The following is written by contributor Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy.
The older I get, the more aware I am that effective homeschool time management must include effective energy management.
Creating a schedule that really hums for our family requires more than just shifting blocks of time around in Google Calendar or the DayTimer. We also need to strategically take energy reserves, emotional needs, stress levels, and self-care into account.
The potential land mines that can blow up your homeschool day are many, for kids and for grown-ups.
Having an awareness of what punches your buttons—and scheduling accordingly—can mean the difference between a successful homeschool day (week/month/year) and one that goes up in smoke.
These are the land mines that blow up the most at my house. I’m sure you have your own list, and I’d love to hear about them in comments. Self-awareness makes all the difference, so let’s help open each other’s eyes.
1. The epic blood sugar meltdown.
When a person you love (of whatever age) suddenly turns into a complete and raving lunatic because they are starving, they are in the grips of an epic blood sugar meltdown. (I experienced more than my fair share of these during pregnancy, and became a much nicer person once I learned to keep a bag of trail mix within arm’s reach.)
How to recover: Give the poor kid (or poor parent!) a snack, pronto. The ideal snack contains protein, healthy fat, and carbs, and not too much sugar.
How to avoid it: Schedule a regular snack time (or breaks where snacks are optional) into the homeschool day. If you have a kid who forgets to eat, remind them to think about a snack before they reach meltdown territory. If you’re on the go a lot, stash snacks and drinks in the car.
2. The I-cannot-sit-still-for-one-more-second freakout.
For some kids, sitting for schoolwork is like holding a beach ball under water: they can do it, but it requires all their concentration. When they let go of the beach ball, it shoots into the air like a rocket.
How to recover: Send the kid outside, give them a trampoline, do pushups and planks and jumping jacks, as often as you need throughout the day. Walk, run, stretch.
How to avoid it: Build physical activity into your day. Schedule “recess.” Walk the dog around the block at lunch time. For our sensory-seeking child, we installed a swing in the house. (Worth it.)
3. Complete and utter fatigue.
We’re talking about those days when your schedule is full, your temper is short, and you start to question your competence as a human being. Or those days when you ask your child why he’s crying and he keeps saying I don’t know. Too-tired-to-function tired.
How to recover: Take a nap, if possible. (If you know this backfires for you or your kids, nevermind.) Grown-ups, pour yourself an extra cup of coffee and eat extra-clean for energy. Get some sunshine and fresh air. Go easy on yourself. And for goodness’ sake, get to bed on time tonight.
How to avoid it: I find this the most frustrating land mine because we may know exactly what to do, but that won’t stop the toddler from waking us up 4 times before morning.
As far as you can, go to bed on time, and help your child do the same. If you’re regularly exhausted, do some reading up on sleep hygiene, and consider checking in with your doctor.
4. Too much talking disease.
The introverts and highly sensitive among you are nodding understandingly. For some of us, talking all day requires enormous amounts of emotional energy and lots of recovery time.
When we don’t get it, bad things happen.
How to recover: Find a quiet place. Really.
How to avoid it: Learn to be aware of your daily “word budget,” and try to build in periods during the day where you aren’t talking nonstop as a teacher and parent. Try audiobooks instead of read-alouds. Implement charts and checklists. Embrace a daily quiet time.
Teaching your kids to recognize and (ideally) avoid or (more likely) recover from their personal land mines isn’t just a good homeschooling practice, it’s a life skill that will serve them well for years to come. I wish you well as you discover—and tackle—the land mines in your own homeschool day.
What are the big land mines in your own day-to-day, and how do you avoid/recover from them?
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This is a fantastic post. I LOVE the practical suggestions. My oldest is sensory seeking and we are still trying to figure him out. 🙂 Fun things to do in the yard have really helped. And we have an exercise ball in the living room that is fun but doesn’t cause any furniture to break. 🙂 Any more tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your post!
The exercise ball is a great idea! We have one of those someplace. Thanks for the reminder to go find it. 🙂
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy’s latest post: Trigger points.
He loves to bounce on it, pass it back and forth with his sister, lay on it, etc.
I also read last night about letting your sensory seeking child jump from the couch to a bunch of pillows on the floor (we have old couches, so we let our kids jump and play on them). 🙂
I’m a little late to the party here (just found this via pinterest), but…
one of the best tips I’ve found for the kinesthetic learner is to let them use that balance ball AS THEIR SEAT at the “school” table. They can wiggle away from the shoulders down, continually readjusting balance while they work those math problems, do that spelling quiz, or whatever…
Oops – should’ve read on in the comments first, before posting. Someone else already suggested this. Sorry for the duplication!
