Now that the holidays are over and we can finally put 2020 behind us (woohoo), it’s time to start getting back into our homeschool routines. I’m guessing that I’m not the only one having a tough time getting motivated to get back into homeschooling after the holidays. My kids aren’t exactly motivated after weeks of eating Christmas treats and having no routines. I had great plans of reorganizing and cleaning our school room that didn’t happen. Our homeschool room is downright messy right now, and who wants to spend their day in a mess? Not me.
I dare say that January is one of the hardest months for homeschooling. We worked really hard all during the fall months then got to relax for awhile. It is so hard to go back to that hard work after taking a break.
How do we handle January homeschooling when we just aren’t feeling the homeschool mo-jo? Here are few tips I have found along the way that help make homeschooling after the holidays a little less painful when I’m just not feeling it.
Ease Back In to your Homeschool Routine
Start with just one or two subjects. I started our back to school week with math, spelling, and the boys’ enrichment subjects. These subjects, along with working on morning routines, are plenty for us right now. We will resume our full schedule next week, but I have found following a lighter schedule for the first week back saves some frustration.
Be Enthusiastic (Even When You Don’t Feel Like It)
Kids are like little mirrors that reflect our attitudes back to us. Show enthusiasm even if you don’t feel enthusiastic. Our kids have a way of picking up on our lack of motivation and find ways to exploit it. Don’t give the little darlings the fuel they need to talk you out of doing their schoolwork. Become a good actor and make them believe you are into this homeschool thing.
Consider a Homeschool Reset
If you are dreading having to get your kid to do one more lesson in (fill in the blank), it might be time to consider something new. It’s a new year, a new homeschool curriculum might be what’s needed. Maybe even just try a new homeschool routine. Doing the same thing day after day is great for predictability, but sometimes predictability is just plain boring. Resetting curriculum or routines can make things feel new and shiny. And everybody looks forward to new and shiny things.
Self Discipline
This is a hard one. This is the part where I tell you just suck it up and make yourself do it. Last January, I had to set my alarm and force myself to get out of bed so we could get our day started efficiently. Waking up to an alarm is so unpleasant to me, but I did it anyway. Sometimes we just have to make ourselves do the right thing, even if we don’t want to. It is possible to make up for our lack of motivation with self discipline.
Don’t Think, Just Go
This is a piece of running advice I read a few years ago. Someone was talking about how they can over analyze and talk themselves out of a run because conditions or circumstances aren’t perfect or just so. They finally decided that they needed to stop thinking about it and just go. Don’t think, just go.
I think this little piece of advice applies perfectly to our homeschools. It can be tempting to try to put off getting back to homeschool for just one more week because conditions aren’t just right. Maybe you didn’t get around to rearranging your homeschool room like you wanted or the book you want to read aloud isn’t available at your library yet. I almost talked myself out of starting this week because the boys had dentist appointments. This is the part where we have to tell ourselves don’t think, just homeschool.
Homeschooling after the holidays can be tough, but you will eventually settle back into the routine of things. The longer you homeschool, the shorter the after holiday transition will take. If you are brand new to homeschooling or you’ve been at this awhile, we’re all in the same post holiday boat together. That’s why there’s chocolate. And coffee. And wine.
I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and I am wishing you a smooth transition back into homeschooling.
