As my high schooler has grown, he has become more independent in his homeschooling. But I have found that with that independence comes more responsibility. That’s why we started doing weekly check-ins in our homeschool. To support him as he learns to manage his own time and responsibilities.
No longer is he sitting at the table next to me doing his schoolwork. I’m not helping him do his work much anymore. He’s got it under control. He knows what needs to be done each day, and he works hard at making it all happen.
But because he isn’t sitting with me each day, and I’m not monitoring his daily work, I have had to find another way to ensure he not only has accountability, but the tools and skills he needs to be successful.
The truth is, he doesn’t need me to keep him on track each day. He has mastered those skills.
However, he still needs help with setting and meeting longer-term goals. He needs accountability for completing his work in a timely way. And he still needs some reminders for all the extra things, like printing assignments, completing bigger projects, and grading his work.
And of course, he needs focused time with me to help him develop these higher-level skills.
The weekly check-in
This past year, I started meeting with my son for a weekly check-in. We would take a few minutes once a week to go over the past week’s schoolwork, wrap up any printing and grading, and start looking at next week’s goals and plans.
Before I started doing this, I found myself having to remind him to make sure he used his checklists, to print things, and to work on his project. After a while, it started to feel like I was nagging him. These little reminders were not enough. He needed more focused time from me.
But the weekly meeting really helped me be able to chill most of the week and trust him to get his work done. And I was also able to follow up on everything I expected him to accomplish, help him think through future plans, and set realistic goals.
It has also greatly helped him to learn how to break down bigger overwhelming projects into manageable chunks.
If he has questions or trouble, I am able to help him work through strategies that may help. Of course he can ask me questions anytime, but sometimes these larger projects and things need some troubleshooting.
Because we are only doing this once a week, he has autonomy over his schoolwork, is learning to manage his own time, and I know what’s going on without hovering.
And one of the best parts of this weekly check-in is that we have some focused time to connect. Not just about schoolwork, but also about life in general and his future plans.
The older they get, and the busier their schedule gets, it seems you have to be more intentional with making time for moments like these. And having a weekly check-in helps us to get that time.
What we do during our weekly meeting
I keep the weekly meeting pretty informal and short. It is mainly a time to evaluate the past week, wrap up the loose ends on those assignments, and begin thinking about next week. I try to do this on Friday afternoon, but sometimes I am unable to get to it until Monday morning.
When I started doing this, I developed a homeschool checklist page that we use each week. This page is also now a main part of my student planner.
So during this meeting, we look over his homeschool checklist page from last week, talk about what he accomplished or didn’t, and then fill out the next checklist page to be ready for the next school week.
Here is a list of what all we usually do during this weekly check-in:
- Look over the past week’s checklist (what got done, what didn’t)
- Wrap up loose ends, like printing and grading
- Talk about any obstacles or questions
- Highlight progress and accomplishments
- Go over project goals or upcoming deadlines
- Look ahead to next week and fill in the new checklist
My son has been a part of TrailLife USA for the past few years, and this weekly check-in has helped him with his badgework. He has learned how to break these bigger tasks into manageable goals. And it is a way to help him remember to prioritize this in his week along with his regular school work.
He also has had some bigger projects like research papers and such that have also been harder for him to get through. But with the weekly meeting and checklist, he has been able to do some great things!
Tools we use to stay on track
I have used many tools over the years to help with staying on track in our homeschool. Homeschool planners, student planners, accordion folders with daily work, spreadsheets, printed checklists, online trackers, and many others.
Currently, the things that are working well for my high schooler alongside our weekly check-in are:
- Weekly homeschool checklist (inside the student planner) – this gives him a structure and place to write and track all the things. You can download a copy at the end of this post.
- Footpath Student Planner – Has monthly assignment lists for tracking work with pen and paper.
- Asana App – I create assignment lists for my kids for each subject. Each day, they log in and do the next thing on the list.
Tips for starting a weekly check-in
If you are wanting to start a weekly check-in with your high schooler, here are a few tips to help:
- Keep it short – 15-20 minutes is plenty.
- Make it light – this shouldn’t feel heavy, just a quick check-in on what is going on.
- Be consistent – do it every week.
- Don’t expect perfection – focus on progress and connection.
- Be realistic – meet them at their level and ability.
Grab your free printable homeschool checklist
You could use a random spiral notebook and write out a daily or weekly checklist yourself, but why go to that trouble? I have already designed a great page for you, and included it here for FREE! This is the exact page I designed and use with my son.
- One simple page
- Organize all assignments
- Set weekly goals
- Monitor progress
- Track habits or practice
- Keep a booklist
- FREE download!
The weekly check-in
Having a weekly check-in with your high schooler can be a great time to connect and help them grow in their executive functioning skills. It doesn’t have to be heavy, just get together and work toward setting goals and tracking progress. Get some built-in accountability with your independent student through a weekly check-in.
What do you include in your weekly check-in?
Related posts
Automate Your Homeschool Year by Creating This One Thing
Organizing Daily Homeschool Work so Your Kids Know What to do
Use a homeschool Checklist for independent learners
