5 Simple Tips to Stay Sane While Homeschooling

COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the economic and health system. But it has also greatly affected the education system. We’ve been homeschooling for a while now. Homeschooling can be stressful. We have to spend more time teaching our kids and reviewing numerous topics.  Our attention spans are reduced as we try to juggle daily chores with work and school.

However, it can also be rewarding. In this phase, the opportunity to build a long-lasting parent-child relationship surfaces. And more than ever, even though our patience is constantly tested, we now experience what countless teachers go through on a daily basis. 

For many of us, homeschool is still a large part of our daily lives. Even while society and businesses attempt to get back into what used to be the norm, many schools have not reopened. And for single mothers, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

Here are 5 very simple tips to help you through homeschooling.

5 Simple Tips to Stay Sane While Homeschooling

 1. Be resourceful

We’re not always the most organized and we might forget important deadlines. Even though we’re stuck at home, there are many video calls and schedules to juggle. *BONUS if you are trying to run a business and prioritize homeschooling!

There are many online tools available to help with keeping track of tasks and prioritizing your day.

•  Clockify – Check out this free time tracker that helps monitor how much time you or your child spend on various activities. Really easy way of making sure you sit through what needs to be done (Or to call a time-out when they’ve been gaming too long!).
•  Trello – This is really a good task management tool because you can plan activities daily or even monthly. And you can set reminders and add notes for everything you need to get done.
•  Calendar – This productivity tool allocates just a certain amount of time for activities. It will also help you avoid distractions and get back on track. One more thing, this is a great reminder for all your to-do lists. And it ensures the importance of the activities scheduled.

 2. Set expectations, but do not expect too much

The learning process of homeschooling is different from the physical setup of a regular classroom. In fact, how easy and well your homeschooling goes greatly depends on the nature of your child and your attitude towards it.

How long can your child spend on a subject? What is his or her attention span? Every child is different. 

If your child still cannot adapt with the new environment of learning, do not be discouraged. This is commonly experienced by a lot of kids especially with all the distractions at home. Set proper guidelines. Establish acceptable boundaries. And never expect everything to go as planned. 

As much as we need and want it to, children do act up or throw tantrums. They get bored or frustrated. We get tired and lose focus. Whatever happens, deal with it calmly and move on to Plan B (if you have one).

 3. Have Patience

Yes, we know. Easier said than done.

Homeschooling requires a lot of patience. After a few weeks of homeschooling, we literally asked ourselves how our teachers do it day in and out!

Just hold on to the fact that your kids will never forget what happened during the quarantine. And this is also a great opportunity to spend more time with them as you know that three-fourth of their lives would soon be very much about racing after their dreams and pursuing ambitions.

Peace over Productivity.

 4. Schedule a reflection each week

What have you done productive this week? Looking back on the things you have done helps to pinpoint where things might have gone wrong. And we can also find ways to improvise. 

Reflections are great moments to think back on how things were done and what could be done better. It is especially important to recognize where we did good and came out strong. Use your reflection time to identify your own strengths as well.

Remember that you are the fort holding it all together.

5. Keep the goal in sight

This does not just include academic skills. But also real-life skills.

As much as we try to squeeze everything into the limited time we have, we need to remember that we are working towards the best interest of our children. You cannot perfect everything. The finishing line is where we place our focus. And that is, that our children grow up mentally strong and resilient, and that they become healthy, emotionally-sound beings that will do greater good for the world.

Homeschooling Single Mom – You Got This!

If all else fails, remember, you are enough. Take a little breather and get back to the drawing board.