WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR HOMESCHOOL DAY GOES WRONG
When your homeschool day goes wrong right off the bat, it can be easy to want to throw in the towel and eat ice cream out of the container while hiding in your closet. But you don’t have to do that. If your homeschool day goes wrong, you can turn it around–right away! You don’t have to wait for a brand new day, you can make it better immediately.
Over here, we’ve had a homeschool day go wrong before we’re all out of bed, after breakfast, or after lunch when I forget about band practice. We’ve done it all. There’s been plenty of days where I didn’t stop and start over. I just stayed in the mucky day instead of turning it around. But I’ve learned that I have the power to make those shifts from a bad to a better day and I don’t want to waste that power!
Whether your day stinks from the get-go or your homeschool day goes wrong before bedtime, I’m going to give you tips on turning it around. And keep scrolling for a helpful infographic you can pin and save for later!
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When your homeschool day goes wrong before you get out of bed
How can your day go wrong before you get out of bed? Believe me…it can happen. For me that means when I’m woken up with a “crisis.” Someone feels sick or the little one has wet the bed and is upset. Or the kids get up before me and they’re already arguing. Ya, that. Let’s figure out how to fix those days.
- Fix the biggest thing first. Put the little one in the tub and get fresh clothes. Get the coffee brewing. Give the kids something to eat–a lot of times my kids are just han-gry!
- Send the kids to get their rooms picked up and get dressed–and you go do the same! I always feel better when I get dressed and put a little make-up on.
- It’s still early! There’s plenty of day left to turn your bad day around. Sometimes waking up in panic mode gets us off to a bad start, but there’s still plenty of time to set it right!
- Grab your to do list (or take five minutes to make one) and check something off right away. Pick something that will make you feel better but will only take a couple of minutes…you’ve got to get started with school! You’ll feel better in no time!
When your homeschool day falls apart during school
We all know those days. When someone starts crying over school. It’s usually math in our house, but I’ve heard similar stories over writing, too. There’s lots of instances that require mama to turn the day around. But we need to be able to assess the situation.
- Think about your child and possible reasons why he’s crying or crabby. Is it close to lunch? Time for a break for food?
- A walk around the block to stretch and get some fresh air always helps.
- Maybe your child just needs a break for this particular curriculum. Instead of working from the book, put it away and pull out a game instead.
- If nothing is working or if you feel like you’re climbing uphill, just put everything away for the afternoon. Grab the art supplies, turn on a documentary, or grab your book basket and read. If you feel like they might be ready to try again, talk to them. Let them know that it’s their job to do school and your’s to teach them. But let them know you understand how doing school gets hard some days. Either try again or start fresh tomorrow after talking together.
When your homeschool day goes south during nap time
My kids no longer nap, but OH, how I remember those days waiting for nap time! I loved those magical two hours or so when it felt like I could accomplish 362 things uninterrupted! And OH, how I remember those days when the baby didn’t nap. I felt robbed! Here’s some ideas for when nap time doesn’t work out.
- Send all the kids to quiet time. Even the high schoolers. It’s not that they’re in trouble–make sure they know this–but it’s just that mama needs some alone time in the day. It’s for the good of everyone! 🙂
- Use TV to entertain for a while so you can get something done and/or enjoy some quiet for yourself! We love Curiosity Stream for times like this! Also, check out this list of TV shows we love.
- Scrap your to do list. So many times I get all upset about what I’m not getting done, but it really is ok. Homeschooling is a full time job in and of itself! Anything else you get done in a day is gravy! I’ve got a lot of tips on getting household work done, but sometimes it’s ok to just scrap the list and play with your kids.
When your night goes awry
By the end of the day, most of us are just DONE! Stick a fork in me already–SO done! But there’s still work do be done, right!? Baths to give, stories to read, floors to be swept. Here’s some ways to finish your day without falling apart.
- Get help from big kids and your spouse. Everyone helps at the end of the day because everyone is tired! Get help with picking up, giving the baths, and reading the stories.
- Skip the cleaning up till the kids are in bed. Sometimes when the day has been a total wreck, you just need to get those little buggers in bed so you can clean up–in peace! Leave the dishes and get everyone to bed first.
- End on a happy note. Even when your day has sucked big time, end with a kiss and a hug and some sweet words for each child…even when it’s super hard.
Planning for days gone wrong
We all have bad days. No one is immune. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad homeschool mom or should put your kids back in school–even if you have a whole string of bad days. We all have them, so we can plan for them so that we can hopefully have LESS of them. Here’s some ideas that have really helped me.
- Make the coffee before bed. You can set it on a timer so it’s ready when you wake up. So wonderful!
- Watch the video in this post to see what I do the night before to make myself feel good about they day we just had and get ready for the next day.
- 102 Ways to Start your Homeschool Morning out Right
- Take stock of your day and list all the things that you’re grateful for. I’ve found that keeping track of my blessings and focusing on those always helps me to have a better day.