We all go through it every single year. We take off some time from school to celebrate Christmas and then we have to somehow muster the energy to get back to school. Not only that, we have to motivate the kids to get ready for school again as well. It can be daunting and exhausting. But, it doesn’t have to be.
The last couple of years I have learned a huge lesson for my family. I can’t just let my kids have off for a week or two and then expect them to jump right back to their regular school routing. I must gently get them back to “normal”. Sounds silly but it works for our family.
Instead of having a full first day back, I choose to do a few things we haven’t done in a while. Since we take off from history, geography, and science in December to concentrate more on Jesus and His birth, we focus on those the first week back from Christmas break. This allows them to not have to stress about math or language arts.
My boys rarely make a fuss about doing school work since they know it is expected and required of them with godly attitudes. But, after a break, they tend to be a little bit lazy in their habits and need to refocus and get acquainted with their school day again. Giving them a break from the core subjects for a few days allows them to regain their joy and love for learning. It also allows the school day to be a little shorter.
This process may not work for everyone but since we school year round, we can afford to take off time for Christmas and take off from different subjects now and then. I call these “brain breaks”. They are beneficial not only for my children but for me also. Homeschooling is a 24/7 situation. There are no breaks except when I choose to take one.
So instead of going full force the first week of January just after having such a wonderful Christmas holiday, ease back in with shorter days, condensed subjects, and a few fun activities sprinkled in. You will love it and your children are sure to be a little more cooperative when school begins again.
