What to do when homeschooling is hard

Don’t give up! Like many thing in life it takes long-term devotion in the same direction to produce lasting results. That’s no different with homeschooling. If you can stick through the hard times, and learn when to make changes, you will see much fruit!  

There are certainly seasons throughout the year when you will feel super excited and then completely unmotivated.  Sometimes those are around specific holidays and sometimes those are dependent on life’s circumstances like having a baby, sickness in the family, hormone changes, a curriculum that’s just not working, or just plain fatigue.  

The key is learning to see past the temporal and notice if there’s a deeper issue at hand. 

Many times a child will have a special need such as Dyslexia or ADHD and a teacher/ parent will just chug away harder or change curriculums over and over in an effort to fix something that has a root that needs to be addressed. A learning style can make all the difference in a positive schooling experience, especially when a child has a learning or behavior challenge. 

The best thing you can do is slow down, observe what is working for your child, and then tailor their education to meet them where they are. 

It does no good to force a child through a system to “keep up” with his peers if he is drowning inside. 

It’s a wise parent that makes themselves a keen observer of their children. There is never a one size fits all path that will keep learning a positive experience for every child. 

We must make it our goal to study our kids and find what works best for them while also taking into account our own willingness and availability.  

It does no good to choose a Math curriculum that requires an hour of prep and another hour of games each day if you are not gonna be able to be consistent with it. 

Find something that works for both of you. OR tailor what you have to incorporate styles that help your child come alive.  If games help solidify Math concepts, than keep the curriculum you’ve found and choose one day a week to play Math games together. 

If memory work is like pulling teeth for your child, try letting them bounce on a bouncy ball while they recite their facts, spelling words, or bible verses. 

As you study your student you’ll be amazed at what you discover and how simple it may be to meet them where they are. 

Next week I’ll address how to know when it’s time to switch curriculums, but in the meantime let me know in the comments if the above tips have helped you. 

Lots of love and happy homeschooling sweet peeps! 

Tam

P.S. If you want to snag you a mug like the one shown in the picture check out my friend’s (and fellow homeschooling mama) small shop https://herheartsco.com/. Use my code: LOVELEARNING10 for 10% off!