids to keep going and to finish with excellence. For The Campbell Schoolhouse, that's us by the way, our last day is this week. As we approached the last week of school, I kept reminding my children that we can do hard things and we can finish well. The next day I would say something like, “alright guys, we are almost done. Let's finish well!” There's less whine and frustrations.
Don’t get me wrong, they are kids and want to play as much as the next child. But when they know what day will be their “last” it definitely cuts the whine down.
So, if you haven’t yet, I would encourage you to pick that day that will work best for your family.
It’s already hard to kick the end of the year blues. One incentive I suggest is making the last week fun. Do crazy sock day, pajama day, wear your swimsuit to school day. The list goes on.
Bake cookies for the last day and have a tea party.
One thing I love to do is get my kids a "welcome summer" basket. With four kids, it can get pricey. But I have items like flip flops, a kickball, bubbles, chalk, sunglasses and popsicles.
You’ve got this Momma. You can do hard things well and have the spirit of a finisher too!