Homeschooling: 5 Tips to Help You When Your Day Falls Apart5 min read

Homeschooling is not a piece of cake, we know! Just because you teach your kids at home doesn’t make it any easier than them going to school. If anything, it’s probably just as challenging and we dare say, sometimes even harder!

But amidst the chaos and the challenges, how do you cope and continue to carry on? Well, let’s find out.

When Homeschooling Day Falls Apart

Everything is not going to be picture perfect!

First off, let’s be clear about one thing – as a homeschooling parent, the ride is never going to be completely smooth-sailing all the time.

You are going to have difficulties and problems along the way. You will have days when everything feels out of control. Days when nothing goes according to plan.

There will be times that will make you question everything from “Am I good enough?” to “Is it even worth it after all?”. Your best-laid plans may just get thrown out the window.

But it’s all part of your homeschooling journey! It’s not going to be picture-perfect all the time! So, what do you do then? How do you save a disastrous day that seems to be falling apart on all sides?

5 Tips For When Your Homeschooling Day Falls Apart

When everything around seems to be going up in flames, do the best that you can in your homeschool. Focus on what matters and keep going!

Yes, we know this may sound quite vague, so here are a few tips to help you when the going gets tough:

Ease Up

If it’s already a very difficult and overwhelming day in your homeschool but you don’t want to completely give up on the day, ease it up a little bit.

You can always cross off a subject or two from the day’s timetable. Instead of a full-blown science lesson, find a documentary or a mini educational film to watch together.

Easing it up will help you to feel better. You may realize that you can do more than you thought possible.

Take a Break

There may be some days when homeschooling isn’t the best option, and that’s okay. Maybe emotions are running high or energies are just not matching.

Don’t feel guilty if you have to cancel homeschool for a day.

Remind yourself that you are homeschooling your kids with the best intentions. You should try to go at a pace that both you and your kids can cope with.

If your kids and/or you need a day off to take a break, go right ahead and do it. Don’t consider it a waste of a day or time. You can always rest and simply talk instead.

You could also encourage your kids to find some fun and educational activities to do. Or you could sit together and play a board game!

Sometimes, spending time together can be productive and educational, even if it’s not part of a regular planned homeschool day.

Change Your Schedule

When your world seems to be closing in on you, don’t panic. Take a deep breath. Then go through your schedule. Don’t hesitate to change things up a bit if you have to.

Switching from homeschooling on a weekday to a Saturday may help. Perhaps doing it in the evenings instead of the mornings works better. Even shortening your days by an hour or so may prove beneficial for the time being.

Keep in mind that one of the many advantages of homeschooling is that you have the freedom to be flexible.

You don’t have to stick to a rigid schedule come-what-may. You can keep changing things up while you and your kids try to navigate through your challenges.

Accept Help

One of the best things that we human beings have to rely on is community. Community is such a blessing, especially in times when we just cannot do it on our own!

Pause and analyze your situation. Do you need to bring someone in? Do you need to ask for some much-needed help with the kids or the house?

Accept help from a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or even your faith community. Sometimes, you might also need to accept help from your kids.

Working together in a team when times are tough always makes things much easier for everyone. It will help to not only lighten your burden but also focus on your kids and their lessons.

Keep Going

Although you may feel like giving up homeschooling altogether, just keep going! Take it one day at a time. Don’t worry about tomorrow or the next week when you already have sufficient trouble for today.

You don’t have to have everything figured out in advance. Approach things one step at a time. Have patience with yourself and your kids. Remind yourself of what matters most – your children.

Even though you cannot see the end of the dark tunnel right now, trust that one day it will finally end.

Continue to make adjustments every step of every day and before you know it, you will have gotten through it!

What to Remember…

We’re sure that by now you are no stranger to homeschooling and its challenges. While some days are extremely productive, on others you’re just happy you survived!

But it is so important to not let the difficult days overshadow the good ones. This is why we hope you will keep our tips in mind.

Be flexible – with your schedule, your curriculum, and your days. Don’t be in a hurry to cram as much as you can in a day. Be attentive to your kids. If there are days when they can’t seem to be in the right headspace to work, be ready to take an alternate route.

Taking a break or two once in a while is not a crime! After all, learning does not only happen in an academic setup. Don’t hesitate to accept help from friends and family. Every human being needs community and help, even if that help means getting some advice over a cup of coffee.

Above all, keep going. Challenges will come and go. It is how you choose to deal with them that really matters at the end of the day. Your kids are counting on you. Don’t give up on yourself, we believe in you!