Do your home school days feel out of control? If so, there are steps you can take to regain control and improve the experience for everyone.
Here's what we’re covering in this article:
- Homeschooling can start to feel out of control for various reasons. Understanding why your home school days feel out of control is the first step toward making changes.
- Five tips you can follow to regain control of your home school days.
- Answers to frequently asked questions about how to manage home school effectively on a daily basis.
- Key takeaways for improving your home school experience for you and your children
- Where you can learn more about how to manage your home school days effectively.
If Your Home School Days Feel Out of Control, You’re on the Right Track with Asking “Why?”
When you started homeschooling your children, you had a vision. You pictured spending peaceful, interactive, and invigorating days with your children. You pictured all of your home school materials neat and organized. You pictured yourself feeling fulfilled and being able to reflect on a day well spent as you wound down in the evening.
But, that’s not how it went. Or, at least, that’s not how it’s going right now. Instead of feeling planned and well organized, your home school days feel out of control.
In this situation, what can (and should) you do?
When your home school days start to feel out of control, acknowledging that this is the case is the first step toward making changes. So, the good news is that you’re already on the right track. Once you have acknowledged that changes are necessary, the next step is to understand why. Some of the reasons why parent-educators and other caregivers start to lose control of their home school days include:
- While they were following a daily home school schedule initially, they have since stopped following a schedule on a daily basis.
- They haven’t kept up with lesson planning; and, as a result, they don’t have lessons prepared for every day.
- They are struggling to keep their children focused on school in the home, whether due to boredom, distractions, or both.
- They have too many obligations outside of home school that they need to tend to during the day, forcing them to take time out of homeschooling.
- They haven’t properly set up and organized their home school materials and home school space; and, as a result, they spend too much time trying to get organized while their children have nothing to do but wait.
Again, these are just examples. As we discuss in greater detail below, it is important to think critically about why your home school days aren’t going how you envisioned. Once you know why things are the way they are, then you can start on the path toward regaining control and improving the home school experience for you and your children.
5 Tips for Regaining Control of Your Home School Days
So, if your home school days feel out of control, what can (and should) you do? Here are five tips for regaining control and getting back on track for a successful school year:
1. Pay Attention to When Things Start to Feel Out of Control
Pay attention to when things start feeling out of control. Is your home school day out of control from the very beginning? If so, then you may need to focus on making sure everyone is ready to start your home school days on time. Do your days get out of control when you don’t have lessons planned or when your children don’t have the materials they need? In this scenario, you may benefit from starting (or restarting) a home school project planner.
2. Think About Why Things Feel Out of Control
Along with thinking about when things start to feel out of control, you should also think about why. Are you having trouble starting the day smoothly? Are you running out of time to fit everything in? Is a lack of organization preventing the day from staying on track?
Here too, these are just examples. You should think critically about why you are struggling with homeschooling; and, here, it is important to be honest with yourself. Homeschooling is hard, and there is no shame in acknowledging that there is room for improvement—everyone has room for improvement. But, what you do not want to do is ignore the issue and allow it to get worse.
3. Build Structure and Organization Into Your Home School Daily Routine
In just about all cases, regaining control of your home school days will involve building additional structure and organization into your daily routine. If you used to be pretty organized, go back to when you felt like you had more control. What was working then will most likely still work now. If you have struggled with structure and organization since you started homeschooling, then these are skills that you will want to try to build.
4. Talk to Your Children About How (and Maybe Why) Things Are Going to Change
Homeschooling is a collaborative effort. You and your children are in it together. If you need to make changes to regain control of your home school days, then talk to your children about how things are going to change. If they are mature enough to understand, then consider talking to them about why things are going to change, too. If they know what to expect, they will be better prepared, and this alone can go a long way.
5. Lead By Example
Finally, regardless of why changes are necessary, you should lead by example. Be ready to start the day on time, have your materials ready and organized, and have a plan for how you are going to approach the day. Don’t let yourself get distracted, and don’t get flustered or frustrated if things still don’t entirely go to plan. You are learning, too, and homeschooling is a practice that requires dedication and patience. If your children see that you are putting in the effort, this will go a long way, too.
FAQs: Managing Home School Effectively on a Daily Basis
What if My Kids Won’t Pay Attention to Lessons During Home School?
If your kids won’t pay attention to lessons during home school, here too, the key question is “Why?” Are they distracted? Are they bored? Are they struggling with the fact that their parent is their teacher?
These are all different scenarios that require different approaches. In many (but not all) cases, simple changes can help. For example, if you start the day with math, try starting with a subject your kids find more interesting. Or, if you do lessons right before lunch, consider reorganizing your schedule so you aren’t trying to teach your kids when they might be starting to feel hungry.
What if My Kids Won’t Do Their Work Cycle During Home School?
If your children won’t do their work cycle during home school, this can make your home school days feel very out of control. But, here too, simple changes can often help. Changing when your children do their work cycles, providing your children with new materials, starting a new project, doing a new experiment, and taking your children outside are all examples of ways you may be able to increase your children’s interest and improve their focus. Appropriate incentives for a job well done can help as well.
How Can I Homeschool My Kids Successfully if I Am Struggling?
As we’ve discussed above, if your home school days are feeling out of control, the key is to focus on making changes based on the specific reason (or reasons) why your days aren’t as successful as you’d like them to be. There are steps you can take, and you can homeschool your kids successfully. Don’t get down on yourself, but instead give yourself the opportunity to reward yourself and your children for sticking with it and coming out better on the other side.
Key Takeaways
- It’s okay to struggle. Many parent-educators struggle with feeling like their home school days are out of control. The key to regaining control is understanding why your home school days aren’t as structured and organized as they could be.
- Focus on the “why.” Once you know why your home school days feel out of control, then you can focus on finding ways to make appropriate changes based on your specific circumstances.
- Start with small, but intentional, changes. In many cases, small changes can make a big difference—whether those changes involve reorganizing your school days or introducing more engaging subjects or projects.
- Lead by example. As a parent-educator, it is important to lead by example. Talking to your children about the changes you’ll be making to their home school routine can be helpful, too.
Where to Learn More
If you would like more information about how you can successfully manage home school as a parent-educator, consider becoming a Crush Home School member. Our members receive a monthly package in their inbox that includes tips, insights, schedules, materials, and more. Members also receive a 10% discount on all other resources purchased through our website. Learn more about becoming a Crush Home School member.