Welcome back, mama! In this episode of the Positively Homeschooling Podcast, Amy is exploring a transformative tool that can make your homeschool journey more focused, grounded, and joyful: your homeschool vision. Whether you’re new to the concept or curious about how to make it work for you, this episode is packed with insights, benefits, and resources to help you create and maintain a vision that supports your homeschool goals and values.
What You’ll Find in This Episode:
- What is a Homeschool Vision?: Learn the two essential components of a homeschool vision
- 3 Ways to Use & Benefit from Your Homeschool Vision: Focus, Priorities, Motivation and Inspiration
- 2 Fun Ways to Bring Your Homeschool Vision to Life: Written Vision Statement and Homeschool Vision Board
Free Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- Homeschool Vision Poster
- Homeschool Vision Board Planner & Checklist
Final Thoughts:
A well-defined homeschool vision can help you feel more confident, focused, and inspired. Whether you choose a written statement, a vision board, or both, the key is to keep it simple, fun, and flexible. Remember, your homeschool vision is a tool to support you—not a rigid rulebook!
Links & Resources:
Prefer to read? I’ve put the transcript to this episode below! Let me know if you have any questions 😊
Why Your Homeschool Vision Matters
Hey there, mama! Have you heard of this powerful tool called homeschool vision and want to know more? Or maybe you’ve never heard of it but need to know more?
Girl, I’ve got you! Let’s chat about what I mean about homeschool vision (and what actually comes before it) and the benefits of using this tool. Plus, I’ve got some tips and 2 free resources to help you get started (and maintain) your homeschool vision.
What is Homeschool Vision?
The concept of a homeschool vision is quite simple. There’s no need to overthink it.
In my opinion (and experience), it’s actually made up of 2 parts: your why and your vision.
There’s overlap between the two but it can be helpful to differentiate, especially when just getting started on your homeschool journey.
I like to view your homeschool vision as a supportive net that holds up your homeschool. It is composed of various threads that weave together to provide a flexible foundation to lift up, balance, and structure.
Other common terms that are used are homeschool mission or homeschool mission statement.
Also in my opinion, I don’t believe that your homeschool vision must be set in stone. In fact, I found it better to have it be moldable (malleable).
Before I get to the benefits of having a defined homeschool vision, I think it’s important to look at those 2 parts.
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2 Parts of Your Homeschool Vision:
- Your Why – This is your initial reason(s) for homeschooling. This part often involves several reasons, like:
- Faith-based or secular: This component is based on your family values and what you believe to be important for the education of your children. Are you homeschooling because you would like the opportunity to focus on or include more faith-based materials? Perhaps you want to maintain a strictly secular approach (or non-sectarian)?
- More time with your kids: Maybe you’d like to be able to spend more time with your children and develop strong relationships? Another reason many families choose to homeschool is to foster strong sibling relationships.
- Academic: Do you want more or less emphasis on academics?
- Special needs: If you have children that have certain academic, health, or psychological needs, homeschooling can be a fantastic way to go. In this section, I would include food allergies and visual issues (like our situation with my oldest – listen to episode 2 to hear our story).
- Life or family situations: Does an adult have an erratic work schedule that would make traditional school hours difficult? Perhaps someone travels? Or maybe you’d like to try roadschooling?
- Your Vision – The second part of your homeschool vision is what I like to refer to as Your Vision. It’s your hopes, dreams, and intentions for your homeschool (and family).
- Your vision can be focused on the present, near future (like this upcoming year), and long-term.
- It incorporates your why and transforms it into a tangible concept – something that’s easy for you and your children to understand and refer to.
Your homeschool vision can be such a powerful and positive force! It serves as both that supportive net and beacon, guiding you safely through both smooth and troubled waters – those ups and downs of homeschool life.
Your why and vision combine for your homeschool core beliefs. By taking time to identify and define your reasons and goals, you’ll be setting yourself for greater homeschool success.
Now, let’s chat about how you can use your homeschool vision AND benefit from it! Plus, I’ve got 2 FREE resources to help you.