LOVE this article. Thanks! I would add to the last one about talking that if we ask more open ended questions, our kiddos will do more of the talking for us.
…plus they enjoy it more too, mind do anyway:)
I definitely recognize some of these…it’s challenging because my kids have different triggers so I have to keep several of them in mind.
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I wholeheartedly agree. For one of my children there is also the issue of inane noises during homeschool. She has to whistle or beat box or just make some noise and it drives me insane! But, your post made me realize that maybe some outdoor physical exertion would counteract that!
That’s so hard when one of the kids seem to really need something that drives another kid (or grown-up) CRAZY! Wishing you well as you figure that out.
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy’s latest post: Trigger points.
Oh my word, this happens in my house. Some of it is just noises because he just needs the outlet. It’s the insane noises because I am paying attention to his sister that is driving me insane. It stops as soon as attention, positive or negative, is directed toward to him. I am personally guilty of the blood sugar melt down.
Yes, I’m going to order one of those mini trampolines right now. I’m confident this is exactly what my homeschool needs! I can barely stand sitting sometimes, imagine the kids. Also, my kids are always hungry. These two are defiantly big ones. I also think another one can be just complete and utter boredom….go do something fun!
I was given a mini-trampoline when my daughter was younger. I kept it in the living room for quick jumping breaks. My daughter’s name is Jumping-Gilly-Bean, because she has always been bouncy. The mini-trampoline was a lifesaver.
I left out, her NICK-name is. Her real name is Gillian. 😉
We have one, too. We tend to forget about it in the summer, but it’s a lifesaver during the winter when it’s hard to get out.
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy’s latest post: Trigger points.
For those who find it hard to sit still: how about having them actually sit on an exercise ball while doing the schoolwork? (And there are cushions you can put on a chair that are a bit like sitting on a balance ball. I’ve been thinking of getting one.)
For me, homeschooling means there is “wriggle room” for the child. If he wants to sit upside down in my revolving office chair (i.e. with his feet on the backrest and head down) while we review the multiplication table – why not. (As long as he doesn’t bang his head on the table legs. 😉 )
Our biggest meltdown moment at this time is “too much handwriting” – if we have several things that require writing by hand, the kid gets tired. The thing to do: plan the exercises and daily tasks so that stuff that requires writing doesn’t accumulate too much on any one day. And I try to use my judgement wisely: if he can learn the content without doing all the written exercises, I’ll let him skip the writing and answer the questions orally or something like that.
That’s a great idea about the bouncy ball!
And yeah, too much handwriting is a tough one. Your strategies sound like good ones. 🙂
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy’s latest post: Trigger points.
Great post. I especially relate the the blood sugar melt-downs. I find I am too often fighting my way through that minefield. We have recently started with a plate of apples and peanut butter in the afternoons before our most time intensive subjects.
I also need to remember to eat. Being pregnant with three other little ones often leaves me exhausted with no time for a nap. So, my day starts with a cup of coffee a protein rich breakfast. But I bet it would help even more if I remembered to have a snack (like trail-mix) at the ready.
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Oh, the food…. I am so glad we figured that one out when our daughter was still in the toddler stage. Now, at six, she usually recognizes it herself. The key here is recognizing it early enough that she doesn’t hit the picky eater all-I-want-is-chocolate-and-ramen-why-can’t-I-just-eat-cookie-dough point. If we do get to the food too late, I’ve learned to give her the equivalent of one or two Hershey kisses, wait a short moment, then follow up with something healthier that will have a lasting impact. Once her blood sugar starts coming back up, she can process making good healthy choices! I used to tell people when she was little – you can skip all her naps all day and still have a functioning child at the end of the day, but don’t even think about not packing a snack – or five! It still holds true – it takes a lot for our daughter to reach a point of frustration and fits from exhaustion, she’s on the low end of sleep needs (which doesn’t suit well with a momma on the high end…), but she still must eat frequently in order to maintain a positive attitude. Thank goodness for fruit strips and goldfish in the car!
HAha, I totally get the too much talking syndrome. I have a two chatterboxes and a quiet one (like me). We’ve started taking walks after supper to help them have plenty of time to say everything they need to say.
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We also need to place certain subjects at specific times of day. Math should be worked on early in the day. We also need to alternate more challenging subjects with lighter ones to keep spirits up and provide a sense of having frequent breaks. This year has started with many challenges for us including sickness, more outside classes and demanding subjects. Trying to find our groove is not coming naturally.
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We do math first for that reason, but it never occurred to me to alternate tough subjects with easier ones. Thanks for the tip. 🙂
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy’s latest post: Trigger points.
