From Summer Chaos to Autumn Calm: Transitioning from a Summer Daze to Homeschool Days

Let’s be honest here: by the end of season, ‘that unique summer magic’ we started the summer with, looks a lot more like a living room full of toys on the floor and sticky popsicle sticks all over the kitchen table. Your swim bag has taken up permanent residence in a spot it really doesn’t belong, because you don’t have the energy to continually dig it out! The dirt and grass on the floor seems to now be a part of your home decor, because regardless of the number of times you clean it it just reappears. It’s 9AM and you are being asked for the 47th time ‘what are we doing today?’

Those early school mornings that you’re barely hanging on with a cup of “Mom Fuel” (coffee) in hand are about to arrive faster than gossip in a small town spreads! All the playing in the sprinklers and late bedtimes will be swapped for schedules and schoolbooks. Though we gain freedom during summer to live our best lives, we tend to find fatigue and clutter slowly creeping in as it comes to an end. The transition from a breezy summer day back into the structured flow that’s needed for homeschool can be daunting.

Pulling all the new books, lesson plans, and supplies out can feel overwhelming. Kind of like when you go hog wild with your fall decor…exciting at first, until everything is dumped out and you’re left completely exhausted with a mess staring back at you. Trust me when I say no one needs that kind of added stress when trying to gently ease back in a new homeschool year!

Before completely overloading your mental capacity, start by spending a day decluttering and cleaning out your designated homeschool area. Keeping everything you need for school in one spot knocks down the physical clutter and keeps your kiddo from “forgetting” where they set their math book down. For us, using the space under our computer desk to stack our plastic organizer bins keeps our space looking neat and accessible for the year.

Toss away those eraser-less pencils, purge the crayon box with the broken and wrapper-less ones, box up all of last year’s work, and give your homeschool space a good wipe down. Just breathe and acknowledge that you’re setting yourself up for a new year. Take that as a win! Remind yourself that you’ve got this…before taking on tomorrow’s lesson planning…with double the amount of caffeine in your cup, because you’re definitely going to need it!

I use this “Chaos Coordinator” planner for my yearly school planning, because it clearly has my job title on the cover! Any homeschool Mom knows that if you aren’t juggling ten things at once, you aren’t doing it right. This planner keeps us on track, shows attendance if the state requires it, and is an easy way to track test progress. Set aside a day to prepare a few weeks of lesson plans and familiarize yourself with the new books. This part always feels overwhelming, but I find it makes rolling into the new school year remarkably easier!

Once I’ve prepped enough lesson plans to feel a little ahead of the game, I organize our little homeschool nook. I put the books in the proper spots, do a full reset on all the supplies, and stash away a few fun activities to kick the year off with an easier transition after a long summer. It sets us up for a fresh, easy start!

Homeschooling is certainly not for the faint of heart, but it’s incredibly rewarding in the end. For our family, avoiding the stress of switching schools with every PCS allows our kids to pick up right where they left off, leaving plenty of time for them to find their new friend group. Initially, I was petrified to start homeschooling, as it can in fact be deeply intimidating. Though finding so many other military families are walking the same path has brought us comfort. We get to teach our kids the values we want them to have as well as being able to monitor what is taught is up to our standard.

Whether you may be considering homeschooling for the first time or you’re just trying to navigate another seasonal shift, remember that with homeschooling perfection is never the goal! May your shift from the warm Summer daze you’re in, roll into crisp Autumn homeschool days. So, take a deep breath, fill your cup with coffee, and give yourself some grace!

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