My daughter’s middle school years are over, and although there were not as many cutesy lapbooks or hands-on projects as in the elementary school years, we still achieved a lot of ground both in terms of academics, practical life skills, and character.
I went into the middle grades with clear goals. I actually wrote them down. You can read them in my middle school goal setting post. I think setting goals is a very important task for every homeschool year but especially as you enter a pivotal time such as sixth grade.
When I say pivotal, I do not mean what most people mean — that you need to start getting scared about preparing for high school, buckling down with intense academic rigor, and ruthlessly deleting the extras that make learning fun.
Middle school is pivotal because of the emotional and physical changes going on in your child. How you handle homeschool and parenting for these few years will set the stage for your relationship with your child throughout adolescence and adulthood. But don’t get scared! These years are really fun.
Your child is growing in abstract thought, developing a sense of justice, and trying out new hobbies that may one day become a career. As a parent, you get to slowly begin that transformation of your child becoming a friend.
Middle School Mindset
Using humor to diffuse a bad attitude
Middle School Books and Curriculum
Computer programming for middle school homeschool
Advertising unit for middle school
Logical fallacies for middle school homeschool
Career explorations with the Occupational Outlook Handbook
Ancient Egypt revisited in middle school
Live, online classes for middle school
Picture books for middle school
Dr. Seuss for literary analysis
Middle School Skills
Peer editing to hone writing and editing skills
Resources that We Used in Middle School
(include affiliate links)