What to Do When Homeschool is Hard

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What do you do when homeschooling is hard?
What do you do when you have no motivation, all your passion is gone, and you can barely get through the motions?

What do you do when it feels as though your world is falling apart but your kids still need you?

First of all, you’re not alone. I would venture to say that every homeschool mom gets homeschool mom burnout or goes through something pretty earth-shattering at one point or another.

Life is good at never being entirely predictable…unless, of course, that is to predict that is is unpredictable.

I’ve already addressed how to avoid homeschool mom burnout in this post, but for today I want to help the mom who is past that point or is struggling for reasons other than burnout.

It is entirely unhelpful to be told how to prevent something when it has already happened if you’re not being given the help you currently need.

Keep reading to find out what to do when you’re burnt out or just dealing with difficult life circumstances.

The Best Tips for When Homeschool is Hard and You’re Just Burnt Out

I’ll venture to say that some of these things will be difficult for you to do.

We so often feel the need to cram every moment of every day with something we deem “productive”.

The problem is that rest is often left off that list and therefore we find ourselves running out of steam.

The tips below will help. I know because I’ve been in that spot more than once.

I don’t like doing these things, however, they are necessary in order to get better.

Before we jump into the tips, I just want to speak from personal experience.

I’ve experienced burnout, I’ve sold a house and moved while also homeschooling, and we went through a time of navigating a scary cancer diagnosis and illness.

Those seasons were hard. Homeschooling was hard. The one thing I can look back on and say I would do differently is to give myself more grace. I only encourage you to do the same for yourself.

#1 Stop and Reduce

First of all, when homeschooling is hard and you’re just burnt out you need to stop or at least reduce school to as little as possible.

The beauty of homeschooling is that you have the flexibility to do what works for your family.

So often, we get stuck in the traditional school mindset and don’t realize that we can take breaks when necessary and not just when the school calendar dictates.

If you are struggling, just stop.

Take a week, two weeks, or however long you need off in order to get back to a healthy place.

Sometimes you don’t need to stop everything entirely and in that case, I recommend just reducing things down to the bare basics.

Language Arts and Math are the two subjects that we stick to when things are a bit overwhelming.

Add a read aloud and you’re good to go.

But if even that is too much, just take a break from school until you can function again.

Take a week off and reevaluate after that. If you need another week, take that too. Set yourself check-in points so that you have something you’re working towards but also allowing for flexibility.

#2 Cut Back Activities

As homeschoolers, we can sometimes get so fed up with the misconceptions surrounding the socialization of our children that we set out on a mission to disprove that wholeheartedly.

Often, this means we sign up for far too many activities and end up overwhelming the whole family.

I know that we don’t tend to do it intentionally but it does happen.

Regardless of your intentions, if you can drop activities…do it.

Take some time off.

I remember my mom doing this when she was just burnt out and I can tell you that it only benefitted our family.

If your family is burnt out then no amount of activities will fix that.

You all need time off to just spend time together and recharge.

#3 Take Time to Rest and Fun-School

Once you’ve stepped back from everything you can, take some time to just have fun with your children.

Enjoy slow mornings and days where there’s nowhere important to be.

Head to the park or stay home and enjoy your backyard.

Have a movie marathon.

Play board games and do some “fun-schooling” with your kids.

Not every day of every week has to be full of structure and a full to-do list.

Trust me, this is a lesson that I’ve had to learn over the course of this past year.

There is beauty in slowing down and just enjoying the moments that we have instead of always rushing through them in order to get to the next thing that needs to be done.

#4 Evaluate What’s Important

During your time off from schooling, it is imperative that you evaluate what you want to be in your life.

What adds joy, richness, and fulfillment to your days? What brings value?

What takes away from all of those things?

Motherhood is a constant balancing act of knowing what to let in and what to say no to.

I think it is also a great time to evaluate if your homeschool is what you want it to be or if it is based on a comparison of other homeschool families.

There will always be new homeschool trends and ideas, you do not need to jump on the bandwagon for every single one.

Keep it simple and choose what brings joy and fulfillment to your family.

#5 Reintroduce Things Slowly

When you feel as though you can start adding things back in, do it slowly.

Don’t go from nothing to 100% overnight. That is a recipe for disaster.

Add in a single activity or school subject and slowly build from there.

That way to you can also take time to evaluate if everything is working or if you need to make some tweaks.

#6 Put Boundaries in Place and Practice Self Care

Finally, as you take time to rest and recover, take the opportunity to place healthy boundaries and practice self-care.

Knowing when to firmly say no to things is vitally important.

You don’t have to do it all; in fact, you shouldn’t.

Set up your days so there are moments of rest and pause and require that of your children as well.

Homeschooling is a blessing in that your family gets to spend a lot of time with one another.

However, that also means that it can be overwhelming. Everyone should be able to have at least a little time to themselves throughout the day.

#7 Be Proactive

Once you’re back to where you want to be, work on always being proactive.

It is so much easier to avoid burnout than it is to heal from it.

Do little things every day to make sure that you keep centered on the goals for your family and the health of everyone.

Final Thoughts

You’re not a failure for struggling. We’re all far from perfect.

As homeschool moms, we’re learning right along with our children.

Our character is being molded and shaped as we also work to shape theirs.

Being a homeschool mom means giving up a lot, but it doesn’t require giving up your health in the process.

Set healthy boundaries, give yourself time to rest, and you’ll get back on track soon enough.

If you’re in a really hard season due to life circumstances, I’m sorry. I know what it’s like. I’ve been there.

Sometimes having a bit of routine and consistency can help keep everyone sane. Just keep it simple, and don’t feel guilty. This is a season. It is not forever and you’re doing a good job.