Count Your Wins: Finish the Homeschool Year on a High Note!

Do you remember opening up your report card at the end of the year and that sinking feeling when you didn’t do quite as well as you hoped? We can feel the same way as we look back on our homeschooling year with our kids. As homeschoolers, we often grade ourselves as we reflect on our child’s progress. And parenting is a constant opportunity to beat yourself up as we see the areas we fall short.

It’s easy to look back at your year and recall the ways that everything went awry. Maybe there was prolonged illness that threw off the entire schedule. Or a certain curriculum took way longer than you thought and you’re still not even halfway through. Or all you remember from the year is struggles, some tears, and feelings of defeat. But those grades on our report cards don’t always tell the whole story. Sometimes there are areas that can’t be given a letter grade but still represent growth and success. As you plan for the upcoming year, pinpoint a few areas that your child needs to improve and grow. Commit to some new habits and set some new goals. But don’t do that without first counting all your wins! 

Our kids’ growth and improvement are not measured just by their academic growth. Sometimes at the end of the year, the most obvious growth you notice is that they’re taller! Your kids’ physical growth and health is a win you can celebrate. And if you have a middle schooler, and you’ve survived a year of parenting a child going through puberty… well that’s definitely a win! You have two middle schoolers?? Cheers to you, my friend!

There are so many ways our kids are learning and growing that are worthy of celebrating! Did your child learn to ride a bike? Learn to tie his shoes? Did they achieve a new personal record in the sport that they play? And how many visits has the tooth fairy made to your home this year? Those milestones matter! 

Sometimes the growth our kids experience is their growth as people! Seriously, that’s always so fun to watch! Have your kids grown in their social relationships? Have they made a new friend that has brought out a new side of their personality? Maybe they had to walk through a strained friendship and grow in that process. Did they find a new friend group or contribute to their family or community in a new way? If your child has grown socially and emotionally, that’s a win you can celebrate! 

As homeschoolers, our goal is not just for our kids to learn, but for them to develop a love for learning. If your child has learned to have a better attitude about his work or any aspect of his life, that’s a win! Is there a little less complaining than before? Do you see them developing good character and making better choices? A poor attitude can throw off so many of our goals—so any upward shift in their character is a long-term, big win! 

Homeschooling is not just about schooling, it’s also about your home! As a homeschooling parent, managing our homes and managing academics all blur together. Are there any successes in your home and personal life you can celebrate?

If you’ve gotten some new routines in home management, that’s a win! Maybe you’ve tried some new healthier recipes that your family loves. Woohoo! Have you started any new habits that have helped you, as the mom, approach your day as a healthier and more engaged parent? Did you finally fix that squeaky door or organize that closet? Or did you tweak the family budget and pay off some debt? Those are big wins! 

And of course, we want to be able to count up academic wins for our kids. It’s easy to be discouraged if we only look at where our kids struggled or failed. But chances are, there are some wins in there you just haven’t noticed.

Even if they haven’t mastered every skill, look at what skills they are better at. Look at some of their work from a year or two ago. What do you notice that is better? Even if it’s just a little bit better, that counts as a win! Maybe your child asked for help just a little less often. Have they mastered a fundamental skill that they previously struggled with? For example, maybe your child has finally gotten his multiplication facts down. What a win!! Or he has finally remembered when to use a capital letter. That’s a win too! 

What have you learned about your kids and how they learn? What have you learned, as the teacher, about homeschooling? Every time we grow as parents and teachers, that often translates to academic wins for our kids.

What did you enjoy about this past school year?  What were the moments when your children’s laughter was so contagious that you couldn’t help but smile? Those moments that made you grateful for the path you are on?

If it has been just a hard year—if you’ve had to walk through grief, financial struggle, relationship stress, or job changes—and you’re still getting out of bed to invest in your kids to the best of your ability, way to go. You’re still here. You’re alive and breathing and committed to the path God has called you to. His mercies truly are new every morning. Every day is a chance to begin again and to count the blessings in front of you.

Reflecting on our wins can be more motivating than just wallowing in our shortcomings. And since you’ve found your way to Rainbow Resource Center, that’s a massive win right there! 

There are so many ways we can help you in your homeschooling journey. If you need some encouragement as you end this year or plan the next, give one of our consultants a call! We’d love to help you find more wins for you and your students! If you need help finding curriculum that is a better fit for your student, we can help with that. Or if you need resources to review a certain skill, we can find that too. We love helping homeschoolers, so please reach out via phone, email, or LiveChat!