Refresh & Reset: 5 Quick Mid-Semester Tasks

Mid-semester is the perfect time to hit reset on your homeschool. A few small tasks can help you feel refreshed & ready to tackle the second half.

No big changes, just a few easy ideas. Pick one…or do all five.

Keep reading to the end for a printable checklist!

1. Spend an extra hour on grading

Time: 60 minutes

Let’s rip off the Band-Aid and start with grading.  

Set aside an extra hour to catch up on grading, or at least make a dent in the pile. Use the time to record grades, too, so your records stay up to date. If your teen has already finished a course, add their final grade to their high school transcripts.

2. Make holiday homeschool decisions.

Time: 10-20 minutes

This isn’t about planning all your holiday events, creating the ultimate Christmas reading list, or finding the perfect Christmas unit study. (Though I do have a good one for you right here.)

But…will you take December off? Keep a lighter schedule? All of Thanksgiving week or just part? Continue with your usual routine, no special holiday schooling?

Write down your decisions now before your social media feed starts telling you what your holidays should look like. Worry about the details later.

3. Assess your schedule.

Time: 20 minutes

Take a good look at your daily schedule. Is it really working for you?

Is there enough time to accomplish your homeschool plans without feeling rushed? Do you have time for the rest-of-life tasks, like appointments & a non-rushed dinner? Are you finding yourself regularly saying, “We’ll catch up next week.”?

Take an honest assessment now while the school year is still young.

4. Plan something different.

Time: 20-45 minutes

By mid-fall, homeschool burnout starts seeping in.  Days get shorter, the routine feels familiar, and the excitement of a new school year wears off.

A break in the monotony can help you feel refreshed & reenergized. Plan a field trip. Host a board game afternoon with friends. Head to the couch & watch an educational show together.

Click here for even more ideas for educational (but fun!!) ideas.

5. Schedule a cleanup.

Time: 30 minutes

Next Friday, end school 30 minutes early…but keep the kiddos around. Find those missing library books, clean out drawers/folders/co-op backpacks, straighten the bookshelves. 

The goal isn’t perfection. You’re simply spending 30-45 minutes making your homeschool space a little more functional.

Get your free homeschool reset checklist.

It’s all too easy to read a blog post, think that the ideas sound great…and then forget all about it by lunchtime!

That’s why I created this free checklist to help you work through these tasks + space to add your own.

Print it out, save it & work through it as you have the time.