The start of a new year can often be a time for resolutions and wanting to make drastic changes to your life and your homeschool. But it’s essential to slow down, be gentle with yourself and your kids, and recognize that meaningful transformations come over time.
Trying to make all the improvements you want overnight is unrealistic and unsustainable.
Look at your homeschool and your life as a garden you’re tending to that will yield huge results at the end of the season. In the winter, we plan for our garden; in the spring, we plant and tend to it; and come summer and fall, we reap the bounty of our hard work.
Start small by setting achievable goals focused on growth and self-care instead of perfection. All it takes is one slow yet steady step in the right direction to unlock limitless potential!
Looking for more tips on slowing down? Check out these articles: What is Slow Education, and How Can You Implement It in Your Homeschool? and 10 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy Your Homeschool.
Take some time to ease into the new year and set realistic goals.
What better way to kick off the New Year than by reflecting on what you would like to achieve this year? The end of one year and the start of another can often create hype and excitement for setting unrealistic, lofty goals.
Instead, focus on what you want to feel more of in your life this year – more joy, peace, connection, or success. Start establishing small, achievable goals aligned with how you want to feel and work towards them consistently.
It’s good to have high ambitions but remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, so take your time and ease into the new year. What matters is that you make progress!
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Remember that the New Year is just another year and another day; you can take things at your own pace. There’s no strict timeline to write your goals down and start working toward them.
Your homeschool will still thrive without having New Year goals.
If you like, you can be like me and take the time between the Gregorian New Year and the Lunar New Year to reflect on the past year and write down your intentions for the coming year. But you can start whenever you want because you create the timeline, and you can also change it.
Be kind to yourself and give yourself some grace.
Being kind to yourself and your homeschool is more important than many realize. We often feel pressure to do more or strive for perfection, but more is not necessarily better.
Instead, doing less and doing those few things better will bring more peace and progress to your homeschool.
So take a step back and give yourself and your homeschool some grace. Instead of focusing on what more you can do, consider things that make you and your kids feel good; maybe it’s activities that make your family’s heart sing or bring your family joy.
When we pause to recognize what makes us happy, it wakes us up to the beauty around us and within ourselves.
Here’s to a homeschool year full of ease, flow, pleasure, and joy!
The new year offers us an opportunity to take a fresh approach to homeschool life. Let’s make it our mission to embrace all the beautiful moments this year has in store for us. Now is the time to open our hearts, nurture relationships that light us up, fill our lives with activities that bring us pleasure and joy, and focus on finding the easy way forward in everything we do.
And remember, winter is a time of rest and reflection, and with spring comes new hope, new opportunities, and newfound joy. So let’s plant and tend to those seeds and watch them grow!
Final Thoughts
As we move into the new year, let’s celebrate the spirit of transformation and growth, but remember to take it slow. Take some time for yourself, enjoy each step in your homeschool journey, and don’t rush yourself or your kids. Give yourself and your kids permission to make mistakes. Be gentle as you and your kids strive for your goals. The new year has stories to be written, passions to explore, and joys to be experienced!
Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!
So what feeling are you after this year? Are you looking forward to starting something new? Taking a break? Rejuvenating old projects?
Xuan Klevecka is a Southern California-based homeschool mom, wife, and sometimes purveyor of vintage goods. She’s an Enneagram 5w4, a lover of good food, and a former middle school history teacher. You’ll either find her looking at road maps and daydreaming about her family’s next epic adventure or perusing recipes and cooking up a feast for the brood.
