Homeschooling

10 Ways to Finish the Homeschool Year Strong

On March 8, 2025 by Anna De Lay

Spring is here! Which means the end of the school year is finally in sight. This year has been a journey for us just like any other with its ups and downs, challenges, and things we didn’t see coming. We got derailed a time or two. We got a little behind in our studies. This is the time of year when it is easy to feel tired and like you’re simply dragging yourself to the elusive finish line. I encourage you, however, to open up the curtains, let some sunshine in, and press on with new strength!

Here are ten practical tips to keep the homeschool year moving toward the finish line:

1. Organize your school supplies.

After several months of schooling, things can get a bit messy when it comes to our school areas. It’s time to spring clean! Reorganize and dust the bookshelves. And if you need a good visual on what’s left for the year, consider packing up the books you’ve already used. Restock supplies if needed. You’re almost there!

2. Reflect on what is working and what is not.

Make note for next year and hammer through the difficulty if feasible. However, you may need to set aside the particular curriculum that just isn’t working. It’s not too late to do that. If you and your child have been struggling with it all year, why continue to torture yourself? Learning should be fun, and if it’s truly not, figure out why, and move on to something that would be a better fit.

3. Assess where your child is at academically.

Write a “must-do” list for finishing out the year for your older students. This will help propel them to get their work done. If your child is in high school, refresh your memory of your state’s requirements for graduation and make sure you stay on track throughout the year with your child’s transcript. Keep it handy on your computer and fill it in as you go. If your child is younger, simply reminding him of summer fun usually does the trick.

4. Nurture your family’s spiritual health.

Book work isn’t the only important thing during the school year. The heart and togetherness of your family is even more vital than academics. It is easy to get so caught up in checking off lists that we forget the care needed for our family’s emotional and spiritual well-being. And then we wonder why godly character in our child or ourselves is lacking. If something feels off-kilter in your home, you may need to give the workbooks a little break and attend to the deeper work of the heart.

5. Renew your commitment to your own health and well-being.

It is often said that you can’t pour from an empty cup. How true is that for parenting, teaching, and serving in any capacity! Many people call this self-care. Take care of YOU so that you can take care of others. That may mean waking up earlier for alone time with God and coffee. For someone else, it may mean taking a nap or dropping the kids off at Grandma’s for a few hours. Whatever your mind and body needs, take time to care for yourself so that you can take care of others.

6. Reconnect with other homeschoolers.

It’s time to shed those winter blues and cultivate friendships that can often become stifled during the cold months. Get together more often. Plan a park day, find a kid-friendly hiking trail, and/or go on at least one last field trip. Tour a factory, visit a museum, local radio station, newspaper office, recycling center, or post office. Keep your kids engaged with learning and having fun with friends in the process.

7. Support your child who is “behind”.

Maybe they slacked off during the year. Maybe you weren’t as consistent with them as you should have been. They may just need a little more help and understanding from their teacher. Perhaps, knock some less important things off the list. Or help them make a doable plan to accelerate their work in order to finish on time. But remember, unless it’s a requirement for high school, it’s okay to leave a couple of lessons at the back of the book untouched. For most subjects, your child’s curriculum will likely go over some of the same material next year or later down the road. Reserve a few things for summer if you have to. (This is great for those read-alouds you didn’t get to during the school year.)

8. Celebrate spring with your family.

Go out for ice cream. Go on a short day trip as a family. Get outside and hike! Pack a picnic and head to the playground. Do something you haven’t been able to do all year. Have a spring party. Plan and plant a garden with the kids. Plan your summer. Get the wheels turning and hearts pumping. Hey, school’s almost out! Let’s finish strong! If you homeschool year-round, it’s still a great way to revitalize your outlook.

9. Treasure your memories of the school year.

One way to do that is to make a memory book. Keep your child’s best work throughout the year in a binder. Let them decorate the front however they like. There are also many free printables online for end of the school year memory books. Print them out and help your child remember the fun times and hard work they’ve done this year. You could also make a picture collage. Gather up all the photos from the year pertaining to school and stick them to poster board. Don’t forget to add an end of the year photo of your child!

10. Remember your WHY.

Remember the reason you started homeschooling in the first place. Maybe it was so that your family could be closer or do more things together throughout the year. Maybe you just knew in your heart that homeschooling was the right path from the start. Or perhaps, for whatever reason, it was in your child’s best interest to be homeschooled. Renew your commitment to sticking with it when the hard days come. Because they will come! Homeschooling can certainly feel like a huge task. And that’s because it is. But it is worth the journey!

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I would love to hear from fellow homeschoolers and even public school teachers on this subject. What helps you get through to the end of the school year? Please leave a comment below! And if these tips were helpful to you, please share this post. 🙂

Thank you for stopping by the Becoming Diligent Blog! For more homeschool or general encouragement in your daily Christian life, please check out:

Why Our Family Chose Homeschooling – Becoming Diligent

Top 10 reasons I ❤ Sonlight Curriculum – Becoming Diligent

7 Biblical Truths to Remember When Progress is Slow – Becoming Diligent

Becoming Diligent in Pursuit of God – Becoming Diligent