Ah, February. The hardest month of the year for homeschool moms. We are finally fully recovered from the festivities of the holiday season and have settles back into our homeschool routine. The short days of winter and the countdown to spring break feels endless. February is the month known amongst experienced homeschoolers for homeschool mom burnout.
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The February homeschool blues are for sure a real thing. If you are new to homeschooling, don’t think you need to throw in the towel and give your kids a one way ticket to a brick and mortar school. This too shall pass and spring is right around the corner.
If you are experiencing the homeschool burnout brought on by the month of February, this is for you. Here are some tried and true tips that have helped me beat homeschool burnout, and I’m confident they will help you too.
Avoid Homeschool Burnout by Encouraging Independence
Teaching our kids to be independent thinkers and learners is a huge benefit of homeschooling. Did you know that this independence can and should be encouraged in other aspects of their life (the home part of homeschooling)?
I recently read a post in a homeschool group where a mom expressed being super stressed out about feeding her kids lunch every day. Now, there are a lot of things I can say on this one, like have we become so dependent on others to tell us how to raise our kids that we can’t even figure out something as simple as lunch?
But here is where I really want to go with this point. If making lunch for your kids is stressful, then don’t. Now, I’m not saying don’t feed them or provide for their basic needs, but seriously, get some bread and whatever sandwich ingredients you prefer and encourage their independence. Even kids as young as kindergarten age can make their own lunches.
Being a homeschool mom doesn’t mean you need to do all the things, and trying will inevitably lead to homeschool mom burnout. Often the things we look at as mom’s job are important life skills for kids to learn. Hand over some of the responsibility to your kids and encourage independence.
Here are some other things that your kids can do on their own:
- Their laundry
Even young kids can do this. My youngest was only six when he started doing his own laundry. This was not because I required it of him, but he had FOMO since everyone else was doing it and asserted his independence in this area.
- Clean their own bathroom
My kids started doing this one pretty early on. I have two boys and feel it is suuuuuper important for them to learn to clean up after themselves when they, um, miss (it is bound to happen from time to time).
- Pick up after themselves
Just tell yourself, I am mom not maid.
Change Your Homeschool Expectations
We all start our homeschool year excited about all of the shiny new curriculum. It took me years to learn not to overdo our homeschool day and that doing less is sometimes so much more productive. There is definitely a theme in the homeschool world of trying to make sure our kids are ahead or advanced and this is absolutely unnecessary and will lead to burnout for homeschool moms and kids.
The reality is that sometimes we need to lower our homeschool expectations. This includes the expectations we put on ourselves and our kids. Lessons don’t need to be hard for kids to learn. Curriculum doesn’t need to be advanced, challenging, or rigorous for kids to learn. It is much easier to learn in a place of peace, not stress.
I am by no means encouraging mediocrity, but I am saying you may need to lighten the load. When I talk to people who burnout from homeschooling frequently, it is usually because of this. Let some things go. Lighten the load and watch the fog of homeschool burnout lift.
Consider a Change
It is okay to switch homeschool curriculum, even if you are part way through the year. I dropped our homeschool co-op in January this year, and that meant changing up nearly everything. And guess what? It’s okay. My kids are still learning and progressing, more so than when we were doing the co-op.
Speaking of dropping the co-op, don’t be afraid to drop things that aren’t adding value to your homeschool. This co-op took up so much of our time and there really was very little benefit. It seemed like a good idea at the beginning, but didn’t really turn out to be good. I should have dropped it much sooner but was trying to stick with it for the year. Don’t do what I did. It’s better to end a walk down a wrong road with a short trip, not a long one. Spending time on something that isn’t working will lead to more burnout.
Implement Healthy Habits
We are finally past the temptations of holiday treats and the busy-ness of the season. Now is a great time to create space for implementing healthy eating and fitness for moms. I know, this sounds like I am saying you should add more to an already full and burned-out plate. But, taking time for your health is truly a matter of mom self-care and something I am very passionate about.
Adding in health and fitness habits can be as simple as going for a walk every day. Being outdoors is grounding and great for mental health, and walking is excellent for your physical health. Bonus points if you can do this without your kids, but I realize that is not always realistic. I have been that mom with two littles on bikes running behind them in order to get some exercise. It was worth it. Taking care of your health will make you a happier, less burned out homeschool mom.
Shop For Next Year’s Curriculum
This is my absolute favorite way to beat homeschool mom burnout. You all know, I love shiny new books and getting homeschool boxes is like Christmas in February. Some of my February homeschool shopping is out of necessity, as I have my kids start next year’s work as they complete things. Our homeschool year is pretty fluid and we move on to the next book as needed.
If I am being honest though, I just really love shiny new curriculum. It totally brightens up my February. Sometimes something to look forward to will snap you out of the February funk and the homeschool burnout that comes with it.
If you are in a season of homeschool burnout, you are not alone. This is a very normal phase of homeschooling and we’ve all been there.
