Conquering the Homeschooling Winter Blues

January is a long month and it feels like forever until Spring. There’s cold weather, Covid restrictions, and winter illnesses. There’s less opportunity to go outside, and being stuck at home day after day is tough – especially for children.

You plan the homeschooling routine as you normally would, but your homeschooler is just too distracted, restless, or unwilling to follow it. 

Perhaps you can convince your child to do the assignments with the promise of a reward, perhaps you can’t even get them to do that much. Does it feel like you’re spending twice as much energy getting your child to do one problem than they are doing their own school work?

There’s a definite lack of motivation. They are doing the work begrudgingly, while itching to do something else. It’s not fun to watch. 

This is a far cry from seeing your child curious, interested, and invested in their learning. Does it feel disappointing and frustrating for you, too?

There’s hope and there are solutions. As your homeschooling coach, I work with you to discover exactly what solutions your family needs. 

Here are a few ways to handle the issues that commonly come up during the long winter months:

Is your child having trouble turning off the screen?

Beginning homeschooling with short, educational videos related to a topic you are studying. Your child will be happy to watch something, you won’t have to argue over screen time, and you can use the video to set up a discussion, assignment, or activity.

You can also use educational videos to start learning time with a hands-on activity such as an art class or a science experiment.

Is your child less motivated to continue with the assignments?

You can help your child regain their focus and learning mindset by incorporating hands-on activities into learning time every day. 

• Ask your child to create a drawing or model of something related to what you are studying in History, Science, or the book they are reading
• Include more science experiments, including kitchen science through cooking, baking, and making candy
• Add a Maker Ed activity as many days of the week as possible

Hands-on activities such as those listed above, stimulated a child’s creativity and intellect, while teaching math, science, engineering, and problem-solving. 

Is your child too restless to sit still long enough to focus on assignments?

• Take lots of movement breaks
• Combine learning and movement
• Create shorter learning activities and give your child more play time
• Go for walks outside
• If you have snow, use it for fun and learning activities

I know some of these are easier said than done! There’s a lot of pressure on parents to know how to teach just because you’ve decided to homeschool. It requires support, skills, and techniques. Let’s sift through the anxiety, fears, problems, tears, and power struggles together to create the homeschooling environment that’s right for you and your child. Getting the support you need is easy – schedule a free consultation call today!