• Home
  • Cooking
  • Frugal Living
  • Home Management
  • Homeschooling
  • Real Life

The Happy Housewife™ :: Home Schooling

homeschool tips, printables, curriculum reviews, and more

  • Printables
  • Themes
  • Projects
  • Life
  • Our Curriculum
  • Curriculum Reviews

When the Homeschool Plan Isn’t Working

by Toni Herrbach

4shares
  • Pin
  • Share

It’s January. A time to take stock, look at what’s working, and what’s not. And, once you have an idea of what needs adjusting, it’s the time you usually decide to throw out the old and try something new.

What if it’s your homeschool that’s not working, though? You can’t really throw it out and do something else.

Or can you?  Maybe…maybe not.

When the Homeschool Plan Isn't Working | The Happy Housewife

You may not be able to throw everything out — curriculum costs money, and it’s not smart to switch to a new program every time it seems like something’s not working.  However, it’s not smart to stick with something that’s not working either.

One of the best thing’s about homeschooling in the first place is that you have the freedom to change things that aren’t working for your child to customize his or her education. But what do you do if it feels like nothing’s working?

Take a Break

Seriously, even if you’ve already taken off the whole month of December, and it feels like you’re completely behind where you should be — stop everything. Take a break and figure out what isn’t working.

It will not do anyone any good to push through something that’s not working in the first place. In fact, you may end up burning out and resenting your homeschool. Not an ideal situation.

Take Stock

While you’re on that break, take some time to sit down and reflect on your homeschool:

  • Why do you do it?
  • What are your goals for each of your kids?
  • What is your ideal schedule?
  • What do you love?
  • What can you cut?

Write down your answers to these questions in a fresh spiral notebook. Then, ask each of your children to write their own answers in the same notebook. You can ask them:

  • Do you like homeschooling? Why? Why not?
  • What are your goals?
  • When do you feel you learn best?
  • How do you feel you learn best?
  • What do you love?
  • What do you loathe?

Make a New Plan

Even if the curriculum itself can’t change, there’s probably something you can shake up to make everything feel fresh again. Can you try relaxing in the mornings and playing board games or enjoying a leisurely breakfast, and hitting the books harder in the afternoon for awhile?

Or, maybe try taking school on the road. Head to the library a few afternoons a week. Go to the zoo, break out the books and a picnic lunch, then head to see the animals after math is finished up. Go to a playground and have your kids hang upside down while you quiz them on their math facts.

Just choose at least one thing to tweak.

The goal isn’t to revolutionize your homeschool. It’s to break the monotony. To dig out of the rut you’ve fallen into. It’s to keep you from feeling like you need to throw it all out and send your kids off to public school.

Homeschooling can be a challenge — for you and your kids. Take a bit of time to put it all in perspective and change a few things. You’ll all fee better as you begin the second half of your year and head to the finish line.

What are some of your ideas for changing things up?

You might also enjoy:

  • Homeschooling Through Hardships
  • How to Create Unit Studies
  • What is a Lapbook

photo credit: jimmiehomeschoolmom via photopin cc

By contributing writer Colleen

4shares
  • Pin
  • Share

Comments | 1 comment

« Free Math Worksheet Printables from Five J’s
Football Math »

Comments

  1. Carrie says

    at

    Thanks for the permission to continue with our break 😉 I needed to hear this today

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




STAY UPDATED!

Get every article delivered to your inbox!

CONNECT WITH ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Homeschool Projects & Experiments

Homeschool Projects & Experiments

Homeschool Garden Ideas on Pinterest

Recent Posts

  • 101 Things to Do on a Snow Day with Kids
  • Tips for Planning Your Homeschool Day
  • Properties of Water Experiments
  • Sight Word Bingo (Free Printable)
  • Lapbook Ideas
  • Resurrection Eggs with Bible Verses: Easter Craft & Lesson
  • How to Homeschool (even temporarily)

Unbiased Homeschool Reviews!

CONNECT WITH ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

RSS Manage Your Home

CATEGORIES

ARCHIVES

STAY UPDATED!

Get every article delivered to your inbox!

Snow Day Activities for Kids

101 Things to Do on a Snow Day with Kids

By Toni Herrbach 3 Comments

Tips for Planning Your Homeschool Day

By Toni Herrbach 11 Comments

homeschool curriculum reviews

CONNECT WITH ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316

Privacy Policy

HOME | CONTACT | ADVERTISING & PR | DISCLOSURE | PRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 – TheHappyHousewife.com. All rights reserved. | Design by Joy @ Five J's Design | Site maintenance by Klong Designs