The madness is over and so are the holidays. It’s time to get back into the homeschool classroom, but your homeschool students are not too comfortable with the idea of going back to school after so much fun and freedom. How do you make the transition back to regular school easy on them and on yourself? Here are a few ideas and tips that may help.
Start Off Small
Expecting your homeschool students to go from zero to hundred in the class is just not realistic after the holidays. There’s a little bit of a hangover left and it works best if you begin with a small topic or project on the first day back in school. The very act of completing the first project or assignment will set the tone for longer ones to come. The homeschool parent can go slowly up to the speed they were at before the holidays and the children will respond accordingly.
Don’t Stay Classroom Bound
Easing back into studies can be made fun by adding a field trip or an educational visit to a museum in the first week. It keeps the spirits of the young ones up and will be much easier than having them complete full worksheets in a timed manner. The natural enthusiasm for the outing will translate into field reports and have them back to writing in no time. This way you just ask them to extend the fun of the outing experience rather than make a painful book report.
Have a Half Day Thrown In
Give the children the glad tidings that midweek there will be a half day. On that day you can take them out to the mall, or maybe visit grandma if she stays in the same town. You may take them to an amusement park or simply go and play some sport. Feeling broke after the holidays? Just let them swing in the backyard. The only thing that you are not allowed to do is take an educational outing. It’s supposed to be a true half day holiday.