‘How will they learn to read?’ you ask, and my answer is ‘Remember the lessons of Massachusetts.’  When children are given whole lives instead of age-graded ones in cellblocks, they learn to read, write, and do arithmetic with ease, if those things make sense in the kind of life that unfolds around them.

– John Taylor Gatto

There’s a quick solution to the back-to-school chaos and mad dash to purchase supplies.  Don’t send your child back to school this fall.  Many mothers struggle with their dissatisfaction with modern schools.  But they’re not sure of what to do.  What happens if their child doesn’t show up for the first day of school?  How can they keep on schedule?  Do they have to follow the timeline of their school district?  What in the world would they do with their children all day at home?

First, it’s important to check with your state and school district on the regulations regarding taking your children out of school.  In many states, it’s as simple as sending a letter one time to the school district with nothing more to do.  In other states, there are more stringent regulations with testing and reporting requirements.  One of the beauties of homeschooling is that you live life on your own timeline.

With that resolved, there are endless ways for your children to spend their time while not attending school.  When children are engaged in activities they truly enjoy, they’re happier and interact more harmoniously with those around them.  They’ll see the world with curious eyes and freely pursue concepts they otherwise wouldn’t have time for.

Here’s a list of possibilities depending on your child’s age and interests.  This is just a short list to prompt your imagination.  Remember, the most impactful activities are those which have real-life use or purpose.

Reading a Great Book – either aloud or individually
Knitting a scarf or potholder
Making a chess set or game out of clay and cardboard

Learning to cook

Playing strategy games

Fixing a bicycle

Making a skateboard area with ramps

Designing and planting a garden

Painting a picture

Drawing from life

Learning to surf

Making an aerodynamic kite and flying it

Sewing clothing for a doll or herself

Making a film (with friends or claymation) and showing it

Creating and performing a dance

Learning pottery

Perfecting an aspect of their favorite sport

Learning a musical instrument

Designing and building a treehouse

Creating structures with Lego or Knex

Design and decorate their bedroom

Learn about investing and papertrade

Build a go-cart

Go geo-caching

Take a hiking, camping, rafting trip

Create a rock collection

Start a coin collection

Teach a skill to a younger sibling

Choosing and caring for a new pet

Learn a foreign language

Communicate with a penpal in another state or country

Learn to fly a hobby airplane

Learn about stars and create a star map and gaze at them with a telescope

Write a short story

Learn about the cultures of their ancestors

Roadtrip around the United States

Build a desk and chair for their room – woodworking rather than Ikea

Make origami structures

Organize a scavenger hunt

Create a marble run

Solve a Rubik’s Cube

Make their own Escape Room

Build and run an obstacle course

Make puppets and put on a show

Take apart a clock and put it back together

Can and preserve summer fruits and vegetables

Make a solar oven and bake cookies

Learn car skills – changing a tire, checking and changing the oil, etc

Make a teepee

Make a raft and float down the river

Make a wooden boat and sail it on a pond or your backyard pool

Learn photography and compile a portfolio

Of course, there are many more ideas.  When your child is enthusiastic about a project, hours will pass by with total focus.  They won’t realize that they’re “learning” and will be proud of their creation or experience.  There’ll be less boredom and whining and wanting to be in front of a screen.  Then everyone is happy.