5 Ways to Simplify Your Homeschool Day

You know how it goes……

You begin the day with great aspirations of what will be. Of all the lessons learned and memories made.

Then, before you know it, it’s full blown chaos.

The dog is chasing the cat around the house. There’s a child dancing on the table, another is coloring on the wall. Someone is digging through the pantry looking for 3rd breakfast……

Ok, perhaps it’s not quite like that.

At any rate, balancing family, real life, and school can be challenging and overwhelming.

There may even be days when you feel like throwing your hands in the air and giving up.

Hang tight, friend!

We’ve been there! And, through our own journey, we’ve discovered a few tricks that have helped us keep our sanity.

Now it’s time for us to pass the baton on to you!

We’ve listed 5 tangible things for you to implement into your day to help bring simplicity. And hopefully, some peace.

These are tried and true, from our family to yours.

Limit Distractions.

Distractions don’t just come for our kiddos. They come for us as parents too.

That email that needed to be sent, a quick scroll through social media, the laundry that needed to be taken out of the machine, dishes in the sink…..

Distractions happen. And when we educate our kiddos within our homes, the potential for distractions is huge.

From toys and electronics to daily household tasks, it can seem never ending.

So how can a family truly limit the distractions that plague them??

Designate times throughout the day for specific things.

Choose a certain time for a break from school work, and focus instead on a few chores.

Choose a time to prepare a meal. Perhaps even prepare it together!

Choose a time to catch up on emails and such.

The list can go on and on.

Keep your schedule loose. Life happens. And one day may look completely different than the day before it.

But, hopefully you’ll find that those little breaks in your day help overall.

Not only for you, but for your whole family.

This leads directly into the next tip.

Take regular breaks.

I’ve said it before. And I’m sure I’ll say it again a thousand times…..

Breaks are so, so necessary.

Our bodies and brains need rest.

There comes a point in every day when our brains tap out. We just can’t absorb any more. And we go into autopilot.

This is true for everyone.

So, instead of trying to “finish one last thing”, put it aside for another time.

When our kiddos reach their limit, the only thing that comes from more school time are tears and melt downs. (both were mine in our family)

Breaks can mean a number of things.

Naps, sure. (my personal fav)

But also, reading together under a shared blanket. Baking cookies together. Taking a walk outside. Going to the park for a bit.

All productive. All sweet. And all so very needed.

The moral of this story? Take care of yourself.

Say “no”.

As much as we want to join all the groups, attend all of the play dates and field trips, over scheduling causes overwhelming stress.

And let me just say, social media has caused a huge increase in FOMO - Fear of Missing Out.

We see all of the beautiful posts from the lovely families in our area and suddenly we have this intense feeling that we MUST join in!

That somehow saying “no” means that we’re not rocking the homeschool life. (Totally speaking from experience!)

The truth of it all is that social media is not reality. Those photos may be beautiful, but what happened before or after may not have been.

And let me tell you, friend……

It’s ok to miss out.

It’s ok to say no.

Ask yourself the following :

Will saying “yes” cause you stress? Will the outing be beneficial? Do you even want to attend? Will staying home bring you peace?

Going to play dates and mommy groups and all of the other things is great! And it is so necessary to have a support system and community.

However, if attending every function is causing burn-out, stress, and especially if it is affecting your mental health, and time with your kiddos, say no.

Set daily limits.

There is no law that says that you MUST complete every subject every day. The beauty of homeschooling is the freedom that comes with it.

If your child is vibing on science one day, let them! Math can wait until the next day.

Trying to cram everything into one day is too much. For both you and your child. This rings true for older students as well. There is only so much one person can absorb.

Setting limits doesn’t necessarily mean scheduling only certain subjects on certain days. Although it can. (We’ve done that many times.)

It’s also watching your child for cues that they’re done. Once that point is reached, anything afterward is just white noise. (Imagine Charlie Brown’s teacher.)

Give yourself grace.

I’m a perfectionist. And I’m insanely hard on myself.

During our homeschooling years, if one thing didn’t go perfectly to plan, I immediately felt like a failure.

I put so much pressure on myself to check all of the boxes and do all of the projects, and when it didn’t happen, it would literally keep me up at night.

Over time, I realized that stressing over every little thing wasn’t healthy. And it was negatively affecting my kiddos.

Then, one day, during a sweet conversation with a beautiful woman at church, the phrase “give yourself grace” was spoken.

We weren’t even discussing homeschooling, and yet it resonated deeply within me.

I’m not perfect.

Life isn’t perfect.

Things happen.

And it’s ok.

Sometimes things get messy.

Some days, all of the plans that were made, go out the window.

Some days, all your kiddos really need is you.

I’ll close with this : Everyone’s homeschool routine is different. Do what works best for you and your family.

Resist the urge to compare your family with another’s.

And above all, I pray that you find joy and peace in your homeschooling journey!