Why This Homeschool Year Will Be Different
The Fall Reset Every Working Parent Needs For Their Homeschool
There's just something about Fall isn't there?
You know that feeling when September rolls around? Even though we technically homeschool year-round, there's something magical about fall that makes everything feel possible again. Maybe it's the pumpkin spice and apples infiltrating every corner of existence (how is it everywhere!?). Or the way our kids suddenly grow two inches overnight like they're powered by autumn air (pretty sure this is related to buying cute new clothes the month before). Or maybe it's the piles of new curriculum you will definitely actually use this year (we can still dream!).
But if you're anything like me, you're also holding your breath a little. Because September means we get to try again. To do this homeschool thing better, with more intention and less of that frantic "are we behind?" energy that kept us up at night last spring.
And honestly? After last year's beautiful disaster of too many activities and not enough breathing room, I'm ready for something different.
The Research Says: White Space Matters (And So Do You)
Quick spoiler: one big change for this year is less activities. But before I dive into our family's changes, let me share something that might make you feel better about saying no to that third co-op.
Research from the University of Rochester found that children who have more autonomy and unstructured time show higher intrinsic motivation and better academic outcomes long-term. Dr. Edward Deci's work on self-determination theory basically confirms what we working parent homeschoolers know in our gut: kids (and adults) need space to breathe.
So when I tell you we're fiercely protecting our white space this year, our snuggle-on-the-couch, bake-something-messy, go-outside-just-because time, I'm not just being lazy (most of the time). I'm being strategic (again most of the time, sometimes its exhaustion masquerading as strategy).
Sustainable homeschool routines don't come from doing everything. They come from doing the right things, well. And I'm starting to realize, though having incredible difficulty in actioning this, that a sustainable lifestyle comes from doing less things overall and more things done well.
What "Different" Actually Looks Like
This fall, we're making some changes that feel both radical given who we are and completely obvious given everything we know:
We're switching to a five-day rhythm instead of cramming everything into four days. Turns out, fewer time crunches equal more peace. Who knew? (Besides literally everyone who's ever tried to fit a week's worth of learning into four days while also managing work calls.) But if you want to keep your 4-days you do you, you have insight into your own calendar that I'll never have.
We're using open-and-go secular curriculum that we're genuinely excited about. After years of spending Sunday nights prepping lessons like I was defending my dissertation, we're embracing Torchlight, Build Your Library, and Writing from How Wee Learn along with Math With Confidence and All About Reading. Sometimes the best curriculum is the one you'll actually use consistently. Is it hard to weave these all together? Initially yes but then it really is open and go. That's why I set aside time during the summer to plan out the fall semester and time during the winter to make admustments for the spring semester.
We're aligning our breaks with the school calendar so our kids can soak up friendships at camps (inlcluding the break camps) without us feeling like we're constantly swimming upstream against the rest of the world. This also gives us bonus time to work, plan, or maybe just be a couple.
We're letting curiosity lead while gently stretching into the next level of academic independence. Because some of the best learning happens when your eight-year-old asks why soap bubbles are round and you end up spending the afternoon exploring surface tension.
Finally Making It Work (Whatever That Means)
Here's what I've learned about "making it work"
IT DOES NOT MEAN
Picture-perfect homeschool days
Completing every lesson plan to the letter in every curriculum
IT DOES MEAN
Feeling like we can breathe again
Finding a rhythm where work gets done without the guilt trip
Learning feels alive and fun for us and our kids
We're not running on fumes and sheer determination.
Most of the time, I know I sound like a broken record again with this mantra of letting go of perfection phrased in a million different ways but hey it takes that many times for my brain to hold onto an idea and it's probably the same for you.
This summer gave us a taste of what it feels like to take the pressure off. And this fall? We're not putting it back on. Instead, we're building something that supports our values, our schedule, and our family as a whole.
The Truth About Being "Behind"
Listen, friend. It's unlikely that you're behind, or failing, or worse yet ruining your kids by choosing flexibility over rigid schedules. Research has your back if your gut is saying letting them learn math through cooking instead of worksheets is better for how they take in new information.
The National Center for Education Statistics shows that homeschooled students consistently perform above national averages, regardless of their parents' educational background or teaching credentials. Translation: you're probably doing better than you think, even on the days when you feel like you're barely keeping your head above water.
Whether this is your first fall as a working parent homeschooler or your fifth attempt at creating a sustainable routine, you're exactly where you need to be. You're just on the edge of something better.
Building Community (Because We Weren't Meant to Do This Alone)
You know what makes the biggest difference in homeschool success? It's not the perfect curriculum or the most organized planner or even having a super strong why for doing this.
It's having a community. The ability to connect with people who get it when you text "survived math" at 2 PM. Or someone who will celebrate with you when your reluctant reader finally falls in love with a book series.
That's why we built the Pretty Whimsical Homeschool Community Hub. Beacuse sometimes it's hard to find the time to get out to your community when you are working and homeschooling. Sometimes, a cozy corner of the internet where working parents come together to share resources, encouragement, and those tiny moments that make it all worthwhile is exactly what you need and what you can handle right now.
Because some days, you need someone to remind you that letting your kids build forts during "school time" isn't giving up on education, it's honoring how children actually learn and engineering and math and science practice all in one!
The Bottom Line
This fall can be different. Not because you're doing more, but because you're doing what matters. With intention, curiosity, and connection.
Because you're trusting that learning doesn't always look like sitting quietly at a desk with a pencil, and that some of the most important growth happens in the unplanned moments.
During the hard times this school year, keep your "why" for homeschooling close by. You will at some point need the reminder to help keep you going. To Keep your trust in your instinct to do something different for your child(ren). To trust that you already have everything you need to create something beautiful and sustainable.
We're rooting for you (and saving you a virtual seat at morning circle). Now go make yourself another cup of coffee. You've earned it.
Ready to make this the year homeschooling finally clicks? Join our community of working parent homeschoolers who are figuring this out together, one reheated cup of coffee at a time.