As many of you are ramping up to start a new homeschool year or, like me, are a few weeks in, I thought it best to share this post with you. Starting a new school year is very exciting but at times can be overwhelming. This is especially true when you find yourself comparing your homeschool and things that you do with others around you or on social media. You can easily fall into the trap of wanting to do all the things when you know that you may not have time for them. You may find yourself trying to gameplan a way to fit in extras that you didn’t do the previous year just because you saw someone else doing it on Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, it is good to reevaluate each year and see what may be adjusted. But so many homeschoolers, including myself, can wonder if they are doing enough for their kids. Let me help ease your mind and help you feel at ease about the things you are doing. In today’s post, I share 5 things I DON’T do in my homeschool and some of them may surprise you.

#1 - We did not do formal music lessons or study. (Until this school year)

This one may come as a shock because it’s quite rare, in my opinion, to see this left out in a family’s homeschool nowadays. I’d say that the majority of homeschool families I know and see on social media have some sort of music study or program they follow, whether it be studying a musical instrument or including the study of music theory and composers/artists in their homeschool week.

Even though most homeschooling families include this, we do not. We love and value music in our family, and honestly it is something that my kids have expressed an interest in periodically throughout our homeschool journey. Even so, for our family, in the past we have chosen to skip out on this type of study. Personally, I have not been able to take on another lesson or study to get to each week and we have never had music be the first priority in our homeschool. This year, however, my youngest daugther is doing a hymn study with our small group of homeschool friends as an elective so I have officially included a music study this year.

It is a good thing that we’ve wanted to explore in our homeschool, but never did. Maybe one day, I’ll look back and wish I had dropped something else to include this in our homeschool, but I also know my limits. It is okay to say no to things. There is wisdom in knowing when you can take things on and how much is too much. I’m not saying there is no benefit in formal music lessons because there certainly is and it is a beautiful skill to have. However, you can’t do everything and you have to choose what is important to your family’s homeschool.

#2 - We do not attend a formalized homeschool co-op or group.

I feel this is another uncommon thing for homeschool families nowadays. There are many different types of homeschool co-ops/groups offered today that can be included during your homeschool week. This is something that is very dependent on the area or state you live in. Many of you have amazing resources for different school age groups in the form of co-op classes and so forth while others have much less to choose from.

Personally, we are in an area where there isn't much available for the older kids. So for the majority of our homeschooling journey, we have not been a part of a homeschool group. And honestly, we like it that way. That’s not to say if there was a wonderful group available and I lived somewhere else that we wouldn’t prioritize that. But that is just not the case in our area.

The biggest advice I can give is to ask yourself this question when considering joining a co-op or group: Does it serve your homeschool family? If the answer is yes, make sure to figure out how it is serving your family. Maybe it is a social group and gives your kids time with friends. Maybe it is an academic co-op that provides science labs and field trips. Whatever the reason is, remember it, because if your co-op or group is no longer serving your family in that way, it may be time to leave or find another group. And remember, groups are not just for your kids but for you as a homeschool mom. If you are not getting fed through fellowship with other homeschool moms then consider your reason for being there and see if it makes sense to be a part of a group.

We were part of a homeschool group back when I began homeschooling but it didn’t work out. You can learn more about that story by watching these two videos. Also, I’ve included a video about how to choose a homeschool group, just in case you want to.

#3 - I do not teach my children every single subject of their day.

As my children have grown older, I have pulled in different resources from different companies that I feel are in line with what we value in terms of academics and world view. For my three oldest, I do not teach them the subject of Math. I do not teach my two oldest kids Spanish or science.

Don’t hear me wrong, this doesn’t mean a homeschool parent couldn’t teach these subjects. For our family, I choose to use outside resources to help teach these subjects because it gives me time freedom to focus on other subjects with my younger children. This also allows for me to have the bandwidth to learn subjects with them like apologetics and logic. These have been some of my favorite subjects to teach because I am learning right alongside my older children.

I also value teaching my older children independence in their work. They will work together to check answers and will basically lead themselves through the course. This is an important skill that will help them in their college years as well as in their work as adults. With that said, I am not totally hands-off. I do check on their work and make sure they are understanding what they need to on a weekly basis.

If you find yourself getting burnt out from teaching all the subjects, consider outsourcing some of the subjects and saving the ones you enjoy teaching for yourself. There is nothing wrong with doing this. If you find an online curriculum that works for your family and does not compromise your values, then use it. You may thank yourself later for doing so.

