How to Use Vision Boards to Refresh Your Homeschool

July 27, 2018
Written by:
Tasha Swearingen

Are you the type of person who thinks big but has difficulty following through?? Great ideas come easy, but you just can’t seem to make it happen? Vision boards may be the solution to helping you make your dreams a reality!  

What Are Vision Boards?

Vision boards are concrete tools used to help visualize the things we want to do, be, become, or have in life. Vision boards are usually bulletin boards, poster boards, or canvas boards but in today’s digital age, it’s not uncommon to find mobile versions on a computer or cell phone (hello Pinterest!).

The purpose of a vision board is somewhat two-fold: on the one hand, human beings are very visual creatures and weVision boards can help refresh your homeschooling! tend to dwell on the things we can see. At the same time, a vision board keeps us focused on the important things by preventing us from being distracted. You wouldn’t put anything on your vision board that you don’t conceivably foresee happening. So, in essence, a vision board keeps the distractions out while helping us hold onto the meaningful things.

Vision boards also help provide clarity and specificity to our thoughts. Instead of broad statements, we’re able to hone in on exactly what things will help us improve. For instance, rather than “I want a better life, you’d have a more precise goal such as “I want to pay off debts” or “I want to catch up on all household bills.”  

Using Vision Boards for Homeschooling

For many of us, seeing is believing. That is, we can’t seem to make affirmations (about life, school, family, etc.) without something visual to help guide us along. This is where vision boards come in handy! If you love to plan fun and exciting things but have difficulty bringing those ideas to fruition, keep reading.   

In some households, a simple “mission statement” for your homeschool will suffice. Just seeing the words typed and printed up gets those families in gear. For the rest of us, it’s helpful to have specific images of what we’d like to see happening in our homeschool.

Vision boards are also helpful for pre-readers and visual learners. In a homeschool setting, having a vision board is helpful to reign in all of the ideas you may have floating around, especially during the summer when you’re getting ready for a new school year.

You can use a vision board to inspire you toward positivity and accomplishing goals in your homeschool. In addition, you can use it to remind you of the things that bring you the most joy in your journey. For instance, you might include an inspirational quote, Scripture, or piece of poetry that really defines your homeschool or homeschooling for your family. Vision boards can also motivate you toward things that require more time and attention from you such as trips to the museum, reading stacks of books, animals you enjoy, and making donations. Don’t forget to include a “good morning” reminder and even a reminder to “play” now and again!

Need homeschooling inspiration? Try a vision board! How to Make a Homeschooling Vision Board: Step-by-Step

Making a vision board for homeschooling isn’t much different from making a vision board for any other purpose. The only thing that may be different is your focus. Obviously, if you’re making a vision board for homeschooling, you’re going to want to focus on the things that are important in your homeschool.

Step 1: Themes – When setting up your vision board, think in terms of attitude (the overall atmosphere you’d like to create), behavior (how you’d like everyone to act), and accomplishments (the things that will make you feel like you’ve made progress). Of course, these are just ideas; you’re free to create a vision board around whatever themes best suit your family and your agenda. For this step, you may want to jot down the terms, phrases, and images that come to mind in relation to your themes so that you can reference them in step 2.

Step 2: Materials – Collect the items you’ll need to put your vision board together. Magazines you don’t mind cutting, images you find on Google or Pinterest, and family photos will help jump-start the process. Since you’ll need something to mount your pictures, decide what surface you’d like to use for your actual “board.” Common vision board surfaces include bulletin boards or poster board (especially the foam kind). Alternatively, you could do a digital vision board by using Pinterest or another “bulletin board” site such as Trello.

You’ll also need common crafting supplies such as scissors, tape or another adhesive, and something to write with.

Step 3: Get to work! – You’ve thought about and brainstormed theme ideas, and you’ve gathered together your supplies. Now, it’s time to have fun! You’re ready to cut out items that relate to your visions for your homeschool and start adhering them to your board. It’s a good idea to leave at least some white space so you have room to add to your board as the months progress.

A vision board is a great way to keep your mind focused on the things that really matter to you. It’s also a useful way to block out the things that weigh you down. This year, start your homeschooling off with purpose and a mission, and try using a vision board for your homeschool!

Tasha Swearingen

Tasha is a homeschooling mom to 5 and has been homeschooling for 14 years. Currently, her children's ages span from toddler to young adult. Tasha has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Social Sciences from Florida State University and is working on her MBA through SNHU/Berklee School of Music.