Bad week? Easy ways to improve your homeschool ASAP!

Whether your homeschool days are running smoothly or you’re struggling, there is always room for improvement. Figuring out what needs to change and — worse — how to do it can feel hard. But there are low-effort things you can take that will have a quick payoff.

Drink your water, Mama.

And feed yourself. And exercise.

This is going first on our list for one reason. Moms need the reminder. Between getting lunch on the table, cleaning up morning homeschool, and preparing for the rest of the day, it’s easy to say, “Oh, I’ll grab some water right after I _________.” And then, in the vein of When You Give a Mouse a Muffin, it’s three hours later, and you’re parched.

But a fed, rested, and hydrated mama has more patience, a clearer head, and more energy to tackle the day. Your homeschool needs that, and so do you.

(And we’re not aiming for perfection here. Sure, a day of 5-7 servings of produce & 8-10 glasses of water is a great goal. But we’re talking about improving our days, not perfecting our days.

Learn something together.

Sure, you could do a unit study or select a subject to study together. But it doesn’t have to be so involved. Watch a video together. Do a collaborative art project – or each of you complete your own version of the same project. Go on a field trip. Listen to an audiobook in the car.

No-pressure learning time with my kids is an easy way for me to feel refreshed & recharged. When we’re busy doing our own things & going our own ways, it’s too easy to disconnect.

The research tells us that when kids (or adults!) learn together, it increases the amount they learn/retain, and they take more responsibility for their education. Those are two pretty good goals, aren’t they?!

Study your students.

You’re in the groove, your days are going pretty well, and then something your kiddo does makes you stop in your tracks.

• When did their handwriting get so neat?
• How did you miss them finally mastering riding on two wheels?
• Wow, when was the last time you had to remind them to do their chores?

Mastering new skills happens so rapidly when children are young, and they all seem momentous. But somewhere along the line, that slows down, and we forget to pay close attention. We’re not neglectful—we just forget to be on the lookout.

So spend some time studying them this week. What new skills have they developed? What skills need fine-tuning? What subject or topic makes their eyes light up? What are they dragging their feet on?

As you study your children, you can brainstorm ways to practice skills that need to be developed. Then, you can ‘lean into’ those things they love to make your days even better.

Add some margin to your days.

“Hurry & finish your math. We need to run to the store.”
“Don’t dawdle; I need to get home & cook dinner.”
“Eat quickly; we need to get to soccer.”

How often do we spend our days rushing from one thing to another, trying to get it all done? Kids are stressed, mom is exhausted, and patience? Ha! Busyness is the name of the game some days & some seasons. But when it’s a way of life, we miss the opportunities for spontaneity and free exploration, and, most importantly, rest.

Grab your planner and remove something from each of your children’s school days tomorrow (or the following week). Reschedule it for next week, or just decide that it doesn’t need to be done. Look at your family’s calendar. What can you skip this week? And on your own to-do list, can you order out tonight? Or skip the vacuuming?

I’m not suggesting laziness or skipping tasks & activities that really need to be done. But our definition of a must-do isn’t always a must-do.

Celebrate a win or two.

Did one of your kids finish their longest books this week?

• Did one of your kids finish their longest books this week?
• Are all of this week’s assignments marked off?
• Maybe your little one finished their handwriting book this week.
• Or your teen did better on this week’s science lab report than their last one.

And maybe a celebration looks like:

• Playing board games one afternoon instead of your regular work.
• Or ending early on Friday.
• Perhaps you get donuts or go out for lunch.
• Letting your kiddo narrate a summary of their history instead of writing it out.
• Even a sincere compliment for something you noticed.

The point isn’t to celebrate only “big” achievements or celebrate only in “big” ways. Little wins & little celebrations can brighten the mood, too. A bonus is that these celebrations can be free/inexpensive and barely interrupt your day.

Start a TA-DA! List

Do you do reverse planning for your homeschool? This idea is that rather than planning what you will do (and the chance of having to reschedule half of it), you write down what you did. A TA-DA list is that — just with a more fun name. It can also be an addition to your regular planning.

A friend of mine started a ‘what we did today’ list when her kids were little & continued the same list all through their homeschool years. As teens, the list is HUGE — and a great ‘diary’ of their homeschool years. It’s full of both major achievements (like the day a kiddo finished his first chapter book) and the mundane (3 pages of math, lesson 23 in language arts).

But why? Even when we’re crossing off our list each day, it can be easy to fall into bed that night thinking about all the things that you didn’t get crossed off. Or that all of those completed lessons really didn’t mean much. A TA-DA! list will stop that counterproductive thinking.

Don’t make this ‘perfect’ — open a Google Doc and just start writing. Or a notebook. Or put a blank paper inside your planner or desk drawer. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Play a game together.

Lots of board games have something educational about them — even if it’s a bit of a stretch. But, sometimes, the time we spend together connecting with our kids is more beneficial than another math lesson. Games that are quick to set up, play & pack away are my favorite kind. We also love games that are easy to start and stop — perfect for lunchtime play, quick breaks between subjects, etc.

• RackO
• Quirkle
• TrailBlazers
• Shut the Box
• Spot It!
• Azul
• Sum Swamp
• Unscramble the States

But don’t play the comparison game.

The quickest way to ruin your days (and, potentially, your homeschool) is to play the comparison game. Let’s state the obvious first: When we compare, we’re usually comparing our worst moments with the highlight reels of others.

• We see beautifully decorated homeschool rooms on Pinterest and look around at our reality.
• Kids delightfully playing outside in outfits that coordinate with their surroundings — while your kiddo is outfitted in a too-small Halloween costume + two different shoes + unbrushed hair while melting down about the wrong color apple.
• The middle school kids building some intricate STEM project right after your middle schooler stormed out of the room with a roll of their eyes.
• <insert your latest scenario>

Most of us don’t post our worst moments — let alone the worst moments with our children — on social media. And most of us aren’t tempted to compare our homeschool when things are going well. So, that comparison game? You’re always going to lose. Your children, your homeschool, and YOU deserve to win.