Homeschool Planning Ideas for November
Looking for some fun learning ideas for November? I have a list for you! Here you’ll find a collection of resources to help you plan your homeschool activities and learning in November.
I’ve included links to articles containing unit study ideas, fun holidays, and famous November birthdays. You’ll also discover bucket list ideas, journal prompts, art prompts, and more.
In addition, you’ll see links to helpful articles related to seasonal activities and project suggestions to include in your school year.
Bookmark this page for reference and come back each year for new ideas!
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November Unit Study Ideas: Fun Holidays
Each month has designated awareness holidays, and these can be a great way to introduce your kids to a new experience or get them to try something new. They can also be used to spend additional time focused on a particular area of interest.
Here’s my list of unit study ideas to incorporate in your homeschool in November.
What Can I Learn Today: November Homeschool Ideas
This article 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 November)
- Athletes (birthdays in November)
- Authors (birthdays in November)
- Composers (birthdays in November)
- Engineers (birthdays in November)
- Inventors (birthdays in November)
- Presidents (birthdays in November)
- Scientists (birthdays in November)
- Interesting People (birthdays in November)
- Unusual Occupations
- Animals
- Plants (seasonal related)
- World Landmarks
- Games
- Crafts
- Study Skills
November Fun Learning Ideas
Each category can open up discussion of history, science, art, entrepreneurship, relationships, and the list goes on. The categories I chose to use this year are as follows.
- birthday of the month
- invention of the month
- country of the month
- life skill of the month
- character trait of the month
November Country Study – Malaysia
These mini-unit studies covering 12 different countries are a great way to expose your kids to the beauty and culture of countries around the world.
Using video, engaging books, games, and maps, kids of all ages can get a taste of the uniqueness of different cultures, along with understanding our fundamental similarities as humans.
Try out a sample of France from my free resource library. You can purchase the full pack of 12 countries from my Etsy shop.
November Bucket Lists
Bucket lists are one of my favorite lists to make. I also love to read what’s on other people’s bucket lists! Here are two lists of ideas for your November Bucket List.
November Prompts for Three Things Thursday
If you use a Three Things Thursday prompt in your classroom or homeschool as part of a morning meeting discussion or individual writing activity, here is a list of prompts to consider for November.
November Motivation for Kids
Each month’s quote comes from a famous historical person who was born in that month. I’ve included resources for further learning, and conversation ideas around that person’s life or ideas.
“Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”
Dale Carnegie, American author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” (Born November 24, 1888)
Resources to learn more about Dale Carnegie
- Website: Dale Carnegie Facts from Softschool
- Dale Carnegie Facts & Worksheets from KidsKonnect
- Dale Carnegie: The World’s Most Determined Man (YouTube – Life Stories)
Conversation about Dale Carnegie
Do you have a tendency to worry about things? Take a few minutes to reflect on this quote from Dale Carnegie. Does it make you think any differently about what you are worrying about today? (Sometimes, the things we spend time worrying about never come to pass. Don’t miss out on the beauty and joy of life by fixating on the possibility of something that may not happen.)
November Fun Journal Prompts
Each day prompts for a list of three things. The first prompt of each month is “3 things you’re thankful for.” This is a gratitude exercise to get them in a mindset of remembering to be thankful. Then at the end of each month is a prompt for “3 favorite things about this month.” The purpose of this is to urge them to reflect upon what brings them joy or delight.
November Art Prompts
These simple drawing prompts are a low-key way to encourage students to create a habit of sketching and drawing.
How to Use the Prompts
First, decide on how frequently you want to use them. Daily, weekly, or even monthly if you prefer.
Next, decide on the size you will recommend. My favorite way to do this is in small 1-1/2 inch square boxes, requiring students to keep their drawing simple. You may wish to limit the size to 3 inch squares or a 5.5″x 8.5″ half-letter page size.
Finally, decide on the allowed art supplies. The simplest form is to allow only pencil sketches. My preference is to allow colored pencils so kids who love color can let their creativity shine.
Suggestions for using these simple drawing prompts:
- bell-ringer activity
- daily or weekly sketch practice
- year-long creative project to save as a keepsake
- activity during read-aloud times
- early finish activity
15 Simple Art Prompts for November
- pie
- pear
- fern
- ice skates
- lamp
- lighthouse
- umbrella
- popsicle
- wagon
- flip flops
- tote bag
- telescope
- swimsuit
- kite
- mittens
You can also download a full school year’s worth of 180 prompts to make this a daily activity or choose your favorites and make this a weekly activity.
November Activity and Daily Checklist
Grab this page to encourage your child to practice gratitude in November. There are 30 spots to list out something to be thankful for.
In my Etsy shop, I also have a complete set of monthly themed checklists with an activity for each month. The November activity includes this page.
