Homeschool Learning Ideas for January
Do you want to introduce your kids to a variety of people and places, historical time periods, and interesting ideas? Here you’ll find a big list of January homeschool ideas. Choose a few to explore and see what sparks their interest.
This article is part of a series of monthly homeschool learning ideas. Each month offers suggestions for learning topics related to that month. Use the specific suggestions given, or research additional people or topics in a particular category.
You can expose your kids to books, music, poetry, people, and careers they might not otherwise encounter, just through choosing a few to read about or watch a quick video on each month.
The learning suggestions are grouped in the following categories:
- Read Aloud Book Suggestions
- Movie/Book Combos
- Poetry
- Classical Music
- Quotes
- Artists (birthdays in January)
- Athletes (birthdays in January)
- Authors (birthdays in January)
- Composers (birthdays in January)
- Engineers (birthdays in January)
- Inventors (birthdays in January)
- Presidents (birthdays in January)
- Scientists (birthdays in January)
- Interesting People (birthdays in January)
- Unusual Occupations (cold weather related)
- Animals (cold weather related)
- Plants (seasonal related)
- World Landmarks
- Games
- Crafts
- Study Skills
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Where to Find Learning Resources
After you decide on a few people or topics you want to learn about in January, head to your local library to check out books, magazines, movies, and more related to your topics of interest. You may find that your library system is able to request additional material from other libraries as well.
Another free source of information is YouTube. There is a massive amount of educational content on YouTube and a quick search will turn up many options to learn about almost anything.
For relatively inexpensive and sometimes free resources related to many of these topics, check out Teachers Pay Teachers.
Read-Aloud Suggestions for January
January seems to call for a wintery read-aloud. Here are a few suggestions for books to read together in January.
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed
Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (middle/high school)
Movie/Book Combos for January
You’re probably going to watch movies during the cold winter months anyway. Why not read the book and then watch the movie? Or, if you think the movie will generate interest in the story, do it backwards for your child. Here are a few suggestions for January book and movie combos.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Call of the Wild (most appropriate for middle/high school)
Read: 100+ Family Movie Night Suggestions
Poetry to Read in January
Read poetry aloud to explore the rhythm of the words. Here are some poetry suggestions to consider for January.
January by William Carlos Williams
New Year’s Morning by Helen Hunt Jackson
It Sifts from Leaden Sieves by Emily Dickinson
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Desert Places by Robert Frost
Additional poems for January can be found at discoverpoetry.com.
Classical Music
Choose a few pieces of classical music to listen to this month. Here are a couple of suggestions for January.
The Four Seasons: Winter by Vivaldi
Quotes to Ponder in January
January is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts and renewed motivation. Choose a quote to read and discuss in January. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
– Edith Lovejoy Pierce
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.”
– Nido Qubein
More January Ideas…
Artists Born in January
Paul Cezanne (French post-impressionist painter)
Jackson Pollock (American abstract impressionist painter)
John Singer Sargent (American—born in Italy—portrait painter)
Athletes Born in January
Wayne Gretzky (hockey)
Hakeem Olajuwon (basketball)
Mary Lou Retton (gymnastics)
Authors Born in January
Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)
J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings series)
Composers Born in January
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Franz Schubert
Engineers Born in January
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (engineer and astronaut, known for his walk on the moon)
Joseph B. Strauss (known for engineering the Golden Gate Bridge)
James Watt (Scottish inventor, engineer, and chemist, known for the Watt steam engine)
Entrepreneurs Born in January
Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft, along with Bill Gates)
Carolina Herrera (Venezualan fashion designer, known to design for many First Ladies of the United States)
André Michelin (French industrialist who founded Michelin Tyre Company)
Oprah Winfrey (television producer, author, magazine publisher)
Inventors Born in January
John Baskerville (printer who developed a wove paper)
Louis Braille (inventor of a reading and writing system for the visually impaired)
George Washington Carver (agricultural scientist who did much work in soil improvements)
Benjamin Franklin (writer, scientist, publisher, known for inventing the lightning rod and bifocals, among many other things)
Scientists Born in January
Katharine Burr Blodgett (physicist and chemist known for her work on non-reflecting glass)
Sydney Brenner (South African biologist known for his work in cell biology)
Dian Fossey (zoologist known for her work with gorillas)
Stephen Hawking (physicist most well known for his work on black holes)
Isaac Newton (physicist, mathematician, and astronomer, most well known for his laws of motion)
U.S. Presidents Born in January
Millard Fillmore (13th president)
William McKinley (25th president)
Richard Nixon (37th president)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd president)
Other Interesting People Born in January
Elisabeth Achelis (founder of the World Calendar Association to promote the reform)
Joan of Arc (a patron saint of France, renowned for her military leadership at a young age)
Martin Luther King, Jr. (American minister and leader in the civil rights movement)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (American songwriter, actor, and playwright best known for the Broadway hit, Hamilton)
Betsy Ross (American upholsterer credited with creating the first official U.S. flag)
Find even more interesting people with January birthdays noted on ThoughtCo’s list of January famous inventions and birthdays.
Unusual Occupations to Learn About in January
Animals to Learn About in January
Arctic fox
Penguin
Polar bear
Plants to Learn About in January
Beets
Cabbage
Citrus fruit
World Landmarks to Learn About in January
Games to Play in January
Ticket to Ride, Nordic Countries
Crafts to Make in January
Study Skills to Work On in January
Motivation and reward: Take note of what motivates each of your kids and what, if any, rewards provide motivation for them to work hard and complete assignments when their internal motivation is lacking.
Although our kids learn best when they have an internal desire to learn, it can be worthwhile for them to find out how to motivate themselves to complete work that is not appealing in the moment.
Motivation can be focused on a desired long-term outcome (e.g. must complete 3-4 years of math to apply to the college of their choice).
It can also come from offering small rewards for doing things that must be done (e.g. 15 minutes of playing a favorite video game after studying productively for 30 minutes).
Spend some time this month considering what motivates your kids; ask them for input and suggestions for ways to help them work on tasks they tend to procrastinate or ignore.
January Nonfiction Reads for Moms
Don’t forget to keep learning for yourself! January is the perfect time to think about establishing productive habits or creating routines that work for you.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: Start the new year thinking about ways to create lasting good habits.
A Year of Living Productively by Melanie Wilson: Get a quick overview of 52+ productivity systems, hacks, and tips with helpful information to use in deciding which ones may work for you.
31-Day Devotional: There are many choices for a 31-day devotional book, but here are a few to consider.
31-Day Devotionals for Life: Choose an area you are struggling with, such as anger, anxiety, contentment, or chronic illness, and spend a month focused on this area with writings from a professional counselor.
Prayers for a Lifestyle of Learning: 31 Day Devotional for Homeschooling Moms
Heart of God: 31 Days to Discover God’s Love for You
What to Learn in January
Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list. Nor is it a prescriptive list of things you should study in January.
Choosing some of these topics to learn about in January will expose your kids to a variety of people, places, and ideas. If they find something or someone especially interesting, feel free to dive deep. If not, read a short excerpt, watch a short video, and move on to something else.
Your kids won’t necessarily know what they find interesting or exciting until they read, see, or hear something about it. Give them the chance to discover things that generate interest by providing a broad spectrum of learning opportunities this month.
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