End of Year Organization

As we head into June, it signifies the end of the year for many homeschool families. If you’re one of them, you’re probably just ready to pack up the supplies, put them out of sight, and move on to fun summer things. However, this is probably one of the very best times to organize your homeschool. I know, I know, you really want to be done. But if you’ll take just a little bit of time to deal with homeschool recon now, you’ll be so glad that you did.

Here are a few ideas to help you be ready to roll when the next school year rolls around:

1. The Books - Go through the books, texts, and workbooks. Sort them out based upon which you plan to use again and those that you’re done with. While it may be a little late in the year, find out if there are any local used homeschool curriculum fairs or sales coming up. Might as well make a little money off the books you don’t plan to use any longer. If you can’t find something local, go to the internet. There are plenty of places where you can sell your used curriculum.

2. Papers, papers, papers - If you haven’t kept up with all the papers that your children have written throughout the year (although I’m probably the only one), now is the time to wade through those. If you’re a “keep everything they write” type of homeschooler, pop them into a folder or binder for each child, month, subject, or whatever works best for you. Alternatively, you could quickly scan through the stack, retaining a few representative papers for each child, and throw away the rest (don’t let them see you do this). Three-hole punch them and put them in a binder. I like to have dividers to separate subjects or units. Label the spine and you’ll have a binder for each child for each school year. If binders aren’t your thing, you can use file folders to hold those select papers.

3. Notes to Self – I have a notebook where I jot things I want to remember about homeschool. Maybe it’s the date of an upcoming event that we’d like to attend for school, or the name of a book someone recommended. The end of the year is the perfect time to sit down and make note of your thoughts about this school year. What worked well? What wasn’t so great? What do you want to remember for next year? If you’ll do this while it’s fresh in your memory, you won’t get to late summer’s planning and think there was something you wanted to keep in mind, but can’t recall what it was. It will also help give you direction when you plan for the upcoming year. I also take this same notebook to homeschool meetings or conferences, so that all my notes and information are in one place.

4. The Other Stuff – Put all the pens, pencils, markers, and crayons into a plastic tote or box. Round up the art supplies in another tote. Throw out any empty glue bottles or sticks. Toss the little scraps of paper that aren’t going to be used anyway. When back-to-school sales hit the stores, you can take a quick glance into your supplies and see what you really need – and what you don’t.

Time flies and you’ll be planning next year before you know it (if you’re not already doing it). But if you’ll spend the time now to sort and purge, you’ll be so much further along when you prepare to start a new year.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverb 16:9

Heavenly Father, please give us wisdom and discernment as we sort through the myriad books, papers, and supplies that go along with homeschooling. Show us the things that we ought to hold onto and give us the freedom to let go of what isn’t needed. May we be good stewards of the materials and supplies you so graciously provide for us. We thank You so much for the opportunity and privilege of providing our children with a home education.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen



Dianne is in the third year of homeschooling with her two middle school boys, ages 14 and 13. She's been joyfully married for 21+ years. She continually seeks to balance the many aspects of life in a way that glorifies the Lord. In her column "Blueprint for Balance," Dianne shares organizational strategies for the homeschooling journey.