November 30-Day Challenge
30-day challenges are highly popular in the health and fitness arena. You can pick pretty much any exercise and make a 30-day challenge of it. In the healthy eating realm, cutting out junk food, sugar, or soda is common.
Beyond the physical challenges, though, you can find challenges inspiring you to spend time cultivating a hobby, decluttering your home, or learning something new.
Try one of these 30-Day Challenges in November:
gratitude challenge OR no soda challenge
For a list of 25 challenge ideas, read 30-Day Challenges to Try This Year.
November Character Trait Study
The character trait focus for November is thankfulness.
Find suggestions for books, movies, video content, activities and more to encourage thankfulness this month in my Character Counts series.
Character Counts: Encouraging Thankfulness
November Encouraging Proverb
The proverb for November is a great reminder to not get overly confident in our ability to manage life when we experience a season of smooth sailing. While it’s wonderful to enjoy a period of time when our routines are running well and we feel capable of managing our responsibilities well, it’s important to remember that those feelings can change in an instant. Remain dependent on the Lord and grateful for the gifts of grace he gives us day by day.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Proverbs 27:1
Download a free list of proverbs to cover the whole school year from my resource library.
November Pray Around the World Country List
To pray for every country in one year, you’ll need to pray for 16-17 countries each month. I’ve assigned the countries alphabetically to each month of the year. However, by praying for one country every weekday you can actually cover every country over the course of a school year if your summers are hectic and you prefer to organize it that way.
You can download my free calendar for November to pray for countries of the world, along with a few questions for your kids to learn a little bit more about a country of their choice.
November Focus Word
Perfect to use on a bulletin board or other display board, my set of monthly focus words provides one word to reflect on and prioritize each month of the year. Visit the free resource library to download your free printable pack of 12 words.
November Scripture Card
If one of your goals is to memorize more scripture this year, try using my monthly scripture cards to memorize twelve Bible verses over the course of the year. The scripture word of the month for November is “enduring,” and the verse comes from 1 Chronicles 16:34.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
You can download a set of twelve scripture cards from my free resource library and begin to memorize 1 Chronicles 16:34 this month.
November Fun Facts Reference Sheet
Celebrating an November birthday? Download this November fun facts sheet to display at a birthday party or give with a birthday gift. Included are the November birthstone and flower, a few fun holidays, interesting people born in November, and this month in history events.
Additional November Resources for Homeschool Moms
Encourage Your Kids in November
Give them responsibility.
It may seem counterintuitive to encourage your kids by giving them work to do, but giving them responsibility lets them know that you trust them to do it. Kids need to know that they are valued, capable members of the family team.
Give your kids increasing levels of responsibility as they age. Elementary kids can be responsible for choosing their own outfits or getting their own breakfast. Middle school kids can be responsible for cleaning their own rooms and packing lunches. High schoolers can be given added responsibility of cooking dinner once a week/month and managing their calendar.
You will be the best judge of what your child is capable of, but they are probably capable of more than you think.
Adding appropriate responsibility provides your child with confidence in their ability to contribute.
NOVEMBER ENCOURAGEMENT FOR YOUR KIDS: give them responsibility
If you’d rather choose a different way of encouraging your kids in November, read this article: 10 Practical Ways to Encourage Your Kids This Year
Fun Online Games for November
If your kids love games, there are a lot of opportunities for them to learn while they play! Choose a game of the month for them to try out—or have the whole family play either collaboratively or competitively.
NOVEMBER ONLINE GAME: Nerdle
Pick your own game for November from my list of 50 Fun Online Games for Students.
Life Skills Focus for November
Every so often, I encounter something that I thought my kids knew how to do…but they definitely do not. To make sure we’re covering a variety of life skills, I like to focus on one or two things each month.
NOVEMBER LIFE SKILLS FOCUS: cooking
November is a great time to work on cooking skills. Your kids can help cook the Thanksgiving meal, learn how to make soup or crockpot meals that we tend to make as the weather cools. Help them learn to cook their favorite breakfast (eggs, pancakes, or oatmeal) or a go-to dinner (spaghetti, tacos, or homemade pizza).
Read: 7 Lunches Kids Can Make Themselves
Helpful Blog Posts to Read in November
November Homeschool Planning & Routines
The possibilities really are endless. If your kids are interested in nature, plan to incorporate a mini-unit study of one plant or tree each month. Try listening to a specific type of music each month, trying out a new game, recipe or podcast every month of the year.
This collection of ideas is intended to provide inspiration only. Obviously, there are far more activities and learning opportunities than you could fit into one month. Pick and choose a few things that sound fun to you or your kids and see what sparks interest in them.
Visit my homeschool resources page for monthly unit study ideas, projects, and homeschool planning help!
Join my mailing list to receive updates when new printable resources are added to the library, plus tips and encouragement for your organized homeschool journey.
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How to Homeschool in November
