When I was a kid, the idea of year-round schooling was horrifying. I hated the thought of not having a summer break. Of course, at that age I didn’t understand that there could be benefits associated with being in school throughout the year, nor did I understand that there could still be breaks, they would just be spread throughout the year.
When we began homeschooling our kids, I quickly realized that year-round schooling might be best for us. We adopted this approach last year. Indeed, it works best for us to do school throughout the whole year, taking frequent, small breaks instead of having one large break during the summer. Here are 7 reasons why year-round homeschooling works for us.
Why year-round schooling works for us
We can be outside when the weather is nice
We live on the Texas Gulf Coast. Our summers are hot and humid. There comes a time each summer when it is exceptionally uncomfortable to be outside. It doesn’t make sense to me to be off of school on these days, but to be in school on cool, comfortable fall and spring days. Therefore, it makes sense for us to be in school during the summer and to have breaks when the weather is mild during the fall and spring.
We can travel and visit educational sights at off-peak times
Because most schools are out during the summer, this is when many families travel and visit attractions such as the zoo and museums. The costs associated with visiting these attractions (both travel costs and entrance fees) are often higher during peak times. We can avoid the crowds and the higher costs by visiting these sights during off-peak times when we have our breaks during the fall, winter, and spring.
We don’t experience summer learning loss
Many teachers have observed that students often return to school in the fall having experienced summer learning loss (this is sometimes referred to as a summer slide or learning gap). In other words, students sometimes lose academic skills and knowledge during long breaks from school. Having school throughout the year, with small breaks interspersed with regular coursework, means summer learning loss isn’t a possibility for us.
We’re able to easily catch up if we miss work due to interruptions in our schedule
Sometimes things happen that keep us from doing school. We may have several medical appointments during a given week. We may have family visit for a week or two. We may be without electricity because of a natural disaster (this seems extreme, but it happened to us during the big Texas Freeze). When our schedule is interrupted like this, we don’t have to stress about how we are going to catch up on our schoolwork. We don’t have a last day of school looming—we have all year to get the work completed.
We’re able to maintain a routine
My kids and I thrive on routines. We don’t adhere to a strict schedule, but we do follow routines that keep us on track and help us transition from one task to the next throughout the day (you can read more about this here). When we have a major change in routine, such as having school each morning in the fall after we’ve gone all summer without doing school, it is somewhat difficult for my kids. They grumble about having to sit to do their work. They keep bouncing out of their chairs because they’ve gotten into the routine of playing during the morning. They don’t focus on their work and frequently ask when we’ll be done. When we do school all year long, it means the normal routine is doing school. They are used to it and don’t have to readjust when school resumes. Days off are the deviation from the norm, but it doesn’t matter if they are bouncing around and whatnot because we are usually playing or doing fun things like going to the park.
We can take frequent breaks to prevent burnout
I love homeschooling my kids, but it takes a lot of work. I get tired sometimes and need a break. My kids, of course, are completing schoolwork, so they get tired and need breaks. For us, it is helpful not to have to wait long periods of time before we get breaks. We are easily able to take a week off after we’ve done schoolwork for 3-4 weeks. These frequent breaks recharge us and prevent us from experiencing burnout.
It helps prepare our kids for the real world
Traditional school calendars provide students with summer breaks. However, unless they grow up to be schoolteachers, they won’t get summer breaks as adults. Doctors don’t get summer breaks. Police officers don’t get summer breaks. Librarians don’t get summer breaks. Homemakers don’t get summer breaks. As adults, we work all year long. Hopefully, not having a long break during the summer will come as less of a shock to my kids because they are used to engaging in their “work” all year long.
Drawbacks of year-round schooling
Though we like year-round schooling and it works for us, there are some drawbacks associated with it. The one we have experienced is that the world around us functions on the assumption that kids are off school during the summer. Thus, it can be difficult to participate in various community programs and even meet up with friends for playdates because these opportunities happen when we are doing school and don’t happen during our breaks. In our area, most of the homeschool groups and co-ops even maintain the same schedule as the public schools.
Though these aren’t relevant to us, I know some families don’t like year-round schooling because they prefer having a long vacation, they have difficulty finding babysitters when their schedules change frequently, and they like for their older teens to be able to get summer jobs.
Final thoughts
I’m a firm believer that different things work for different families, so there’s no one right or wrong answer when it comes to scheduling your homeschooling. As long as you are meeting your state’s requirements, then do what works for you!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences regarding year-round homeschooling. What does your schedule look like? How does it work for you? What changes have you made over the years?