Check out this video for some encouragement as your children transition to high school subjects.

#4 - We do not do every craft or experiment included in a curriculum

If you have been around long enough, you know I am not the craftiest person. So when a curriculum tells me to do something I think about the time it takes to implement and decide whether to do it or not. I don’t skip all of them, but I don’t stress over doing all of them, whether it is a science experiment, recipe from history, craft for literature, and so forth. I’m not a do-all-the-crafts kind of mom, I’m a pick-and-choose kind of mom.

In my opinion, many homeschoolers struggle with this concept because they may experience a feeling of FOMO (aka. fear of missing out) for their kids. It’s okay not to do all the things. However, don’t skip out on all of the activities because even if you don’t love doing crafts, experiments, or recipes, your kids do.

This idea stems from a deeper belief I have of making the curriculum work for you. Not one curriculum is going to be perfect. One may be just right in lesson length but have too many practice problems. One may have a ton of extra activities that take a lot of time. The beauty of being a homeschooler is that you pick and choose what to use and what to skip. Make the curriculum work for you and your family, even if that means skipping out on a few crafts.

#5 - We do not follow a timed schedule.

Some homeschoolers will utilize time blocking where during specific times of the day they complete specific subjects. We’ve never done a schedule like that. Instead we have a rhythm and flow and we just move onto the next thing on our list. Each of my children has their own flow that they follow so they know when we are done with family subjects they can work through that flow. What’s great about this approach is no one is waiting on anyone else to start. It has truly been the best thing for us. It gives our family flexibility to start when we can. If we decided to start at 9 AM rather than 8 AM it isn’t a big deal because we have a flow instead of a time block schedule. It allows us to hit all our subjects without the pressure of the clock.

I find that different homeschool families do different things here. My advice is to find what works for you and your family. Having a rhythm and moving from one thing to the next works for us but maybe what works for you is having time benchmarks where you know by a specific time, you should be finished with XY and Z. Or maybe having specific times for specific subjects works best for your family. Whatever your schedule looks like, make it work for you and your family.

Here are some videos about our school days and rhythms.

Bonus - We do not take standardized tests.

I know this is very dependent on your state’s regulations and thankfully we live in a state with low regulation when it comes to standardized testing. I, as the homeschool parent, see my children learning, I read and grade their work, and I see what is being covered in their curriculums. With this in mind, I have never felt the need to have my children tested. I have never wondered if my kids are behind or didn’t learn something because I see their progress and don’t need a standardized test to show me. I have never worried that my kids won’t know how to take tests because my kids DO take tests with the curriculum they use on a daily basis.

I’m not anti-test, but I’m not for standardized testing. In my opinion, standardized testing is NOT an efficient way to measure a child’s knowledge or progress. Also, some colleges nowadays are pulling away from using SAT and ACT test scores so there isn’t always a need to have your child take those types of tests.

My advice: if you don’t need to test them in your state, then don’t. You, as the homeschool parent, know your child best. You see where they excel and where they struggle. You see what subjects they love and what they don’t. You are the ultimate authority over their education, not some test that measures all their potential progress in a day or two. Trust yourself and don’t let testing be a dark cloud hanging over your head. If you have other options in your state, such as portfolios, look into using those instead. If it were required in my state, I’d probably use a portfolio over giving a test, because it shows progress overtime. It gives you the picture of where they started and where they are. It is much easier to see progress in that way than in a test with one score.

To learn more about my beliefs with testing, check out these videos.

I hope that hearing about the things I don’t do has encouraged you. Let me end with this thought: God made each individual unique, and each family special. As the mother, or father, and homeschool teacher of your family, you know what works and doesn’t for your children. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to do everything everyone else is doing. Focus on the needs of your family. Focus on what your family loves to do and learn about. Don’t feel pressured to include everything because your heart won’t be in it and you will feel overwhelmed. Don’t sacrifice your joy in homeschooling just to add a few extra things that others are doing. If you start feeling the pressure to include more, stop and pray. Reflect on whether these feelings are coming from feeling left out or feeling inadequate. Reflect on whether these feelings are stemming from comparison. If so, rebuke them and focus on your family and what they need. Don’t get distracted from that mission. Trust yourself and your abilities. You were made for this.

Until next time friends!

If you’d like to hear more about this topic, check out my video below.

5 Surprising Things I DON’T DO in my Homeschool