Making Homeschool Happen on Busy Days4 min read

When your kids go to private or public school, they will always do school no matter what. There may be distractions in school but it will happen irrespectively.

But when you homeschool, you come to realize that on some days homeschool may actually not happen at all.

Your kids could get sick, you could get busy and caught up with something last minute, the phone just doesn’t stop ringing all morning, you have renovation work on at home, your kids are not in that mindset to study – the number of interruptions and distractions that could come your way when homeschooling is endless.

Trying to make homeschool happen isn’t always as easy as it may seem, right?

Although there are so many things that could go upside down and cause your homeschool to get thrown off schedule, here are a few tips to help you make sure that homeschool happens even on busy days.

Here’s how you can make homeschool happen

When you’re unmotivated

There will always be times and seasons where you feel utterly unmotivated to homeschool, and that’s normal! And quite honestly, that’s a good thing; it shows how human you are. Try out these ideas when you’re struggling with little to no motivation to homeschool:

• Shake things up a bit. You don’t have to go about your regular math lessons; instead, put those math workbooks away and play some math games!
• Make monthly plans. If you have days where you’re unmotivated to school, those will most likely be the days where you feel unmotivated to plan for school too. So, sit down once a month and try to plan your whole month. Everything need not necessarily be fixed; keep space for such days where you can do lighter topics or some extracurricular activities instead.
• Do stuff together as a family. You could go out for a favorite meal at the end of a very focused week of learning. Or grab some ice cream after finishing your target lessons for the day. Get creative and come up with fun and innovative ideas that will motivate everyone to school.

Despite constant interruptions

Like we’ve already mentioned before, doing school at home is very different from public or private schooling. Your home doesn’t need to look like a school, and therefore it is normal to have interruptions. But how do you make homeschool happen despite these constant interruptions?

• Try to keep school time solely for school time. Don’t try to do a dozen other things when you have to homeschool your kids. Focus on one thing at a time and try to do it well.
• If gadgets are one of the main sources of distraction for you, then just put them away when it’s time to school. Keep your phone in another room or in a drawer while you focus on your kids’ lessons.
• Sit down and assess your days. Are you trying to get too many things done during the busiest times of the day? Plan your days in a manner where things are more organized. You could schedule all your buying and shopping for one day, instead of having to run out every second day. Similarly, if possible, try scheduling all doctor and/or dental visits on the same day. Don’t make calls, appointments and commitments during school time and so on.
• Have a bunch of things in place that your child can do without your assistance in an event where you get busy. This could include card games, copy work, flashcards, doodle books or word puzzles.

During busy seasons

Months like December and even May and June can get really busy for many families. Everyone has had busy seasons throughout the years. So, here are some ways that you could make your homeschool happen even during your busiest months as a family:

• Remember to keep educational resources handy – in your car and so on. Stuff like audiobooks and easy games that you can play on the go will help to make sure that you always have something educational to do.
• Take it back to the basics! Don’t worry about trying to fit in fancy projects, experiments and extras. Instead, focus on subjects like reading, mathematics and even basic science.
• Use TV programs and educational apps to lend you a helping hand. And don’t feel guilty for using technology once in a while during busy seasons. As long as your kids are continuing to learn, you can focus on the busy stuff and get it done soon.

Busy days happen. Busy days are normal. But as a homeschooling parent, you need to try and work around such days in order to provide your kids with the best schooling possible. Finding simple solutions is key to avoiding difficult days.