Pray

Don’t let the number of things on your to-do list load you down before you’ve given it to the Lord! He will not give you more than you can handle. 

Like Corrie ten Boom said, “Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” 

Don’t Try to Do Too Much

There are times of the year to push through a lot of schoolwork, but the holiday season is not one of those times. 

Plan ahead, so there’s space to slow down a little. Let the kids work on core subjects or knock out a spelling test. Or, do core subjects one day and additional subjects the next. 

Keep your expectations under control.

Use Your Time Creatively

Use the season for more application-centric activities. This doesn’t mean the kids get to skip school because you’re busy wrapping presents. It means they’re able to use the skills they’ve been working on in a special way. 

As one experienced homeschool mom explained it, “All year long my kids are getting book knowledge. But when it’s Thanksgiving, Christmastime… I go a different route. Their homework is still homework. But we’ve adapted it to the season. Writing a book report might be instead, writing Christmas letters to soldiers. And that’s the joy—really, the advantage—of homeschooling.” 

Here are some ways you can encourage the kids to apply their book knowledge during the season:

• Write letters to soldiers.
• Write, direct, and produce a holiday play.
• Prepare musical pieces to perform at church or in nursing homes.
• Do a research project together on a current seasonal event.
• Tell your phonics learners to practice reading festive books aloud.
• Give the younger ones the job to count ornaments or help with baking.
• Assign each child a country and have them study and share how that country traditionally celebrates the holiday.

Be Realistic

It’s been said that 90 percent of life’s disappointments come from unmet expectations. 

What does that mean? Ninety percent of the time we’re disappointed, we don’t really have to be. It’s just an attitude fix. 

Everything might not work out the way it did last year. Someone may get sick. Relatives could swing through town as a surprise. The gravy may get burnt. But that’s ok! Go with the flow, and be mentally prepared for the unexpected. That way when things come up, you won’t be thrown for a loop. 

You never know when a change in the schedule could turn into your family’s new holiday tradition.

Remember the Reason for the Season

Sometimes the best thing you can do is remind yourself of the things that really matter—like being together and realizing the Lord’s provision, or just having a chance to laugh at an old family story. 

Homeschooling during the holidays is completely doable. But on the days it doesn’t go as planned, just remember to give yourself a little grace. Learn to step back and remember the reason for the season. 

The gift of God’s son. 

So, even when the holiday season gets crazy, it can still be a productive, memorable time of homeschooling as a family and building memories to last a lifetime.