5 Practical Tips for Moving While Homeschooling
Inside: Moving while homeschooling doesn’t need to be full of stress. These five practical tips will help minimize the disruption and get you back on track.
I don’t know about you, but moving never seems to fall at an opportune time for us. We have moved our fair share since we began homeschooling. We have moved across state and moved multiple states. We have bought and sold houses and lived in rental homes. No matter how many times we move while homeschooling, it is always inconvenient. However, I have learned a few tips to make the move have as little impact as necessary on our homeschool year.
Generally speaking for us, moving is more than just packing up and unloading boxes. I factor in the time it takes us to find our next home, any decluttering that I want to take place, the actual packing, and of course, moving. And let’s not forget unpacking and setting up your new home. This can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month or so.
Bring it Back to Basics When Moving While Homeschooling
Preparing for a move will compete with the time you have to homeschool your kids. Let’s face it, there is only one you and trying to pack while simultaneously teaching an art lesson is not going to fare well. Even if you have movers coming to pack for you, you will need to spend some serious time cleaning and decluttering. There’s nothing like opening up a box of trash because you forgot to get rid of it and the movers packed it for you.
From the minute I need to start diverting my time to moving, I scale back on all our homeschool subjects. For us, this means math and language arts only for all kids below high school. My high schoolers tend to keep their own schedule and still try to stay on track as much as possible.
I also cut out field trips and if needed, co-op participation. This lets me divert as much attention as possible to moving.
Pack School Supplies Last
When packing up our schoolroom, I pack away everything we won’t need until after we move. The rest of our school supplies will be packed last. Current subjects will not be packed at all. Each of our kids has a backpack we use to pack what they are working on. This allows them to have access to their subjects wherever we are in the moving process. And it means we don’t have to wait for a moving truck to catch up with us.
Plan for A Moving Break
I plan for a one to two-week break around the time we move. The week we move, I look at progress and decide if I need to take any days off to finish packing, cleaning, etc. After we move, it takes me at least a week to get everything unpacked and find a place for things. If we need longer, then we take it. If we need to, we will make up the time at the end of our year or cut some things out.
Slow Transition Back to All Subjects After Moving
Once we’ve moved, I slowly transition us back into our full schedule. Moving is stressful and I want to give us time to adjust and figure out our new routine.
One of the great things about moving while homeschooling is you don’t have to worry about your kids falling behind or immediately stating school before you’ve even had a chance to unpack. You get to do things on a schedule that works for you and your family.
Finding Your New Homeschool Tribe After a Move
If you are moving any significant distance, getting acquainted with the homeschoolers in your new area is probably somewhere on your mind. Kids will be anxious to get back to the activities they love and meet new friends. Here’s how you can speed the process along.
Look Up Your State Homeschool Organization
If you are moving to a new state, you definitely want to look up the states homeschool organization and acquaint yourself with the homeschooling laws in your new area. If you are moving within the same state, this is still a great place to start!
Many state homeschool organizations have a place on their website with contact information for local co-ops or homeschool groups. Starting here will give you an idea of what groups may be available.
Online Groups
A Facebook search for homeschool + [your city name/area] will usually produce some options. You may have to try a variety of searches, but most local homeschool groups will also have some sort of social media presence. If you belong to any general homeschool groups online, you can also send out feelers to see if there’s any chance another group member is in the area.
Homeschool While Moving With Less Disruption
Moving doesn’t need to throw your homeschool into chaos. With some simple preparation, you can adjust your routine to include your move.
Good luck with the move!
