Juggling Homeschooling and the Holidays

Homeschooling kids during the holiday season takes a bit more patience than normally is needed because the kids are filled with adrenaline over the upcoming holidays. They count down to their long Christmas breaks. For many homes, this is also a time in which family vacations happen, too. There’s good news despite all of these pending obstacles.

Make Education Fun

Homeschooling our children allows us to teach our kids anywhere and any way we see fit. Rather than fight the inevitable of them being full of energy and lacking concentration, make it work to your advantage. This is the time to think outside the box.

I know my kids love it when we play educational Math games. One of my favorite resources is the Homeschool Holidays and more! Page. This particular Pinterest page is designated to help teaching kids during the holiday season. There are ideas from everything related to crafts to food recipes.

Incorporate Learning in Everything

One thing I believe that brick and mortar schools miss out on being able to do is teaching kids why they learn the things that they do in school. The holiday season is the perfect time to physically show kids why learning everything is so important. The wonderful news is we can do it without textbooks.

One of my kid’s favorite activities is creating a wish list of things they want every year. Here’s the trick though, they have to find these items at the best possible price. That sounds easy right? The trick is that they have to tell me the percentage they save for buying their said items on sale. Plus, they have to tell me how much they would save on those items by choosing the store that offers it at the cheapest price versus the highest price. That means they have to figure out the percentage saved and also use subtraction. Then, they have to add up the total of their wish list items. They also have to tell me how many hours of work it would take to make the needed money.

That is a lot of math, but my kids LOVE it. They know going in that they are not guaranteed to get their entire wish lists. They get to feel like they are going on a true shopping spree.

Sometimes, I change it up and have them go on a shopping spree of things they would get me or someone else they love. (This has led to them getting some pretty amazing gifts for others.) We’ve also given those loved ones their wish list of items they wish they could get them, and it’s touched them. After all, it is the thought that does count in gift giving, right?

Send Some Holiday Cheer

The art of snail mail may seem lost, but it truly isn’t. There are still many people who love to open their mail boxes to goodies. Encourage your kids to send some holiday cheer to loved ones. This will enhance their writing powers and also teach them the power of giving. Who knows? They may even get some goodies in the mail in return!

As you can see, this time of year can be stressful and a crazy time. But, you can teach in more creative ways while embracing the holiday season. I hope these ideas helped you to be able to think outside the box with instructing your children.

What are some ways that you make the holiday season less stressful for your homeschooling journey?

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