One of the things I love about homeschooling is the flexibility it offers. Being in charge of our schedule is such a blessing and saves us a lot of headaches. One of the things I remember worrying about when we got started as a homeschool family was how and when to take time off of our formal school work. With a lot more confidence than I had as a newbie, I want to share how we homeschool through the holidays during the busy months of November and December.
Since I am a human mother of four children under 10 (hello, exhaustion!), we start our holidays by taking off the week of Thanksgiving. I am always ready for a break by then. Now, that’s not to say that we are not learning. As far as formal lessons, we skip those and focus on our family and relaxed learning opportunities. We grocery shop and meal plan. We clean and organize for the festivities. Most importantly, we spend time playing, reading, and enjoying holiday movies and activities.
I remove the pressure of formal lessons so that we can all enjoy a much-needed break from the daily grind. Preparing for Thanksgiving dinner and the excitement that comes with it takes time and energy, after all. This time off is also perfect for read-alouds, audio books in the car, holiday crafts and baking, and teaching our children about the importance of gratitude and the season of giving.
We resume our formal lessons the Monday after Thanksgiving. The kids Mom is refreshed and excited to get back into our routine.
For the month of December, we typically school for the first three weeks, like most traditional schools do. We then kick back and enjoy a nice break from Christmas eve through the New Year.
Of course there’s still a great deal of teaching and learning taking place, but again without the confines of formal lessons. My children will still be learning every day. And that’s one thing I really had to accept as a teacher turned homeschool mom. Homeschool families are not trying to replicate school at home! More on that in a future post.
Since I accepted that we don’t have to complete formal lessons to be learning, I freed myself. I freed myself of the burden of trying to replicate traditional school at home, especially during the holiday season. It definitely took some time, especially with my background as a public school teacher, but it is so liberating! I’m also able to enjoy teaching my kids lots of different things related to the holidays. This is much more fun! It has been a real gift to our family.
How does your family homeschool through the holidays? Share your schedule!