3 Ways to Use & Benefit from Your Homeschool Vision
- Focus – When you have a defined homeschool vision, you’ll find it so much easier to focus on what your homeschool is – and what it is not.
- Priorities – Your homeschool why and vision helps you set priorities that you can stick to – for the present and as your kids get older. Also, if life changes occur.
- You’ll be much less likely to deal with FOMO (fear of missing out) comparison. If and when you find yourself getting distracted by shiny object syndrome (let’s say with curriculum), you can bring yourself back to your why + vision. When you remind yourself of your homeschool core beliefs, you’ll be much less likely to hit add to cart, spend more money, and even less time trying something new, just because it’s “the latest or greatest” or some influencer says it’s the only way to go.
- Base – Your homeschool why + vision helps you stay grounded, especially with your:
- Decision making (which I’ll be talking more about in episode 6) – like picking out curriculum, extracurricular activities, electives, supplies, and online classes.
- Expectations – It’s much easier to keep your expectations in check when you know what your hopes, goals, and intentions are – plus the reasons behind them.
- Confidence – When you’re able to stay true to your beliefs and goals (because you’re identified and defined them), you’re on your way to greater confidence as a homeschool mom. You’ll have that flexible foundation to look towards, lean on, and build from.
- Motivation & Inspiration – When you have days that you’re overwhelmed, tired, or bored, your homeschool why + vision can make a big difference.
- For example, if it’s your goal to emphasize STEM learning in your homeschool, you’ll have strong reasons to go ahead and do the science experiment and make extra time for math lessons, if necessary.
- If you’re feeling tired and dragging your feet with getting your homeschool day started, you’ll be motivated to pull it together and get going if you know that your kids have music lessons later in the day and that’s a big priority for your family.
2 Outstanding Options for Your Homeschool Vision
So, how do you go about building out your homeschool why + vision?
Written – You can go with a written homeschool vision, like a mission statement. This option has you writing down your why + vision – as simple or complex as you like. I prefer a simple one to make it easier to remember and refer to.
A few years ago, my boys and I came up with a written one that’s more about positive vibes and how we want our homeschool to feel for all. You can get this free printable homeschool poster for inspiration and to use as pretty visual. I have the pink one in a frame!
Vision Board – A super fun option is a homeschool vision board. It’s a visual tool that you can use in a variety of ways with your kids. I started doing this collaborative project with my boys a year or two after we started homeschooling. It’s an awesome experience!
A homeschool vision board is creative, inspirational, and great for all ages. You take your hopes, dreams, and goals for the upcoming year (or you could do one for each month!) and jot them down. Everyone gets to add their ideas. For younger children, you can pick a few milestones or things you’re looking forward to.
Then, you go through magazines, catalogs, or other materials and cut out pictures of those ideas. You can also search for images online to print out. Oh, and cut out different words and letters to put together for your themes and ideas.
It can take some time to find all that you need – but that’s a big part of the fun. As you’re looking through the pictures with your kids, you get to chat about what you’re looking for and talk about the ideas. Once you have all of your letters, words, and pictures ready, it’s time to assemble!
We use poster board. You could also use a trifold poster or pieces of construction paper taped together on cardboard. Arrange the pieces to make sense for your family. We like to have sections for certain themes.
Some simple ways to boost your homeschool vision board are to use stencils, stickers, washi tape, foam letters and shapes, and other supplies you have in your craft storage.
You can get my free printable checklist and planner and see examples of a few of our homeschool vision boards over on the blog.
To wrap up this episode, I shared:
- what a homeschool vision is
- 2 simple parts (your why and your vision)
- 3 benefits and ways to use your homeschool vision
- 2 fun (and free) options for bringing your homeschool vision to life
Do you have any questions about this episode and how to make your homeschool vision work for you? Please pop over to the blog post for this episode and fill out the simple form to let me know. Oh, and if you have ideas to add to this list, I would love to hear them so I can share – it would be an amazing way to help other homeschool moms like you.
Remember: Keep it simple and fun so you can relax and enjoy these special times with your kids!
