Are you a homeschooling mom who feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day? Are you constantly searching for new ways to make homeschooling more efficient and less time-consuming? Well, look no further! I have some homeschool hacks for busy moms to help you get the most out of your homeschooling experience. Whether you’re looking for ways to save time or money or want to find more effective ways to teach your children, I’ve got you covered. So read on and prepare to take your homeschooling game up a notch!
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Life Is Busy For Homeschool Moms
Let’s face it: being a homeschool mom means you are going to wear many hats over the course of your day. That’s fine and dandy, but who has time for it all? I’ve been homeschooling for six years. I have four kids ages 12, 8, 6, and 3. It’s organized chaos here 99% of the time. I’m not here to kid anyone! I feel pulled in many directions all day long. Between housework, meal prep, school, extracurriculars, self-care, etc., rest and relaxation are barely making the to-do list most days. Oh, and trying to have friends and spoil my husband? It’s A LOT. I get it. I’ve got some ideas that you might just love, though! Homeschool hacks for busy moms are just what you need! Let’s dig in.
Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize
I find this may seem simplistic, but at the end of the day, the best thing we can do is prioritize our time. Now, I’m not Type-A, but I do know what works for me. I need a list to help me prioritize my time.
If you’re a list person, get out a notebook, write down the date, and write your top 5 must-do tasks for the day. If you’re more of a fancy gal, you might like these to-do lists. These are the things that definitely need to happen. I put appointments, school work for individual kids, and must-do chores on the top of the list. Then add up to 5 would-like-to-dos. These are things that aren’t urgent but are on your radar. I put cleaning tasks and projects I’d like to get done on this list.
I know, for me, I sometimes look around at the end of the day and wonder what I did with my time. If I have a to-do list that I’ve checked off all day long, I feel accomplished and like I’ve spent my time well. And guess what? It’s not fancy. It doesn’t cost anything. It’s simple. But oh man is it powerful for feeling a sense of accomplishment!
The thing that’s important is that the list is yours and can be customized to your season of homeschooling and motherhood. In years past, I put things like “snuggle a baby” on my to-do list. That was necessary and non-negotiable at the time.
As Moms, it feels like our work is never done…because it isn’t. At least if we can see a list of our tangible accomplishments at the end of the day, we can rest well knowing we got something done.
Stick to a Routine
One of the most challenging aspects of homeschool life (for me anyways) is trying to figure out a rhythm or routine. Things come up. It’s sunny outside. Someone’s not feeling well. I have an appointment. And the list goes on. It’s easy to fall off a timed schedule, so I don’t even bother with that anymore. Life happens fast around here, so I try to stick to a routine instead. That way, even if we get a late start or are interrupted by literally anything, we can just keep moving forward on our routine. This is the same reason I don’t bother with formal written lesson plans. We’re just following our routine and doing the next thing. This allows us tremendous flexibility and a whole lot of grace to go wherever the day may take us.
Another reason I recommend a routine is to help keep us from feeling like failures. I don’t want to see that I’m “off schedule” at 9:15 a.m. because someone had to poop! We start and stop when we’re ready and it greatly reduces the stress load for me and my more anxious kiddos.
Set Realistic Expectations for Yourself
There’s one easy way to feel like a hot mess mom, and that’s by having unrealistic expectations. You’re not going to be able to do everything. You’re homeschooling and raising little people to be awesome adults. You may have to let some other things go during different seasons of your homeschool journey. At the end of the day, what’s important is forging strong relationships with your kids and a love for learning in their hearts.
Somedays you may have to forgo things you’d like to accomplish, and that’s okay. When I get down on myself, I think about what I didn’t get done in a day. When I feel good about myself, I look at my checklist (a great tool for me) and remind myself of all I have done. Changing your mindset for realistic expectations will change your life and homeschool days for the better! And using homeschool hacks for busy moms is one way to do that.
Many Hands Make Light Work
Put those little people to work! Families are meant to work together to keep the household moving. I like to think of myself as a foreman or boss. Maybe I’m Michael Scott. I’ve got some employees of various skills and abilities, and I need to find something for each of them to contribute to the jobs at hand. I once read that one of my parenting goals should be to work myself out of a job. Teaching my children to do chores around the house is crucial to their success as adults and my sanity as a parent right now. We have family responsibilities (positive spin on good, old-fashioned “chores”) for each child. It helps me keep the house running and allows me to take them to do field trips and other fun stuff.
Frame family responsibilities as an important part of your family’s day, and you’ll be helping everyone!
Combine Students Whenever Possible
It’s not always an easy task, but I try to combine students whenever I can. My middle kiddos are 6 and 8. They currently do science and social studies/history together. It’s been such a time saver, and it works out wonderfully! My 6-year-old listens along and answers questions orally. My 8-year-old completes more written work. It’s fun for them to have a “classmate” and it shortens the time it takes for me to teach. I’m not perfect at combining subjects, but it’s something I am actively working on incorporating more often. Other subjects we do together are art, music, gym, and read-aloud time.
*I personally feel language arts and math should be leveled and individually instructed. Everything else is fair game for cooperative learning!
Let’s Wrap This Up
There are lots of moms out there on Tiktok and Instagram who carefully curate their lives to appear perfect. It’s fake. Remind yourself of this early and often. No one has everything together all of the time. No mom is perfect. Period.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Focus on the work you’re doing within your own four walls. Ignore all the noise.
Remind yourself of these simple homeschool hacks for busy moms. They’ll literally transform your day.
- Prioritize your day
- Stick to a routine
- Set realistic expectations
- Get help from the kids
It’s a great day to have a great day, Momma! What hacks do you have to add to this list?
