Hopefully you are in the groove of your new school year and things are falling into place. Co-ops are in full swing, you have a good handle on any new programs you are trying out, those bumps of getting started have smoothed out and you are on a nice roll. Sounds lovely doesn’t it? Until your student lets you know that the “routine” is getting a little, well, routine.

This is why experienced homeschoolers keep a little something up their sleeve to enliven and enlighten their students’ days. Ok, I’m talking about fun here. Fun is not a bad thing, and fun that involves learning or review is a win-win. It can be something as simple as making a big cookie and using frosting for the continents.

You could take your weekly spelling or vocabulary words and try to draw pictures from the letters (S as a snake, T as a tree, etc.) How about your student dressing as a historical figure or a literary character then interviewing them as that person? Have a race on a whiteboard (or on paper) and see who can finish 20 math problems correctly. Make a wordsearch using new science vocabulary. Take a walk and look for signs of the changing seasons.

If your students are old enough, have them come up with the fun little activity. Let them make a video or teach a lesson to the younger siblings. A sneaky by-product of these little ideas is that Mom gets a break from being the instructor to interact and enjoy their children while still keeping to the content of their lessons.

What to do if you are a Mom who can’t come up with these little diversions off the cuff? Not on Pinterest or other idea websites? Never fear, here are some suggestions for you too from the Rainbow Resource website: