A kid’s vision board is a great way to help your kids hone in on the what and why of learning in your homeschool. Once your kids understand what they want to learn, figuring out why is the next most important task. Is it because they really just love the subject? Or is it a skill they need to be able to do something else?
I have always created my own vision board each year as a visual representation of my own goals. I’m not one to cut out a bunch of magazine pictures to visualize my life, instead I use words because that is what encourages me most.
Including my kids in goal setting is important. I want them to be able to know what is important to them and to be able to build goals around what is important to them. It is a life skill and I want them to know how to make their passions reality.
What is a Kid’s Vision Board
A kid’s vision board is exactly like what it sounds. Your kids create something that is a visual representation of what they want to accomplish in a set amount of time. This will allow them to be reminded of what they are working towards every time they look at it.
This is similar to something that you would make for yourself if you are creating a vision board. Your kids will model what their vision board is after the directions that you give them. So, you will want to make sure you are clear on the purpose.
Should you use it for a full year?
My kids do not create a vision board for an entire year. The reason is because it is too long of a time frame. The vision boards that we create are instead based on a 6-month timeline. Once that six months is up, we move to the next 6 months.
This gives the kids, and me, an opportunity to revisit and see what is working, and what may need to be changed.
When to create a kid’s vision board
A vision board for my kids goes in coordination with the start of our homeschool year. Each July when we start our new homeschool year (we are year-round homeschoolers), I will do an interview with them. This is part of our back to school traditions.
It gives the kids a chance to figure out where they want their focus to be as the year starts. What are their interests at that time? Where do they want to spend their energy and time? Is there a particular subject that they want to work on? A passion project?
We start with vision boards in July, but then we also try to work on them again in January. This gives my kids the opportunity to make adjustments. Just the same as how I make adjustments throughout our homeschool year, I want the kids to be able to do that as well.
Kid’s Vision Board: Supplies
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The supplies are really the easiest part of this entire project! Most of them you will have around the house already, and if you don’t have some items, you can improvise.
- Poster Board
- Colored Pencils
- Markers
- Glue sticks
- Kids’ Magazines
If you don’t have kids’ magazines, that is totally OK. Your kids can draw pictures and use words to create a vision board. My oldest likes to write out different themes and then her goals on the vision board. Then she will add a couple of pictures, but mainly she doodles. I love to see their creativity.
My son likes to cut out pictures from the LEGO magazines that he receives in the mail, or pictures of video games that he likes.
Unrealistic Vision Boards
What happens if your kids put unrealistic items on their vision board? That is totally OK. My oldest put that she wanted to go to Scotland this year. Obviously, that is not going to be happening, but it is nice to see her dream. Scotland has actually been on her vision board and goals list for several years. She wants to go to Loch Ness because she loves the stories of the Loch Ness Monster – we all have goals, and this is hers. I have no doubt that one day she will get there.
The purpose of the vision board is to allow your kids to dream, and then to try and fulfill some of those dreams. If they are all completely unrealistic, that is OK. As they grow, they will learn what is realistic, and what is more of a reach goal. Just because they can’t accomplish all of their vision in one year does not mean that they won’t eventually.
In fact, like the above example with my daughter, I think it gives them drive to hone in on what is important for them. They know what they want, and if they are constantly thinking about reaching those dreams, eventually they will.
Display the Vision Board
If you are using a large piece of poster board to create the vision board, you may not want to hang it up on your wall. However, you do want to display them somewhere. Our vision boards are in our homeschool room.
Because we do these vision boards through the lens of what my kids want to learn in the coming months, I want them visible. It makes no sense to create a vision board and then pack it away.
So, if you are worried about the size of the vision board, you can use smaller pieces of cardstock for the vision board, or cut poster board in half – which is what we did this year.
How does creating a kid’s vision board Cultivate Simplicity?
It cultivates simplicity by giving you, the parent, a good idea of what is important to your child right now. Part of homeschooling is understanding the passions of your children. Yes, you want to make sure that they learn the 3 R’s, but you also want them to learn how to figure out what their passions are.
When you work through this fun project, it gives you the opportunity to build on your own homeschool plans. Keep learning fun and incorporate some of their interests into your homeschool rhythm.
For example, my daughter’s love of Scotland is an easy thing to incorporate into our learning. Letting her explore Scotland through online tours, research about Loch Ness, and yes even fun documentaries on the Loch Ness Monster are all things I can include in our school year.
The Bottom Line
These vision boards are a tool for your kids to figure out what is important to them. But, they are also a tool for you to understand your child. When your child shares their dreams with you through their vision board, it gives you the opportunity to grow in your relationship.
You are the one that will most likely be fostering some of these goals and visions. My son wants to learn three coding languages this year. He isn’t able to learn that on his own. I need to be able to seek out the courses and the resources that he will use to learn these languages. If I didn’t ask him to do the vision board, I might not know the specifics of what and why. And then we may go through the rest of the year without even touching on those things.
This activity is another tool in your belt to move towards understanding your kids and creating the best homeschool environment for your family. It’s not too late to work on this project! Start today and see what dreams your kids have for the year ahead.
Do you create a vision board for the year? Is this a project your kids would enjoy?
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