Homeschooling when you need a break

by Kawsar

While on your homeschool journey there may be times you find yourself being less productive or at times you may even find your homeschooling comes to a complete stop. Whether you're occupied with other things or mentally drained, here are some easy ways to get you back on track with ease.

1. Unfinished worksheets from the previous year.

Getting your child to complete the previous years’ worksheets is a great way to have the kids revise and because they've done it before, it can mostly be done independently.

2. Reading!

Sometimes we tend to undermine how beneficial something as simple as reading can be. Get your child to read any books related to what they’re currently learning about. If they like the book and it captures their attention you’d be surprised how much they can learn.

3. Writing a story with a twist.

Write up a small list of words (these can be random, related to something they’ve covered recently or new words you would like them to learn) and have their imagination run wild writing up a story using these words.

4. Writing letters.

Have your child write up a letter to a parent, sibling or a friend. Great opportunity to build many skills and strengthen relationships!

5. Online educational games or videos.

Sometimes we need to let someone or something else do the teaching for us... the children love it, learn from it and we get some rest!

6. Let them take the lead.

Ask your child what is something that interests them at the moment. Be it a country, animal or a topic. The best part? They are already interested so little effort on your part is needed. Your child will willingly read or research. Have them write or draw what they learnt in their own creative way and present their work (or masterpiece) to you.

7. Painting here we come!

While your busy being superwoman have your child either express their creative selves freely or by following instructions from an art lesson. Put out different craft materials they can add to make it extra fun.

8. Let your child join you.

As your day goes by, let them inside your world. Need to cook? Do it together. Incorporate learning in simple daily tasks. For example, trying to found out how much longer until the next salah, do the math with them. Read the news? Let them know whats happening. Ask them about their opinions and whether they agree or disagree and why. Learning doesn’t always mean structured lessons.

9. Who doesn’t love the outdoors?

Need a break or a change in environment? Take it outside! It’s time for a fun excursion. You and your children will love the experience and most importantly learn.

10. Investigate ingredients.

Have your child choose several food items at home and write or read the ingredients of each food item. You can also research these ingredients and find out what they come from. Many different topics can be researched or discussed here; ingredients, how they’re sourced, if they’re healthy, what do the numbers mean, why there are so many ingredients, are we able to make this food at home and the list goes on.

11. Collect clothing labels.

Have your child cut off and glue the labels of some of their clothing items in a book, have them read the different countries they come from. They can tally up to see where majority of their clothes orginate from and again research any questions they may have.

These are just some tricks and tips to help you get back into homeschooling with ease or give you a bit of a break without compromising on the learning.