Word of the Year Ideas to Guide Your Homeschool
What would you like more of in your homeschool this year? More time to follow an interesting question? Calmer mornings? More confidence in the decisions you’re already making?
Choosing a word of the year can help you put that desire into words and use it when making everyday decisions. A word like connect, simplify, or wonder gives you something easy to remember when you’re deciding what to keep, change, or try.
You can begin in January, at the start of a school year, or in the middle of an ordinary week. The useful part is choosing something that means something to your family right now.
What is a word of the year for your homeschool
A word of the year is a word or short phrase that expresses an intention for the months ahead. For your homeschool, it can reflect how you want to spend your time, support one another, or approach learning.
If your word is connect, you might protect time for a read aloud together. If it’s simplify, you might take a closer look at the activities filling your calendar. If it’s trust, you might practice noticing the learning happening during conversations, games, and everyday life.
There’s no wrong way to homeschool, and your word can reflect the family you actually have. You get to decide what it means and how you’ll use it.
How to choose a word of the year for your homeschool
Start with your everyday life
Think about a few recent days, including the smooth ones and the bumpy ones. What was happening? What helped? What made things harder?
- When did we feel connected or enjoy learning together?
- What are my children interested in right now?
- Where are we feeling rushed, frustrated, or stretched too thin?
- What would I like more room for in our days?
- What support or breathing room do I need, too?
A few notes or a conversation can be enough. Pay attention to what’s working as well as what you’d like to adjust. Sometimes your word will help you keep something good going.
Gather a few possible words
Look back over what you noticed. If your afternoons feel crowded, words like space, balance, or simplify might fit. If your children keep asking questions you’re too rushed to explore, curiosity or wonder might catch your attention.
Write down the words or short phrases that come to mind. You can also browse the word ideas below or use my free printable Word of the Year list for inspiration.
If you’d like another starting point, try Intention’s Word of Intention quiz. It offers eight questions and is designed to take about two minutes. Consider the suggested word alongside what you already know about yourself and your family. You might use it for your own word or let it spark an idea for your homeschool.
Give your favorites a little time
If a word stands out right away, you can choose it. If several feel promising, keep them in mind for a few days. Notice which one comes back to you when you’re making a decision or thinking about what your family needs.
Talk about what the word could mean
When it makes sense for your family, invite your children into the conversation. Ask, “What would more adventure look like for us?” or “When do you feel most connected?” Their answers may surprise you.
Young children can share an activity they love. Older children might suggest their own words or explain what they’d like to change. You can also choose a word for yourself and use it to guide your part in the homeschool day.
Choose one small way to use it
Once you choose a word, finish this sentence: “For our family, this word means…” Then choose one small action that fits.
For example: “For our family, simplify means leaving more time between activities. This week, we’ll keep one afternoon open.” That gives your word a practical place in your life.
Word of the year ideas for different homeschool seasons
These words are starting points. Choose the meaning that fits your family, and feel free to use a short phrase if that says it better.
| If you want more | Words to consider |
|---|---|
| Room to breathe | Simplify, Space, Ease, Rest, Margin, Enough |
| Stronger relationships | Connect, Listen, Kindness, Together, Respect, Belong |
| Confidence in your choices | Trust, Courage, Confidence, Clarity, Brave, Steady |
| Curiosity and discovery | Wonder, Explore, Create, Discover, Play, Adventure |
| Supportive everyday rhythms | Rhythm, Balance, Flexibility, Patience, Practice, Flow |
| Enjoying everyday life | Joy, Delight, Gratitude, Celebrate, Savor, Presence |
Short phrases can work, too: Choose Joy, Make Room, Keep It Simple, Learn Together, or Follow Their Curiosity.
What your homeschool word can look like in real life
Connect
Connection might mean sitting beside a child while they show you something they built, taking a walk together, or calling a relative. You could make room for one on one time or start lunch with a question everyone can answer. Notice the moments when your family already feels connected and consider how to make more room for them.
Balance
Balance can help you look at what fits in your family’s days. Do you have time for activities, rest, friendships, and the responsibilities of home? A busy week might call for a quieter weekend. A long morning indoors might lead to an afternoon outside. Let your family’s needs help you decide what balance looks like this season.
Independence
Independence might mean helping a child learn to make lunch, giving an older child more say in a project, or letting someone try a task before stepping in. Think about what each child is ready to practice and what support would help. Choosing materials, solving a problem, and asking for help can all be part of that learning.
Wonder
Wonder could mean stopping to look up the bird at the feeder, following a question from a story, or letting a baking experiment lead to a conversation about ingredients. There’s learning in the questions, observations, and attempts. Your word can remind you to notice it and make time to explore.
Choose Joy
Choose Joy was one of the phrases we used in our homeschool. A phrase like this might remind your family to play a favorite game, add music to a chore, or celebrate something small. There’s room for frustration, sadness, and joy in the same day. Listen to what’s hard, offer support, and look for the moments you can enjoy together.
Keep your word visible and useful
Put your word somewhere you’ll naturally see it. A sticky note on the refrigerator, a note in your planner, or your phone’s lock screen can be enough.
- Invite your children to illustrate the word or make a simple sign together.
- Look for the word in stories, songs, or conversations.
- Explore its meaning and related words with a dictionary or thesaurus.
- Ask how your word might help when you’re considering a new activity or adjusting a routine.
- Occasionally share a moment when you noticed the word in action.
A useful question to return to is, “What could this word look like today?” With patience, that might mean giving someone more time. With simplify, it might mean making one decision easier. With celebrate, it might mean noticing a small accomplishment together.
As your family’s needs change, you can adjust how you use the word or choose a new one. You can also keep a word for longer than a year if it continues to feel useful.
Can everyone choose their own word
Yes! Your family can share a word, choose individual words, or do a little of both. Older children may enjoy having a word that reflects something they care about.
A child who chooses service might look for a way to help a neighbor. A child who chooses challenge might try a new skill or work toward a personal goal. Ask what their word means to them and how they’d like you to support them.
These conversations can happen over lunch or during a walk. Let each person’s word belong to them, with room for their interests and ideas to develop.
Download your free Word of the Year ideas
If you’d like a list to browse while you think, download the free Word of the Year resource from the Happy Hive shop. Use the printable word list to find a few possibilities, then talk about what those words could mean in your home.
I kept a record of our family’s words for 10 years. Over time, we had a collection of words that reflected what mattered to us. You could save your family’s words in a notebook or tuck them into a homeschool time capsule, along with a few memories of the year.
For more perspectives, explore Mama Teaches’ ideas for choosing a word with students and Homeschool on the Range’s 2023 word of the year example.
Start with what your family needs now. What would you like more room for, and what’s one small choice you could make this week to support it?
Join The Buzz
If you found this blog post helpful, I’d like to invite you to join The Buzz, my daily email full of encouragement, practical homeschool ideas, and reminders to notice the learning already happening in your home. I’d love to be part of your homeschool journey.
Content on Happy Hive Homeschooling is shared for educational and inspirational purposes. There’s no wrong way to homeschool. Please use your own judgment and provide appropriate supervision when adapting ideas for your family or classroom.
