We’ve had our share of “off” homeschooling days. Sometimes you just can’t figure out what the issue is, but there are ways to prevent hard homeschooling days by going through a checklist of your child’s general needs and meeting them.

“Happy baby, happy mommy.”

Did others say this to you, too?

What list of things would you check to make sure your little one was feeling their best?

• Were they feed?
• Diaper changed?
• Sleep?
• Tummy clear of gas?
• Play time?

Although your children are not babies any longer, they still have needs that are important to be met.

When we give our kids what they need, they feel cared for and loved with an ability to operate at their best.

5 Ways to Prevent Hard Homeschooling Days

1. Has your child had enough sleep?

Late nights can show up the next morning in anyone. It’s not fun to feel sluggish, tired, lacking energy.

If your child hasn’t had enough sleep, you may find them disengaged and their attention span lost. If you dare to put pressure on your child, you may find that they react with tears or anger. They may also feel withdrawn and want to do something that they feel they can handle.

Review how your child slept the night before.

Did they go to bed late? Did they wake up several times throughout the night? And because we get to homeschool, one of the benefits we have is allowing them some space, declaring that it’s nap time or quiet time, and just resetting the day with what your child needs.

2. Has your child had food to eat?

Eating in the morning after you awake sets a good tone for the day.

Bodily nourishment reflects in mental and emotional capacity.

Eating breakfast helps with clarity of thoughts and the ability to emotionally handle ourselves until the next time we’re hungry. Some children don’t enjoy breakfast, but helping them to realize its importance as fuel for the day is necessary.

3. Has your child wiggled?

If your child is feeling refreshed after a great sleep, has had breakfast and feeling ready for the day, they may feel ready to move.

Give your child some freedom to move and wiggle. If they need to sit for a while, it can help engage with a lesson rather than feeling fidgety.

4. Does your child feel good physically?

Most of the time, we assume that our children feel well. But, there are those occasions when they aren’t quite themselves and something seems off about them. Often it’s our mother’s instincts to start asking our children questions about their health.

When a child has a slight fever, a tummy ache, or feel sore, pushing through to focus on learning is out of the question.

One of the ways to prevent hard homeschooling days is to let go of the homeschooling plans and care for your children being sensitive to them.

5. Are you prepared?

There are lots of things to do as a homeschool mom, and being ready for a homeschool lesson or activity might not be the first priority on our list.

But, kids can smell it when you’re unprepared.

As you try to put things together, gather supplies, etc., they might side-track and start another activity on their own.

Although this can feel frustrating, we need to take ownership of what we don’t have ready. We might think our child is distracted when in reality, they were waiting for you, and did they felt they could do.

What about when it’s none of these things?

Meeting the needs of your child is a simple checklist to make sure everyone is feeling their best.

That said, if you’ve done everything you know to do and you just don’t know what’s going on, surrender your homeschool to the Lord.

When you take your homeschool before the Lord in prayer, you’re asking and seeking Him for help and guidance. It’s important to know what’s going on with your children and being sensitive to the Lord and what He’s saying to you is the ultimate way to know what to do.

Anchored in Jesus,
Melanie