The November Homeschool Slump is Real: 5 Ways to Homeschool Well Through It
If you’ve been homeschooling for any amount of time, you probably have felt the November homeschool slump. There is something about November that can make homeschooling feel a little harder.
You’ve been going strong for weeks. The new school year is no longer new, the excitement of fresh curriculum and new routines has worn off, and everyone is starting to feel a little tired. The days are shorter, the weather is colder, and the motivation that carried you through September seems to have disappeared.
Even subjects that were going well suddenly feel like a struggle. The kids are dragging their feet, you’re feeling a little less enthusiastic about the lesson plans, and getting everyone around the table for schoolwork seems to require more effort than it did a few weeks ago.
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This is normal!
The November homeschool slump is real, and it happens to many homeschool families. Rather than assuming something is wrong with your homeschool or deciding you need to completely overhaul your curriculum, it may be time to make a few small adjustments.
After many years of homeschooling, I’ve learned that sometimes the best way to get through a difficult stretch is not to push harder, but to give ourselves a little breathing room.
Here are five ways to homeschool well through the November homeschool slump.
Take a Break
First, give yourself permission to take a day or two off.
I know that can feel counterintuitive, especially if you’re already feeling behind. It’s tempting to think that the answer to a difficult school season is simply to buckle down and work harder. But sometimes everyone needs a little time away from the books.
A day off isn’t going to ruin your school year. In fact, a little breathing room can make it easier to return to your usual routine with a better attitude.
Use the time to do something different together. Visit the library and let everyone choose a stack of books. Watch a movie based on a book you’ve read. Get outside for a walk if the weather cooperates. Spend the afternoon baking, playing games, or simply enjoying a slower day at home.
And don’t feel obligated to turn every activity into a formal lesson. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy a movie without assigning a writing project afterward or visit the library without making everyone complete a reading log.
Sometimes the best thing we can do for our homeschool is step away from the schoolwork for a little while.
Change Things Up
One of the benefits of homeschooling is that we don’t have to do school the same way every single day.
When the usual routine starts feeling stale, try changing things up for a day or two. A little novelty can go a long way toward restoring everyone’s interest and enthusiasm.
If math worksheets have become a daily battle, put them aside for an afternoon and play a few math games instead. Start the morning with a read-aloud rather than jumping straight into independent work. Try an art project, nature study, or a hands-on history activity.
You might even consider putting the usual curriculum aside for a day and spending time exploring something your children are interested in.
A change of scenery can help, too. Take schoolwork to the kitchen table, work outside on a nice afternoon, or bring a few books to the couch and have a cozy reading morning.
The goal isn’t to abandon your homeschool plans or create an elaborate new schedule. Instead, you’re just breaking up the monotony and remind everyone that learning can happen in lots of different ways.
Sometimes a small change is all it takes to make the usual routine feel manageable again.
Simplify Your Life
When homeschooling feels particularly difficult, it’s worth looking beyond the schoolbooks.
Are you trying to keep up with too many activities? Is your calendar packed with appointments, errands, and commitments? Are you already thinking about everything that needs to be done before Christmas?
It’s easy for the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to become a whirlwind of activity. There are gifts to buy, meals to plan, gatherings to attend, decorations to put up, and all the usual responsibilities of running a household.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, we’re still trying to homeschool.
This is a good time to look at your calendar and decide what can be simplified. Maybe you need to clear a few things off the schedule, cut back on extracurricular activities, or give yourself permission to make easier meals for a while.
You don’t have to do every Christmas activity, attend every gathering, or finish every project before the holidays arrive.
Give your family a little more margin. A less crowded calendar can make a tremendous difference in how your days feel.
And remember, not everything needs to happen right now. There will be time for plenty of things in January.
Take a Homeschool Planning Day
This is one of my favorite ways to get out of a homeschool slump.
Sometimes I need to step away from teaching for a day and spend a little time getting organized. Not necessarily planning an entire semester or making big changes, but simply taking stock of where we are and getting things in order for the weeks ahead.
Use a homeschool planning day to reset your school space. Put away the books and supplies that have accumulated, organize the materials you’ll need, and make sure everyone has what they need to work independently.
Take a look at your lesson plans, too. Are there things you’ve fallen behind on? Are there subjects that need a little more attention? Are there assignments or activities that can wait until January?
This is also a good opportunity to think about the weeks leading up to Christmas. Rather than trying to maintain your usual schedule right up until the holidays, consider what a realistic school routine might look like during a busy season.
You may decide to focus on the essentials and let a few less-important things go for now.
A little planning can help you head into Monday morning with a fresh perspective instead of feeling like you’re starting the week already behind–the best feeling!
Embrace the Season
November and December are full of opportunities to learn outside your usual homeschool routine.
Instead of looking at the holiday season as an interruption to your school year, consider how you can make room for some seasonal learning and family activities.
Make Christmas gifts together. Spend an afternoon baking cookies or preparing something special for a neighbor. Read picture books and novels that are especially enjoyable this time of year. Learn about holiday traditions in other countries or explore the history behind some of your family’s favorite Christmas customs.
Invite your children into the preparations happening around your home. Younger children can help decorate, measure ingredients, address cards, or wrap gifts. Older children can help plan meals, prepare food, research traditions, or make thoughtful gifts for friends and family.
There are so many opportunities to learn through ordinary seasonal activities.
And perhaps most importantly, these are the kinds of things that help make family life memorable. We don’t want to be so busy trying to finish our schoolwork that we miss the season happening right in front of us.
Your homeschool doesn’t have to look the same in every season. There’s room for different rhythms throughout the year, and November and December can be a wonderful time to embrace a slightly different pace.
Give Yourself Permission to Do Less
If you’re finding yourself in a November homeschool slump, my biggest encouragement is to give yourself permission to do less.
Maybe this isn’t the time to add another curriculum, overhaul your schedule, or push through every lesson exactly as planned. Maybe it’s time to focus on the essentials, let a few things go, and give everyone a little room to breathe.
It’s easy to look at what other families are doing and feel like we should be doing more. But homeschooling well doesn’t mean doing every subject, attending every activity, or filling every available hour with something educational.
You can homeschool well without trying to do it all.
And if you find yourself feeling particularly discouraged this month, try not to make any big decisions about your homeschool. You’re not failing, my friend. You’re probably just tired.
Rest a little. Change things up. Simplify.
Make room for the season you’re in, and just do the next right thing.
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