Easing Back Into Homeschool: Our First Week
Instead of diving straight into lessons, we spent the afternoon at the library. It felt good to pick out fresh books and ease our way back into learning mode without pressure.
For the rest of the week, we didn’t start anything new just yet. We stuck to reviewing math and language arts through YouTube videos, games, and manipulatives. We also did a handwriting evaluation in our Good and Beautiful handwriting book. I introduced him to our Spanish and social studies curriculum books so he could peek at what’s ahead, but we didn’t go too deep.
Our first week back to homeschool was definitely more of a soft start than a full schedule—and honestly, I’m glad we kept it that way.
We kicked things off with a special first day of school breakfast, because sometimes food just makes everything more fun. After that, my son filled out a little “About Me” sheet I had printed. (I plan to do these each year—it’s such a sweet snapshot of who he is in this season!) Of course, we also took our first-day photos, nothing fancy, just out on the porch.
Science was the one subject we couldn’t resist. He’s on a big dinosaur kick right now, so we jumped into a couple of Mystery Science lessons. We also kept up with music, since that’s something he’s been enjoying all summer anyway.
Most importantly, we started to rebuild our morning rhythm: setting up the calendar, practicing memory verses, reading a Bible story, saying a prayer, and then easing into the day. It felt good to have that little anchor point again.
Now, I won’t sugarcoat it—the first week wasn’t easy. Getting back into focus after summer was tough, and trying to juggle homeschool with a baby in the mix (plus naps, meals, and, you know, keeping the house semi-clean) left me exhausted. There were moments when I wondered if I should be doing more, or if I was already behind.
But by the second week, things started to smooth out. And that’s the beauty of homeschooling—it’s okay to ease in, to find your rhythm again, and to give yourself (and your kids) grace.
If you’re in the same boat, mama, I just want to remind you: God doesn’t call us to homeschool perfectly—He calls us to be faithful. Even the little things, like reading a Bible story together or pausing to pray before the day begins, plant seeds in our children’s hearts that will last far longer than any worksheet.
So here we are, just getting started, but already looking forward to what this year will bring. And I know that with God’s help, it will be exactly what it needs to be.
