Are you facing bad homeschooling days and want to know how to survive these days? Please always remember, bad homeschool days are still better than good public school days.
No matter how much you prepare yourself bad homeschooling days will happen. Remember that we are adults teaching little humans and they get sick, we get sick overwhelmed, and sometimes need a reset.
The point here is not to give up and in your classroom or your vision board, you should write your why. Why you are homeschooling for those overwhelming days.
Homeschooling has been around for years. There are multiple homeschool Success Stories of Many legends like Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Alexander Graham Bell, Woodrow Wilson, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Pierre Curie, Emma Watson, and more to inspire you every day!
These legends were homeschooled and became successful. Homeschooling is the oldest, and one of the most effective ways of education in the world because:
- It offers one-on-one teaching
- Homeschooling has a flexible schedule
- Home education is for learning and not only for grades.
- Parents have full control over the curriculum
- It saves your time.
- Homeschooling helps in Parent-child bonding.
- Your kids get a safe learning environment.
- You get less paperwork.
- Homeschool parents focus on their child’s abilities.
10 Secrets on How to Cope With Bad Homeschooling Days
We all have our share of bad and good days. When life gives you good days, enjoy them! But, when life gives you bad days, accept them like tasks, and try to complete them enthusiastically.
Surprisingly, school kids and teachers also face these unpleasant days! On the brighter side, unlike public schools, homeschool parents have sufficient time and flexibility to take breaks, refresh the aura, and reset bad homeschool days into good ones.
Read on: How to Plan Your First Homeschool Year? When You Don’t Know How to Start
1. Prayer Helps to Overcome a Bad Day of Homeschool
As a Christian homeschool we often forget to take a moment and breath. Just pray with our kids and family to teach them about God and to talk to God. The power of prayer can help you during those bad days where your patience is running thin and your think you can’t continue on.
Many times when we are trapped in a bad homeschool day, we become irritable and angry. Praying to God is one of the strongest tools to change your bad homeschool day or bad mood, in general.
It is actually my personal experience. Whenever I feel helpless or exhausted, a few peaceful moments with God help me relax. Praying yields positive energy that rearranges your disorganized thoughts and helps you revert to the aim.
Relaxation can help you beat these bad homeschooling days like a pro!
2. Try to Evaluate and Handle a Bad Homeschool Day
First of all, try to find out the reason behind your bad homeschool day. Evaluating the situation may help you to fix the problem. Look at your days and think of all the possible reason that might be triggering bad vibes:
- Sick kid
- Problem with a new homeschool schedule
- Are you new to the homeschooling world?
- Do you have a stubborn child who is not cooperating?
- Are you trying to fill unrealistic expectations?
- Problem with time management: exhausting and difficult.
These are not the only factors; more reasons come unexpected and are out of our control. However, if there is a problem, surely there is a solution. So make a plan to fix these problems and involve your kids in the plan to understand better why mom is so frustrated.
For instances,
- Instead of tiring or forcing your kids to study when sick, take rest with your little one. Taking a break will help you and your kid relax.
- Change your schedule and add some fun activities to make homeschooling more fun.
- Try to make subjects more fun rather than boring.
- If you are short on time, choose professional help with chores and homeschooling.
- Set realistic goals.
- You can always hire teachers for difficult subjects or subjects that you cannot teach your kids.
3. Call a Friend or Another Homeschooler Mom
The best idea is to connect with another homeschool mom from your homeschooling group. If you don’t have any connection with local homeschooling groups, then get help online or on social media; many support groups quickly aid you if you’re experiencing a hard homeschool day.
Their encouraging and soothing words work like magic. Discuss what could be wrong with your procedure and ask for genuine support. Maybe you’re using the wrong homeschooling method, or your homeschool curriculum is not suited, or the schedule is not appropriate, or something else.
Another great tool is to consult your friend. Try to initiate a healthy conversation together; talking will soothe your heart.
4. Reassess or Revalue Tough Homeschool Days
Are you facing bad homeschooling days continuously? Maybe it’s time to reassess your schedule. Ask yourself if your child is happy with your homeschooling setting or not. Consult your kids and ask for their honest opinion. Their opinion can help you create a better environment for studies.
- Does your kid want “deschooling”?
- Are you expecting too much?
- Is your homeschool curriculum enough?
- Do you think your learning style matches with your kids?
You need to talk to your spouse or a friend and try to sort out the problem. Below are a few secrets to surviving bad homeschooling days:
- Close the course books and turn on an Audiobook like harry porter. Your hard homeschool day will turn out to be more fun.