So much great stuff here! We are just getting back into our rhythm and trying to tweak what’s working and what’s not. These are great tips for homeschooling, but also just great tips for life with kids!
I’m not kidding when I say it’s taken me way too long to figure these things out as an ADULT. Here’s hoping my kids learn self-awareness earlier than I did. 🙂
Very familiar situation, I have 7 and 5 year olds being homeschooled while 2 year old is free at home. When he is not interested in playing I get him toys he hasn’t played for a while because I hid them. We don’t have all the toys available for play, we only leave certain amount of them and the rest we hide. When time comes he gets his “new toys” and seems having interest in playing them, while I assist with homeschooling ..
This is the BEST idea. We’ve done this, too and it works wonder. I also do it with the craft supplies. I have a 7.5, 6, and 3 year old we homeschool and the 3 year old runs free. 😉
Teach a child the number 7. Put a digital clock where they can see it from their bed. They may not come out of their room unless the first number on the clock is a 7. ( yes their are emergencies – puck, stomach aches,and such ) but you maybe surprised how many days you will be able to sleep until at least 7…….yeah!
There are also clocks you can buy for toddlers that show a red light during the night until it’s time to wake up, then the light turns green in the morning (based on a traffic light – red means stop, green means go) – it may be helpful if your little one doesn’t quite grasp seven yet. There is a problem with these clocks in that they tend to look like a toy – they may need to stay on a shelf out of reach to avoid getting played with.
Great article! I have totally found all these so true. Another big one I’ve found is trying to make all the kids accommodate my learning style. I learn through words – hearing, reading, and/or discussion. My oldest does too. So does my 3rd. But my daughter learns through pictures. It’s so helpful to know that the more I draw for her, and the more she can draw what she’s learning, and the more she can see it written out, the better she’ll learn it. Otherwise, she seems like she’s a slow learner – but she’s not! Just different styles.
Yes, it’s so good to know what works for our individual kids! Great reminder for a topic like this.
This post was both helpful AND timely, especially with us starting school just last week! Thanks for the great tips! In especially love the part about letting your child sit upside down in the spinning office chair; sounds like my house! My 7-y/o stands for 95% of his school work! and I’m ok with that!
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Thanks for such a helpful post–all of these apply to us in one form or another. Something I want to start working on is staying hydrated–I’m going to start building water drink breaks into our routine and see if I notice a difference.
Blood sugar meltdowns is definitely a big one for us. But even more than that is tiredness meltdowns. I do okay on less sleep but my daughter has zero tolerance for even one night of bad sleep. School takes a backseat to naps on those days.
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My landmines are less kid-related and more distractions. Oh, it’s almost fall, let’s make cinnamon rolls. Oh, it’s raining, let’s go run on the sidewalks. Hmmm, the floors really need to be mopped so I better do it. I should clean out my closet too. And while I’m at it let me fold this laundry and get that done. All these thoughts and distractions are MY landmines that can totally derail a good day. It’s still a good day, just not much school is done. So I need to better control my own distractions. It’s so hard!!! 🙂
Lesli! Oh my word, it’s like you are in my head! Yes! I’m a pinball bouncing from one thing to the next. All good things, but maybe not the best things? My “word” this year is FOCUS. And I have really said no to many of the things I used to do in order to streamline my focus and thoughts and not be so tempted to spread out in my mind. It’s helping so far this Fall. I think everything you listed is great to do, too, so I try to make our “schedule” unregimented enough for those whim moments (which I love and why I homeschool.) I have a feeling I’d have some serious head nodding conversation if we sat down over coffee. 😉
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I LOVE this. So much. Especially the self-care. That is the number one piece of advice I wish other homeschoolers would have given me when I started. One landmine I have FINALLY figured out is “too much sibling time.” Meaning my two kids can only handle so much of shared space for their lessons. I now separate them in to completely different rooms and make their alone time something they enjoy, while the other gets one on one time with me. Then we switch. We are all so much happier. (duh)
Love #4! My DD is an extrovert and I’m an introvert, so it makes for interesting days sometimes. 🙂
I too, have very active kids, and I couldnt agree with you more on how important it is for kids to “use” their energy. We usually go for a walk first thing in the morning, and if they need to use their little trampoline during the recess, they sure are welcome to do so.
I also realize that we dont have enought breaks, so I will definatly will have more of them this year.
Thank you!
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I homeschooled my two kids through high school. I used all these tips when we needed them. It is so important to pay attention to what is happening and to try to get ahead of the meltdown. I especially agree with the advice to go easy on the super-tired parent or child. Schedule a day off. We schooled year round so we could plan breaks when things were tough.