With the end of the school year around the corner for many homeschoolers, we put together an end-of-year checklist to help you navigate this busy season. Work through this checklist to make sure your school year wraps up smoothly, and you can pick up again in the fall with ease.
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Finalize recordkeeping.
Depending on where you live, you will have different legal requirements for recordkeeping. No matter what your state requires, we recommend keeping documentation of the following: attendance records, details of the curriculum your child used (publisher, grade level, etc), samples of your child’s work, any correspondence with school officials, portfolios, and test scores.
Before wrapping up your school year, be sure all your recordkeeping is up to date and filed away for safe keeping. Whether you’ve chosen to organize in a three-ringed binder, file folders, or computer files, make sure things are clearly labeled by school year and your child’s name.
Give yourself a year-end review.
This is especially important if you’re taking a summer break. Review what you did this year, including what you liked, what you didn’t, what worked especially well for each child, and what has room for improvement. By writing your future self notes about how things went this year, you ensure that you won’t accidentally repeat things that didn’t work next year. Come August or September, your year-end review will be a leg up when you jump back into your homeschool routine.
Handout final grades (or your equivalent).
Once your children have completed their last assignment, give them a report card, progress report, or other form of yearly assessment. Even if you don’t use traditional grades in your homeschool, it’s important for young learners to be able to track their progress.
Celebrate progress!
At the end of the year, be intentional to take time to celebrate! Celebrate what you accomplished by staying true to your call to homeschool and celebrate what each of your children accomplished. Show your children you noticed what they did and acknowledge the hard work it required, perhaps with an end-of-year certificate of achievement. Another year accomplished is absolutely worth celebrating!
