Brainstorming and Planning for the New Year
Yes! Unschoolers make plans too!
It just doesn't look like a "school plan!"
This was our first Unschooling Mom2Mom Podcast for 2023! Still super relevant!
At the end of last month, I talked about how to reflect back on the year and see where the growth was - where the fun was - all the progress. What do you want to take with you into 2023 and what do you want to leave behind? Those tools that I have in the shop are still there for you to use - The New Year’s Workbook will really help you do this, and the Video Interviews will help the kids get into it too!
But maybe you’re done with looking backward and you’re ready to look FORWARD to this new unconventional approach.
Dare I say it: You Want A Plan!?
There are ways to do this that don’t look like school or don’t try to sneak in subjects.
As you keep learning more about unschooling, you’ll see that those subjects?
They’re there. Always. Weaving in and out as needed. They don’t need you to focus on them.
Focusing on the topics that the kids are curious about or where their interests lie - that’s part of this unschooling approach.
And no, unschooling parents are not passively sitting around waiting for their kids to come rushing into the room with a new idea to explore. I mean, the kids WILL do that from time to time - but the passive parent part? No. Far from it.
I’ll help you break that down here in this podcast too. We’ll figure out how to make a plan, what to do and what not to do.
Nice to meet you!
If this is the first time you’ve listened here, I’m Sue Patterson and this is the Unschooling Mom2Mom Podcast.
I’ve been around a while. My kids are grown. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t and I’m here to share all of that with you.
I try to get to these podcasts/blogposts weekly - little unschooling peptalks.
But I’m also...
- Answering questions on calls with parents through private coaching
- On social media, Facebook Instagram YouTube TikTok
- In courses I’ve created (Jumping Into Unschooling)
- And in my favorite group coaching program:
Creating Confidence.
You’re welcome to any and all of it.
But let’s get back to planning!
One Week at a Time
I want to share one of the things we do in my
coaching group...we plan together - one week at a time.
We get together on Mondays and look at the various ways we can increase our confidence, our connection with the kids and what activities are possible for this week - one week at a time. One of the problems with those big semester style planning is it doesn’t allow for much flexibility. But week to week- you can do that.
- You can look at the weather.
- You can factor in appointments or library days.
- You can think about family rhythms
- Did you come off a busy weekend and need to recover? That's ok!
- Could you schedule in some fun things happening in your community this week?
- Maybe bowling or skating or a hike? - something the kids enjoy.
When you talk to the kids ahead of time about what this week's calendar looks like, they have an opportunity to have input. And doing this only one week at a time makes it easier to look back a week from today and see what worked and what didn’t. That’s good data to plan the next week - one week at a time.
Think Seasonally
The other way i like to make plans is to think seasonally. What are some things happening this month that you don’t want to miss? Maybe it’s time to brainstorm with the kids about some of these things - restaurants to try, road trips to go on, movies to watch together. You can make a Real Life plan instead of an academic plan.
And if you’re looking for ideas, I have a
Brainstorming Guide that will help you do this with the kids - 20 different possibilities to think about exploring. This will give you insight into what interests your kids these days. But because they liked something 6 months ago doesn’t mean they do now. Plus, different seasons tend to spur different activities. Sometimes it can be more of an active time - sometimes more hibernating!
One of the cool things about BEING an unschooling family is having the time and flexibility to broaden our kids’ worlds, to show them how many cool things are out there!
This Brainstorming Guide can help!
Sometimes we get overwhelmed and can’t see the forest for the trees right?
WE grew up having everything planned for us, so we fall back to curriculum and familiarity - but you are soooo close to being able to create this totally individualized experience for yourseelf WITH your family! It’s really empowering for the kids to see how they get to chart their own path - with you, with siblings, with others who matter in their lives.
It’s ok to make some plans!
It’s ok to say to the kids,
“Hey, let’s try this out - I think you’ll like it.”
Because, as unschooling parents, you’v e been noticing what they gravitate toward and what they move away from. So you have some educated guesses! And you know how to set the scene for success - planning some snacks, the right shoes, the time of day that works best with your kids’ rhythm. And you know that some ideas might flop - but it’s data to use for the next activity. And when you make these plan with the kids, they have a say in it. They’re more likely to do be onboard!
If you need help doing this, we can always
talk on the phone - or you can
join our unschooling community with other parents who are figuring out how to set this other trajectory for the family. One that is full of adventure and exploring, diving into interests and checking out curiosities.
I’m excited for you! 2023 is going to be awesome! Reach out if you need help embracing this unschooling approach or overcoming any obstacles that are holding you back!
And I’ll be back again next week! Have fun! And happy unschooling!
