Creating effective and realistic goals for our homeschools can be a challenge. These questions and answers related to homeschool goal setting will help you define and implement your own priorities in your children’s learning.
How Do I Create Homeschool Goals When I Am Not Sure What Our School Year Will Look Like?
Does it make sense to move ahead with general goals and then circle back at a later point, or should I try to make them specific now and adjust them when I realize it isn’t working?
The purpose of any homeschool goal is to guide you and to make sure that you’re prioritizing the things that are most important. Even if you don’t know exactly how the school year is going to go, you still have some sense of what you want to make sure is accomplished.
I would begin with a list of the three things that you want to be sure are not going to fall through the cracks for each kid. Then I would I make sure that these are things within my control.
Even if you can’t get to specific and measurable goals at first, this is an excellent way to start. I call it writing “sloppy goals”. This is just enough to get you started.
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How Do I Word A Goal So That It Truly Reflects What I Want For My Children?
When you are struggling with how to word a specific goal, I think it is helpful to focus on the action and not the outcome.
What is it that I’m going to do to make forward progress towards what I want for each child? Then, do it. I think it’s easier to try something, and then go back and tweak the goals if you find it’s not working the way you’d hoped.
The place to start is with your own actions, not the outcomes.
Should The Kids Write Our Homeschool Goals?
I think involving your children in the process is a great idea. You may even ask them to create some goals of their own. But the reality is, these goals are your goals for each child to help you stay on track.
Your homeschool goals need to reflect what you are seeing in your kids and what you want to accomplish with them in their learning. While your kids may have some ideas that help you define your goals, they should not be the ones creating the priorities for you. The goals we are talking about are yours, and yours alone.
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Here’s why.
Goals can help reduce overwhelm and remind you when you are feeling overwhelmed with all the needs in your home. Goals help establish that what you are doing is important and that you are making progress.
How Many Goals Should I Have For My Homeschool?
I usually recommend no more than three goals per child. Three is enough to keep you on track without becoming overwhelmed in the process.
Having said that, sometimes, depending on your family circumstances, it may be more appropriate to have only two per child, or even one goal for the year. You know your children and their needs best. Use that to craft goals that will help you stay on track and focused throughout your homeschool year.
Setting goals is one of my very favorite things to do in my homeschool, because it helps me to remember that I’m not super woman and I don’t have to be!
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