Regaining the Joy of Homeschooling

What do you do when homeschooling is not fun? I think we all go through blah seasons and even the occasional homeschool burnout, but what do you do when you’ve truly lost the joy in homeschooling and can’t seem to find it?

Remember why you started

One of the most important things to do when homeschooling is not fun is to remember why you started.We often start homeschooling with high ideals and an idyllic vision. Then, that idyllic view collides with reality and the day-to-day routine can cause those ideals give way to just getting by.

Sit down and write out the reasons why you began homeschooling. Have those changed? If so, make a list of why it’s important to you to continue. Even if your reasons haven’t changed, it’s a good idea to write out a homeschool mission statement to help you maintain your focus during the hard days of homeschooling.

Are you overscheduled?

It’s hard to be joyful when you feel like you’re barely keeping your head above water. As hard as it can be, it’s imperative that homeschooling families learn to say no and guard their time. As much as the stereotypes insist that our kids are cloistered away at home, never being properly socialized with the masses, homeschoolers tend to be on the go. A lot.

If the only reason you have your kids in all the activities is because you feel pressured to give them countless social outlets, stop. Give them and yourself a break by committing only to the activities that they truly enjoy and don’t feel guilty limiting activities because your family time and budget can’t keep up.

Do what you can in the season you’re in.

Make sure you’re being parent first, teacher second

One of the hardest parts of homeschooling is making sure you're spending time with your kids as their parent instead of their teacher. This gets easier as they become older and start working more independently.Make sure you’re carving out ways to spend time with your kids and looking for creative ways to spend time with your teens. If your kids’ attitudes are part of the reason you’ve lost joy in your homeschool, it could be that they’re crying out from attention from their mom and dad, not their teacher.

Read great books

There is so much you can learn just from reading great books. History, science, geography, art…there are great stories for all of it and I think we retain more when we’re interested in what we’re learning. If you’re not reading some fabulous books in the course of your homeschool day, you are missing out on one of the best parts of homeschooling.

Create a change of scenery

Sometimes a change of scenery can have a drastic effect on your mood and attitude. If the weather is warming up nicely where you live, take school outside. Consider giving your schoolroom a makeover with a fresh coat of paint, a fun new piece of furniture, some colorful artwork or some creative rearranging.

If you always do school in the dining room, move to the living room – or to the room with the most natural light. Sunshine can be an instant mood lifter.

Identify the missing link

Identify what’s missing from you homeschool that’s caused you to lose your joy. Is it a massive deviation from your initial vision? Maybe you need to reevaluate your approach to homeschooling. Consider tweaking your current approach with aspects of other styles that sound intriguing. 

Maybe there are some creative outlets that you’d love to pursue, but have been putting on the back burner. Jump into those fun electives. They can be as vital to your homeschool as the core curriculum.

Ask a friend

If you’ve got a good homeschooling friend, sometimes it helps to ask them for input. Sometimes someone who is a bit removed from the situation can view it with more clarity and objectivity. Talk things over with your friend and see if the two of you can pinpoint what is robbing you of your joy and brainstorm ways to get it back.

Pray about it

I always seem to put this last, but it should be first. When the joy is gone from your homeschool and you can’t figure out where it went, pray and ask God to direct your path and give you wisdom.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” – James 1:5

Homeschooling has its ups and downs, its ebbs and flows, but if you find yourself facing days or weeks with no joy or enthusiasm for what you do, it’s time to evaluate and figure out where you’ve gotten off-track.

Excerpts from: http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/homeschooling-is-not-fun/