- If you’re exhausted at home, get in the car and go outside to get fresh air with the kids.
- Set a period for a hands-on activity to get kids engaged. For instance, craft, art, DIY, etc.
- Add time for art into your schedule, let kids do what they want to create, encourage them to pull out all airbrushes, and allow them to get messy with colors.
- Let your kids watch their favorite cartoon network like SpongeBob because screen time is the best time for kids and a great source of learning even on the bad homeschooling day.
- Another fantastic way to deal with a hard homeschool day is to head to the nearby library and get lost in your favorite books.
- My last option is to phone a homeschool friend and homeschool kids for a small party and get together. Teaching and studying homeschooling courses together will save the day.
5. Take an Impromptu Field Trip with kids.
It is a fantastic idea; pack your luggage, leave all the worries, and leave the bad homeschool day behind for an impromptu field trip!
This unexpected trip will fill your kids with excitement. Don’t forget to take a notebook, camera, audio record, or anything that makes the trip memorable.
6. Cook & Clean Together
Cooking something delicious is always a good idea; cooking together gives you and your kids a common goal and delicious favorite dishes. In addition, a clean and tidy house helps reduce stress. It will also make you feel more energetic and motivated.
7. Visit Park/Zoo/Boat club/Forest.
Spending time in natural places relieves anxiety and stress. It helps you to improve your mood and boost you with energy because nature is anti-anxiety and anti-depression! Places like forest bathing, ecotherapy, walking in nature, etc., can help you evolve together. It calms your mind and refreshes you!
Kids Activities: 20 Indoor Winter Learning Activities For Kids
Additionally, nature will bring a colorful learning session for your kids. They can learn about animals, colors, numbers through trees, plants, birds, fishes, etc. Nature opens up the creative part of your child’s brain, and it might as well help your kids develop empathy, sympathy towards nature and its perseverance.
8. Head on Museum/Art Gallery/Historic Site
Visit the place of your choice with your family without any goal in mind. Outdoors visits always keep us far away from worries. Plus, museums and art galleries are a great start to learn about art and history for your kids.
9. Meditation
Sometimes, meditation is all you need to relax your soul and mind. It helps you to reorganize your thoughts and process them better. Things that might seem difficult will start to make sense once you focus on meditation and causal yoga. A free mind is always a great teacher. Close your eyes and take deep breaths for ten minutes every morning. It will release all the anger and pent-up frustration. Medication changes your mood, and refreshes you!
10. Listening to Music and Take warm showers
Bad days are often a result of anger, frustration, and tiredness. If you are physically and mentally exhausted, take a day off and invest in self-care. Music and showers are relaxing, you can always try new activities to soothe yourself.
What Not To Do On a Bad Homeschool Day?
Anxiety and frustration bring anger, and as we all know, anger can make things even worse. Below are homeschooling mistakes you should avoid:
- Don’t be a slave of over-scheduling or under-scheduling
- Excessive and Unrealistic Expectations.
- No properly organized homeschool room.
- No recess time for the day.
- Unfavorable homeschool curriculum.
- Doing it all alone.
What Are the Negative Effects and Aspects of Homeschool?
Below are some of the negative effects and aspects of homeschooling if you feel this is not for you
- Time is the main factor for working parents when they decide to educate their kids through homeschooling. Homeschooling means solid commitment. New parents need to invest time, dedication, and effort which might be a problem for busy tutors.
- Homeschooling is more expensive than public school because you have to keep your aims and goal aside to educate your kid at home.
- Cost-Homeschooling is more costly than public school because parents have to purchase a new curriculum, teaching tools, paid homeschooling programs, projects, experimental materials, stationery, books, field trips, etc.
- No Socialization: When your kids are homeschooled they may not have as much interaction with other kids as they do in public school.
- Homeschooled kids sometimes have limited access to sports.
- Homeschooling parents face criticism from family and friends for choosing home education for kids.
- Patience is the worst negative effect that causes bad homeschool days for parents. Most parents lose their patience while teaching their kids at home.
At the same time. I believe home education is much superior to regular school because I feel my kids and I have a better bond at the end of the day. They can ask anything and even when I don’t know I ask my friend google to help us. This experience I would not change for the world.
End Point
I know homeschooling is tough for new parents but can be rewarding for both parents and kids in the long run. Bad and tough days are inevitable, but you have to overcome these circumstances sensibly and more boastfully for your own sake and your kids’ sake.
Make sure your homeschooling schedule is full of fun activities and fun teaching. Boring chapters will bore you and your kids into bad homeschooling days.
