5 Energy Saving Tips for Homeschoolers + Free Mindful Journal Pages!
Looking for some mindfulness in your homeschool? Our 5 energy saving tips can help you through your homeschooling journey, plus grab our FREE journal pages!
The thought of having more energy is a common thing, isn't it?
Harnessing the energy to push on or to change the pace in your Homeschool day requires energy. Energy for the tasks we as multi-tasking moms know far too well. But perhaps, the goal of saving energy in our day, is to really relax, take a breath and let go.After homeschooling for more than 4 years, I have learned a thing or two... and I bet I will need to take my own advice in years to come, so I have written down my thoughts! I know it has been a huge pop-culture to feel overwhelmed, and the truth is... I had to stop telling myself that I was overwhelmed, and simply choose to think differently.So, here are my 5 Energy Saving Tips for homeschoolers! The 5 things I have learned and picked up along the way. I hope they can bring some energy saving into your life.
5 Energy Saving Tips for Homeschoolers
You know that planner you have? The one you just spent hours and hours on?
I love a well-planned plan. But trust me, make sure it is in pencil because by tomorrow afternoon you will be needing to amend it. And again and again. Let this not weigh too heavily on your mind. It happens, constantly, in fact. One unit that the book says should take a week actually takes 1 month, sometimes more!Do you know why that is? Because, as much as we think we are the ones teaching them, they, in fact, are on their own little journeys of discovery too. There is learning happening all around us constantly. Sure it may not be lesson 17 for math in unit whatever. But it is what they are learning, right now. You don't have to read every classic novel this year. Some things can be left for exploration later on when they are ready for it. Maybe next week, next month or next year. Enjoy being flexible and write it in pencil!
I have learned something outrageous, and you will laugh when I tell you this, but this tip for saving energy is to play with your kids!
What? Do you feel you do this all day 24/7? Well, are you really? We are with them all the time and yet, are we actually playing barbies with them? Playing the video game they love, with them? Learning how to do what they have just naturally become interested in? Maybe, or maybe not.This crazy concept of playing with my kids is something that I honestly was struggling with! I wasn't planning enough time for it. (That's what grandma can do, while you run to get errands done) but with three kids, all begging me to play different games or different things, all the while I am thinking in the back of my mind that I need to cook, clean, dishes, laundry, have a shower, put clothes away, get the toddlers diaper cleaned, take out the trash, call back the missed call, and then, of course, sit down for the school lessons. I just had to press pause on all that, because my child's bucket of happiness was really, really low.And so, as hard as it was for me to press pause and switch from Mommy-List-Brain to Imaginative-Mommy-Brain, it was really important for me and for my kids because I realized that this was the thing they needed the most. (Not the floor swept and mopped) The reality was, I was too busy! I was doing, doing, doing, and not making enough time for fun things. I needed to stop and make time for what my kids were asking for and just let the laundry pile up so I could play dinosaurs with my three-year-old and really get down and be at his level and just play.Now the moments where I let go have been my biggest blessing, yet it is still a hard thing to do. Once I did this and let go of my "plan" even for a moment I had so much more fun and connected with them in a way they really needed.
Our kids need more connecting, than more teaching. More learning through example, than listening to lectures. Isn't that why we homeschool?
Living in our own season and not playing the comparing game is really crucial.
So, your school doesn't start in the morning like you hear so many other families do. You sleep in till noon or stay in PJs all day. Well, here is the BIG awesome energy saving tip #3: Own your truth and your homeschooling season.It may not be how you want it to be, and that's ok! Make tiny steps to your end goal, but know that Homeschooling will look different for everyone. Your homeschool is yours and it can and should be your unique amazing bliss. Start in the afternoon? Start at 6 am? or even in the evening after dinner when daddy is with the baby? Or do you have a mix of these? That is ok!Live in the season of your amazing Homeschool and love it. Seasons change and so it will be with your homeschool. Living in your season, what does this mean? You wouldn't wear mittens in the summer, right? It's easy to want to be ready for winter but if it's summertime, you wear shorts. All homeschoolers are living in different seasons, and it is best not to compare yourself with others who are in a completely different season. Do not worry about what others are doing, stay focused on your season and this will lighten your load, lift your spirits and help you save precious energy!
Having a set time for when your day of lessons is done, can really be uplifting.
Whether it's in the morning or the afternoon when you start your school day, set the time of day in which your school work will be done because it can keep going and going and going. Ring a bell, set an alarm, have your husband call you at a certain time from work, but say this is the cutoff and if it hasn't happened by this time - oh well! Move on and try again tomorrow. Take off the mommy teacher hat, and put on another one.I am still learning how to do this, but when I do stop school at a certain time in the day, it really helps my energy levels. Sure it may feel like a defeat at first but let's spin this a different way: you are looking at the bigger picture and conserving your energy. I have been there, forcing the wheels to keep turning, when they are just stuck in the mud. Your kids will not cooperate, focus or take it seriously. Let it go, and do it for you too. Remember, Home is where the heart is and your heart is important. If they aren't into it, let go and find what you are into.So many times, I will find myself just sitting at the table hoping they will open their books. Instead, they just want to do something else. I say, ok... I guess I will find something I want to do then and I roll with it. Soon they come and find me after a while and begin asking me what I am doing and if they can join me. Learning happens, all the time. But being able to say, 'ok let's find inspiration somewhere else', is a huge energy saver, because sometimes, school is just done for the day.
Your intuition is gold.
If you are feeling done with a lesson, consider ending it early. If you want to change your plan, go for it. Feel like you need to clear your mind with meditation or stretching before school starts? Great! Find the time in your day. If you think everyone needs some fresh air, go read your books outside today. Out of milk? Jump in the car and go for a shopping trip. You can and should do what you are feeling inspired to do. Avoiding your inner voice can actually eat up a lot of energy and create issues down the road.You don't need to know it all or have it perfect, but you can do this job of homeschooling your kids! Listen to your inner voice and trust in yourself, because that will help you keep your energy levels balanced. This could mean implementing more things, such as gym time for mommy, or talking to your children to learn what it is they really need.Whatever it is, trust your gut and go with it.Those are the 5 Energy Saving Tips that I have found really helped me during our homeschool journey!
Freebies are always nice, right?
Well, I have a little something for you. Journaling is one of my big favs, and so I created two pages that are simple, but helpful! One page for your thoughts in the morning, and one for the reflective moments before bed. Enjoy![convertkit form=894813]
Thanks for reading today!
Have you found ways to help save your energy while homeschooling? Let me know in the comments below. And, come follow us on Instagram to see all our latest homeschooling adventures, book reviews, and inspired activities.Continue to build your masterpiece with scissors and glue and energy too,Alexandra