6 Ways to Avoid Homeschool Overwhelm

When all of the restrictions and upheaval in education happened due to the virus, many parents began to keep their children at home for school.

If you are one of those parents, you might be feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed right now.

Take a deep breath. In. Out. Repeat. It is going to be okay. Really.

If you stick with homeschooling (and I believe you're brave enough that you will!), someday you will look back and realize that the decision to homeschool was the best decision for your family.

It is that awesome. Really.

So, if it's really that awesome, why do some homeschoolers feel so overwhelmed?

🍎 Homeschooling will overwhelm you if you. . .

• Try to do "all the things"

• Try to do "school at home"

• Follow everyone's advice

• Compare yourself or your kids to others

• Ignore your child's learning style, likes, and interests

• Neglect to plan

🍎 Don't Try To Do "All the Things"

One of the exciting things about homeschooling is the unlimited amount of curriculum, learning tools, and opportunities available to homeschoolers. Your child can learn any subject in a way that caters to their interests, and they can do it in far less time than if they were in a traditional classroom.

While this is one of the positives of homeschooling, it can also become a negative if you try to do "all the things" and buy "all the stuff" to add to your homeschool day.

I was guilty of this when I began homeschooling. I bought games and puzzles and videos--all extras to "add to their learning experience."

Some of that was good, but I learned very quickly that trying to add too much led to burn out for me, a lack of interest for my kids, and a lot of overwhelm for all of us.

My advice for the first year or two is to stick to the basics--math, language arts, social studies, and science. If your children are in highschool, add one or two electives.

If your state requires additional subjects, be sure to include those as well. (For example, Pennsylvania requires Fire Safety to be taught every year.)

Once you have a handle on the basics and have a better feel for how your children learn best, you can add the extras that will help them learn better in a way that they enjoy.

Or, better yet, you can eventually use "all the things" in place of some traditional schoolwork, allowing your child to learn in a way that is more memorable to them.

Homeschooling is not the same as doing school at home.

As a new homeschool parent, it is natural to try to emulate what is familiar. Your children are used to starting school at the same time each day, sitting in a classroom listening to their teacher, lunch breaks, and recess.

The organization of school is useful to a point, but flexibility is key to a successful homeschool journey.

You are not only a teacher--you are also a parent, spouse, etc. You may work outside the home (or at home), and you also have home responsibilities or smaller children that require attention.

There are hundreds of things to pull you away from teaching, and you may become very frustrated if you try to replicate your child's school day at home.

So how can you juggle it all?

By showing yourself and your children grace, realizing that you can accomplish more in less time (after all, your child doesn't have to wait for other classmates to finish before moving on), and by striving to mold school and life together in a way that works best for your family.

You don't have to replicate school at home. This is your home. Your schedule. Do what works best for you.

🍎 Don't Try To Follow Everyone's Advice

Do you remember when you became a parent for the first time? Advice givers seemed to come out of the woodwork with suggestions that ranged from helpful to downright strange.

Homeschooling is very similar. When you announce to your friends and family that you are going to be homeschooling you are going to get a lot of advice, and--just like with having children--some of it will be useful and some...not so much.

Take all of it gracefully, keep what will work for you and toss the rest. It's okay, really.

The beauty of homeschooling is that you are able to do what is best for you and your child.

While it is helpful to learn from others, take what you hear and ideas you see from others and make them your own.

And as much as I hate to say it, prepare for criticism.

It's best if you prepare for this ahead of time, steel yourself against it, and realize that 99.9% of the people who criticize your decision to homeschool have no idea what they're talking about. They've never homeschooled and their idea of what homeschool is like is far from reality.

Be gracious--they probably mean well. But the decision to homeschool is your decision.

Ignore the critics, learn from the experts, and take advice only when it is helpful to your family.

🍎 Don't Play the Comparison Game

Each child is a unique individual with quirks, tastes, likes and dislikes unique to him or her. If you have multiple children, you know firsthand that no two children are alike.

Yet, when it comes to education, we are very quick to compare our children to other children, or at the very least to the "typical child" standard.

Stop. Stop comparing.

Yes, it is important to follow a general list of guidelines to ensure your children are learning at an appropriate level. Yes, you do need to be sure that your child learns specific life skills in order to succeed as an adult.

But you can (and should) help your child to reach those goals in a way that is as individual as he or she is.

Comparison kills individuality.

When I began homeschooling, some members of our extended family were rather condescending and critical. While their criticism was difficult and often challenged me, I eventually learned to ignore it and strive to do what was best for my family.

Now, looking back, I can see that the path we chose was the right one for us. Our children are all graduated and successful adults with strong character and a love for God and others.

If I had continually compared myself and my kids to others, we might have taken a different path--a path right for someone else, but not for us.

Comparison also breeds insecurity.

As parents, we are so good at noticing our own shortcomings, at piling on the guilt and feeling like a failure. Homeschooling adds a whole new level of self doubt and fear of failure.

If you are constantly comparing your child to where your friend's child is at in school, you will burn out and eventually you will quit.

In order to succeed as a homeschool parent, you must embrace the individuality and freedom of homeschooling.

You have only your children to teach. Meet them where they're at. Find out how they learn best, adapt your curriculum to meet their learning styles, and don't worry what anyone else says or thinks.

🍎 Know Your Children and Embrace Their Individuality

In a classroom setting, teachers are unable to teach each child according to their individual learning styles, interests, and skill level. But you can.

One of the most helpful things I learned as a new homeschool parent was how to recognize my child's learning style.

By identifying your child's learning style, you can teach him or her in the way he or she learns best.

It is also important to take your child's interests into consideration. Does your child enjoy Legos? Use Legos for math manipulatives.

Do your children enjoy crafts? Have them build a diorama of what they're learning about in history or science.

Does your child have trouble sitting still? Bounce a ball while they work on math facts or spelling words.

Your children are unique individuals. Help them to embrace their individuality by helping them to learn in a way that best suits them.

With the development of AI, personalizing lesson plans is easier than ever. Check out this post for how to use AI in your homeschool.

🍎 Start With a Plan in Place

I've heard it said that the best day begins the night before, and this applies to homeschooling as well.

One of the best things you can do to ensure a successful school day is to plan ahead... and then use that plan as a loose guideline.

Lesson planning, setting goals, being as prepared as possible for each day--these are all very important to successful homeschooling.

But if I can guarantee one thing about your homeschooling day it is that plans will change.

I recommend planning a four-day school week and using the fifth day for finishing up whatever is left undone. Because life happens...and flexibility is key.

I also suggest prepping as much as possible ahead of time. I developed an organizational system that allowed my school year to be mostly pick-up-and-go, allieviating much of the stress of the school day.

Whether you consider yourself an Organized Sue or a Scattered Sally, homeschooling can work for you! As I mentioned earlier, have a plan and use it as a loose guideline.

Being as prepared as possible will help you to stick more closely to your plan but will also give you the flexibility necessary for life.

🍎 Don't want to feel homeschool overwhelm?

DON'T try to do "all the things"

DON'T try to do "school at home"

DON'T listen to everyone's advice

DON'T compare yourself or your kids to others

DON'T ignore your child's learning style, likes, and interests

DON'T neglect to plan, but DO hold loosely to your plan

No matter what you decide about homeschooling, make this school your own. It is your home, your family, and your child's education.

Don't allow insecurity or fear to rob you of the freedom and individuality of homeschooling.