10 Energy-Saving Tips while Homeschooling During the Holidays
This time of year can get a bit overwhelming and hard to slow down the excitement of Christmas! We can become burdened from the stress of trying to fit in the school work, the baking, shopping and all the fun crafts we want to try and do. Then there are the simple tasks of daily chores and housework.I want to share with you today, my 10 tips that can help you Save Energy this Holiday Season in your Homeschool.
Tip #1: Make a Realistic Learning Plan
Planning is tricky, and sometimes I feel I am always planning, never doing. But for the Christmas season, it can be very beneficial to do.Making a plan can help to save your energy in the long run. Be realistic about your goals, and try not to over plan too many activities. And why not include your children in this planning process if they are old enough, because if they are really hoping for something and it was simple, but you went ahead and did a large elaborate thing instead, well maybe that wasn’t necessary after allIf you are looking for a plan for your kids this December, check out my latest Homeschool Learning Plan in calendar form, here in this post.
Tip #2: Set a Budget
Setting a budget is one of the things I struggle with, but I know that this time of year it is really wise to do. It can surely get out of hand quickly, so having that set will help you in the long run. I have been known to just barrel ahead without thinking of this, and it sure can be a hard pill to swallow. Setting a budget will give you the freedom with your realistic plan and help your energy levels!The Frugal Family Home has some great Free Printables for Setting a Budget for Holiday Gifts for you to take advantage of, in preparing for the holidays!
Tip #3: Enjoy the Little Things
Sitting back and enjoying the holidays is tuff to do if you are worrying about everything! This truly goes at any time of year in your homeschool journey, because enjoying the little things, the small wins and the great blessings that come will help refuel your energy and your soul.I have created a free printable for Mom’s, called Mommy’s Mindful Journal Pages, which includes a morning and evening page with focus questions that can really improve your focus and feelings of gratitude. You can download these for free when you subscribe to my mailing list. The concept of a gratitude journal really has helped me in our homeschool and this alone has saved my mental state, time and time again. Focusing on the positives and writing down your goals really can do wonders for your overall energy.
Tip #4: Focus on the True Meaning of Christmas
When you remember the real meaning of Christmas, don’t you just sigh with relief? It really isn't about the (endless) lists of toys your children want to get, the decorations you think you need to buy or the large elaborate meals and baking, even though these things provide us with joy.Those things are all awesome and great and do absolutely add to a wonderful Christmas but I have found that I run the risk of missing the target ? and the meaning of Christmas when things become too elaborate especially with teaching my children about what Christmas is really about.
If you are looking for ways to enjoy the blessings from this holiday season, you could check out this wonderful plan for 7 Days of Random Acts of Kindness, from a wonderful homeschool mom blogger Marianna at Find Your Mom Tribe.
Tip #5: Take some time for Yourself and your Husband
Homeschooling your children can be a drain, strain and a pain sometimes, but if and when you can focus your time and energy on yourself and your relationship with your husband, you will feel a weight come off your shoulders, especially during the holidays!Homeschool Your Boys has a good blog post about The Importance of Date Night for Parents who Homeschool, which I liked a lot. Taking the time to make the time for your spouse is really important during this homeschooling journey we are all on.
Tip #6: Make a Meal Plan
Having a meal plan for the month can help relieve your stress during your school days. I am not the queen of consistency by any means, but when I do this our days are less stressful. Check out my post here about our favorite freezer meal that we have tried and love, which saves us a lot of time in the long run, as well as my small collection of recipes we have tried and make regularly in our home.Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler has a free monthly meal plan printable with breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner! Her ideas for meals are great, you can get started right now by checking out her newest December Meal Plan that is now up and live for you!
Tip #7: Start an Exercise Progam
Exercising regularly can really help maintain good health, and decrease stress. I know this, and it is on my To-Do List! Luckily I have found a great coach, Alyia Visscher, who works with the Beachbody Programs. I plan to give this a full-hearted try this new year! The great thing about this program, aside from me being able to do the workouts in the comfort of my home, is that they also have a fun program for parents and kids to do together, called Double Time which is perfect for homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike!Beachbody is an on-demand service of streaming workouts that you do from the comfort of your home, with 40+ different programs that are designed for different types focus (example; wweightlifting cardio conditioning, yoga, and partner). They all include meal plans and when you purchase the challenge pack you get a coach! You can find more info about my New Coach Alyia Visscher, (whom I will be signing up for this December) by Checking out her Website, Facebook Page, and Instagram. She would love to hear from you and requests you message her before signing up! She is so friendly, a great positive influence, and who truly cares about helping you achieve your goals. Who doesn't need someone like that? I find as a homeschool mom, I am the leader of my team here at home, but I know I need some help of my own so I have the strength to keep this boat afloat!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs2KJkS0MfY
Tip #8: Go to Sleep Early
This is a simple tip, but how hard is it to follow? Tricky for me, and I am going to be knocking down on bedtimes more and more this holiday season to stay on track for our yearly Homeschool Goals!Blitz N Giggles has a great free printable for Bedtime Routines that you could give a try tonight!
I created My Daily Jobs Check List Printable that includes a Morning & Bedtime routine that can help your kids stay on track all day long.
Tip #9: Encourage Young kids to Give Gifts to their Family Members
My kids are just starting to become old enough to really participate in Christmas, and up until now, it was all about us buying gifts for them, but this year we plan on really encouraging them to think about one another, and so my tip # 9 is to encourage your kids to make or buy small gifts for their family members! Simple, and fun, this will be a new thing we will do this year, however odd as that sounds.How Wee Learn has a great blog post just for this! Here you can find 45 Gorgeous Gifts Kids Can Make which is going to be a huge help to me this month!
Tip #10: Start a New Holiday Tradition
Brainstorm with your family to come up with a New Holiday Tradition you would like to try out this year. Some ideas I came up with are:
- Get a real Christmas tree
- Build a wooden Christmas tree, or different variations of the traditional Christmas tree
- Bake cookies for the neighbors
- Family Craft Night
- Make Crafts using the left-over wrappings from Christmas Day
- Create a photo album together about your holidays
- Have Grandparents record their Christmas Memories for your children, as well as your own Christmas Memories.
There you go! There are My 10 tips for saving energy in your homeschool this holiday season. I hope they have inspired you, I'd love ❤️ to hear your thoughts and if you have any other tips to share as well, that have helped you in the past.
If you liked this post check out these related posts:
My 5 Homeschooling Energy Saving Tips + a Free Printable!
Recipes we love in our Homeschool
Our Made with Love Homeschool Organizer
