30 Simple Ways to Reset A Homeschool Day Gone Bad

A bad homeschool day doesn’t have to stay bad. These easy ideas will reset your homeschool & turn a bad day into a good day.

“I don’t know.”

You sigh, “Of course you do. We just did this yesterday. And the day before that. And –“

“I said I don’t know,” he mumbles as the tears arrive.

Already today, you’ve stubbed your toe getting ready, opened the fridge to find you’re out of coffee creamer, fought with the printer, dealt with an eye-rolling teenager, and now your kiddo has seemingly forgotten how to do even the most basic of math problems.

A series of minor annoyances that, alone, would have been manageable. But today?

Sometimes, it’s something much larger.   You’re still unpacking from a move. Last week, you dried your tears and sent your husband to war. Time is split between caring for a dying grandparent or parent & maintaining life in your own home. A hurricane came through & you’re sheltering out of state.

Bad mornings, bad days, or bad months.

They’re going to happen. We can set ourselves up for success by planning well, leaving flexibility (‘white space/margins’) in our week, and so on. But bad days are inevitable.

What isn’t inevitable, though, is a bad reaction from us. As moms, we have so much power to model how we react when things don’t go smoothly. When I fully understood that, it changed the way our days went.

My mindset became that of a problem solver.

I didn’t need to feel helpless or out of control. I could be silly. I could pull out food or a game. Or a favorite movie. Or I could just call school done for the day. And if one thing didn’t work, I could try something else.

Mama, you have the power to help reset a bad day.

Super Quick & Easy Resets

• Put away the subject that is causing problems and let them choose the next one.
• Grab your schoolwork and head outside to work.
• If it’s too cold (or hot!) to go outside, relocate everyone to a different spot in the house.  On one occasion, one of my kiddos chose to school in the bathtub!!  The laughter lightened everyone’s mood.

Learn Another Way

• Grab a funny read-aloud, head to a comfy spot, perhaps with a snack, and read.
• If you aren’t up for reading aloud, grab your phone or tablet and turn on an audiobook.  If you don’t have any downloaded already, we love both Libby and Audible.
• Pull out old picture books & let your kiddos be nostalgic.
• Pull out an art activity.  If you don’t have any ideas, have them create a piece based on history, the last book they read, a combination of two animals, etc.
• Grab a board game or puzzle and get working!

Just Add Food.

• Head to the dining room table with a couple of snacks and some hot tea or cocoa (LINK) for a poetry tea time.
• Send your kiddo to make a favorite recipe.
• A delicious treat, like hot chocolate, while continuing your regular scheduled day can be just enough to reset everyone.  

Technology to the Rescue

• FaceTime the grandparents!  Who doesn’t love getting an unexpected call from someone they love?  And seeing their face?  Even better.
• Turn on your favorite streaming service & watch something educational.
• ‘Escape’ with a virtual field trip. Check out these literary virtual field trips, too.
• Find an old classic movie on Netflix that you’ve never seen.
• Explore the world with Google Maps
• Try a family-friendly podcast like Wow in the World, Kids & Family TED Talks, or Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd (for something totally frivolous).

Get Fresh Air

• Go for a walk around your neighborhood.
• Head out to a nearby trail.
• Grab a book for yourself and head to a park.  You can read while the kids play.
• Is there a field trip you could easily do?
• Library!  Any reason is a good reason for a trip to the library.
• Do a grocery run for a local food bank.  Helping others is a sure-fire bad mood buster!
• Call another homeschool family for an impromptu get-together.

And a Few More Ideas

• Send everyone back to bed…but just for a minute.  At least once a year, I do a reset by sending them to bed, climbing in myself and then do a dramatic wake-up.  The over-the-topness of it makes them laugh.  And it’s a physical reminder that we are having a reset.
• NAP. It’s my cure for everything; just ask my kids! They may not nap, but they can read, draw, listen to a book, etc., while you take a power nap.  Since sleeping literally cleans your brain, it can be a perfect reset.