If I had to choose a time in our school year that I love as much as Back to School season, it would absolutely be the beginning of the new calendar year! There’s something so exciting about starting both a new year AND a new school semester. It’s another chance for fresh starts, and is the perfect time for a Winter refresh of your homeschool!
Today I’m sharing a simple Winter Refresh to help you ease back into your homeschool preschool time with peace and confidence. We’ll walk through three key areas (routine, curriculum, and space/supplies) so you can start the year with a heart that feels peaceful and a plan that feels doable.
Table of Contents
Refresh Your Routine
After weeks of celebrations, late nights, and special events, it’s completely normal for little ones (and moms!) to feel a bit out of rhythm. Winter gives us the gift of slowing down, so let’s use it to gently refresh your daily routine.
Preschoolers thrive on knowing what comes next, especially at home. Try creating a simple winter schedule built around some key “anchors,” like we do with our daily Preschool Routine chart.
- Fine Motor Skills Practice
- Early Literacy
- Books + Bible Time
- Crafts
- Early Math
- Pretend Play
These don’t need exact start times, just a consistent order to guide your day. Embrace the winter season by keeping mornings slow and cozy. A warm drink, a short devotional, and a few minutes of snuggling up with picture books can set a peaceful tone for the whole day.
PS I also like to use this new semester as a chance to reflect on our routines outside of school as well. Did we overcommit to too many extra curricular activities? Do we want to continue “doing school” the same number of days? Is there anything we would like to add to our schedule? Don’t forget that your family’s weekly routine could use a Winter refresh, too!
Refresh Your Curriculum Plan
January is a great time to reassess what’s working, and what’s not. Your homeschool doesn’t have to look the same as it did in August! Just because something worked well in the first semester doesn’t automatically mean it is still working well for you in the second. That’s okay! Here are some questions to ask yourself and your children…
- What activities does my child naturally gravitate toward?
- Which routines help our days run smoothly?
- What curriculum pieces have we truly enjoyed?
Keep those! If a workbook, routine, or curriculum piece causes tears (for you or your preschooler!), it’s okay to set it aside. Preschool should be filled with hands-on learning, joy, and curiosity – not pressure.
Want to spice things up a little bit?? January is a great time to try something new! If you haven’t already, consider adding thematic units to your Preschool learning routine! Leaning into the cozy themes of the season (think Winter, hot cocoa, arctic animals, etc.) is such a fun way to reengage little learners AND enjoy the unique aspects the season has to offer!
Refresh Your Learning Space & Supplies
Sometimes the simplest refresh comes from reorganizing the space your family uses each day. After Christmas, many moms feel overwhelmed by clutter – so this step can feel extra life-giving. A tidy, simplified space helps both momma and kiddos focus! So before adding anything new to your homeschool space, try a few of these out…
- Toss dried up markers, paints and glue
- Donate or rotate toys
- Purge supplies that aren’t serving your family
- Throw away stray papers
- Make a “donate” pile of books
After I’ve decluttered our learning space, I like to reorganize what’s left of our supplies for the new semester. I don’t know about your family, but we tend to move our learning around from season to season. For example, we do a lot of schooling on the back porch during the Spring. But in the Winter, we always end up gathering our supplies near the dining table so we can be close to the Christmas tree. (And yes, we DO leave that beauty up all through January – ha!) Some ways to reorganize include…
- A small shelf with rotated toys and books
- A Bible basket with devotionals and picture Bibles
- A fine motor tray with puzzles, pre-writing cards, and fine motor tools
- A seasonal basket with winter-themed printables and activities
And finally, we make our Winter learning space as cozy as possible. We may not get a ton of cold weather in North Texas, but when we do it’s a HARD freeze that keeps us inside for a bit. So the cozier our space, the more likely we are to avoid the “Winter sads” that can come with being stuck inside for too long. Little details can help your home feel warm, and bring a cozy excitement to learning time! Some of my favorite ways to cozy up our Winter learning space are…
- Soft lighting
- Slippers for cozy feet
- Blankets for reading time
- A winter-themed picture book display
- My favorite candles (grab ’em here!)
- A cozy jazz playlist in the background
Let’s Plan Together!
If you’re ready to refresh your homeschool Preschool experience, or you’re ready to START from scratch – let me help! I’ve created a huge, FREE “Getting Started with Homeschool Preschool” guide that is perfect for this time of year! In it you’ll find tons of tips for 5 main areas of planning.
- Setting Goals
- Choosing Supplies
- Gathering Materials
- Organizing Resources
- Creating a Routine
You’ll also find a printable planning template for you to use as your prepare your upcoming year! But don’t worry, if you have more questions there are blog posts and ways to get in touch included as well!
Let’s hang out!
I hope this post helped you get a better idea of how to refresh the new half of your homeschool Preschool year! Got questions? Let me know! I’d love to chat and get to know you better! You can find us below in some of our favorite places to hang out. Can’t wait to chat with you about your Preschooler’s learning journey!
SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER!
Was this post about our homeschool Preschool Winter refresh helpful? Make sure you can come back to this post as much as you need by saving it for later on Pinterest! Click the image below to save this pin to your homeschool Preschool board! Then, CLICK HERE to read about more of our favorite Winter Preschool activities!
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