Mike Smith:
The main thing to remember when planning your summer homeschooling is to keep it relaxed and simple. The point is to enjoy your summer, not place a burden on yourself and your family. So, plan to study topics that excite and inspire you.

You’ll want to set a realistic schedule. Maybe you’ll only do school for one month this summer, or for an hour a day, or two days a week. You may decide to leave the mornings for outdoor activities, and teach during the afternoons when it’s cooler indoors.

During the summer, a little bit of homeschooling goes a long way. Instead of in-depth planning, try a more flexible approach—set your goals for a particular class, do a little library or internet research, and see where each day takes you. The more your children are involved in this process, the more they will experience the rewards of self-directed education.

Summer break is an especially effective time to catch up on challenging subjects. Maybe your daughter struggled with grammar during the spring. Instead of letting that distract you from your goals for the regular school year, you can focus on grammar when summer arrives.

Or, if your son is having trouble with math, cut back to half a lesson each day—but continue through the summer. By building slowly but steadily, your child doesn’t lose ground and can solidify what he is learning. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.