7 Quick and Easy Ways to Reset Your Homeschool Day
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!
Subscribe On:
7 Quick and Easy Ways to Reset Your Homeschool Day
Episode Summary: Do you ever have one of those homeschool days where nothing seems to go right? Whether it's bad moods, meltdowns, or things just taking longer than expected, it can be frustrating, especially when you've invested time and energy into planning.
In this episode of Positively Homeschooling, I’m sharing 7 quick and easy ways to hit the reset button on your homeschool day. These simple strategies will help you turn things around and make the most of your homeschooling experience.
In This Episode, You'll Learn:
- Why it's completely normal to have tough homeschooling days.
- The benefits of taking a break and resetting your day to regain focus and energy.
- 7 simple strategies to reset your homeschool day.
- Bonus idea and a challenge for you to implement in your homeschool.
Reset Your Homeschool Day with These 7 Ideas:
- Brain Breaks: Short, fun activities to refresh and energize.
- Shift Gears: Switch subjects when a lesson is causing frustration.
- Change Your Environment: Move to a different area of the house or even go outside.
- Change Your Schedule: Move tasks around to create flexibility in your day.
- Go Somewhere New: Head to a library, park, or nature trail for a fresh perspective.
- Food & Drink: Sometimes, a snack or drink is all you need to reset the mood.
- Switch to Hands-On Learning: If you've been doing a lot of book work, try a hands-on activity.
Bonus Idea: Pick a homeschool activity everyone loves and dive into it together! For inspiration, check out my free printable Homeschool Fun from A-Z list for tons of ideas.
Action Step: Try out one of these strategies next time your homeschool day needs a reset. Let me know how it goes! Email me at rockyourhomeschool@gmail.com with your thoughts.
Share & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend or two! Your support means the world to me. Don’t forget to subscribe for more episodes of Positively Homeschooling.
Prefer to read? I've put the transcript to this episode below! Let me know if you have any questions 😊
Homeschooling involves a lot of moving pieces and people. Life happens or it’s just that we’re all humans. Either way, it can be tough.
That’s why I want to share these 7 quick and easy ways to hit the reset button on your homeschool day. I know these ideas will inspire you to turn your day around and help you make the most of this special time with your kids.
Hope for Tough Homeschool Days
Homeschooling can be such a rewarding journey, but it can also have a lot of challenges.
Some days, it can feel like when everything is going wrong—maybe the kids are distracted, or a lesson just isn't landing the way you hoped. Or you just aren’t feeling it and you're ready to pull your hair out.
Trust me, you’re not alone in those moments! It's so easy to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or even guilty when things aren't going as planned, especially if you have a lot of plates spinning at once—teaching, managing the house, trying to keep your kids happy, and maybe even balancing your own self-care.
I want to remind you that this is normal. It happens to all of us! Some days are going to be harder than others - and that’s okay. The important thing is knowing that you have the ability to reset, to course-correct, and to move forward with a fresh perspective.
We’re in this together, mama. And today’s episode is all about giving you some quick and easy ways to hit the reset button, especially when you need it most.
Benefits of Resetting Your Homeschool Day
When you feel like you’ve hit a wall or ready to throw in the towel, it can seem like things are just spiraling out of control. That’s why it can be incredibly helpful to hit the pause button.
Taking breaks or changing the rhythm of the day can be exactly what both you and your kids need to regain focus, energy, and enthusiasm.
As adults, we know how hard it is to stay focused when we’re mentally or physically drained, so it’s really no surprise that kids feel the same way.
If they’re getting frustrated with a lesson, feeling restless, or just need a change of pace, taking a quick break or switching gears can help reset the overall mood. Kids are naturally curious and energetic, so keeping them stuck in the same activity for too long can lead to frustration and disengagement. Giving your kids space to step away and recharge can bust through frustrations and allow them to come back refreshed and ready to tackle the next task.
As homeschool parents, we often feel like we have to stick to the schedule or the plan, but rigidity can lead to stress, burnout, and frustration. But guess what? Sometimes the schedule just doesn’t work, and that’s okay!
Giving both your kids and yourself permission to change things up, or even completely pivot for a while is healthy and positive.
It’s about being flexible with expectations. If a particular subject or activity isn’t working that day, instead of pushing through and causing unnecessary stress, make the decision to shift gears. This allows everyone to breathe, reassess, and keep things moving forward without that pressure to be “perfect.”
Because, at the end of the day, it’s not about perfection - it’s about creating a healthy and supportive space that encourages learning and curiosity. By hitting the reset button, you’re being proactive and modeling awesome growth mindset skills. Way to go!!
7 Quick and Easy Ways to Reset Your Homeschool Day
Alright, let’s get to it! These ideas are pretty simple and you probably know most, if not all of them. And that’s so cool! But, sometimes, it just sinks in better or gets you moving when you hear someone else give the reminder, know what I mean?
I’ll start off with one of my favorite ways to hit the reset button: BRAIN BREAKS!
- Brain Breaks are short, fun activities that can be educational or not. Brain breaks are just like they sound - they give our brains a break from whatever task we’re working on. And that small break can be so energizing and refreshing!
- I have several free printable resources on brain breaks over on Rock Your Homeschool. Some are have monthly themes, and some are related to interests (like Harry Potter). I even have brain breaks for moms!
- Brain breaks can involve movement activities (like jumping jacks or dancing) or creative activities (like easy crafts or challenges).
- Also, relaxation and mindfulness activities are awesome for brain breaks when you need to chill out.
- Another way to hit the reset button is to shift gears. By this, I mean change subjects. Sometimes moving to a different subject can provide a refreshing reset.
- Like, let’s say your daughter is going into meltdown-mode with math. Calmly announce that we’ll put the math away for a bit and switch to something she really likes - maybe art or science.
- That simple shift can be enough to break out of a funk and get back into enjoying the moment.
- Need a refresh? Change your environment!
- You can either pick up and move to another area of your home.
- OR you can take a break and move some things around (or declutter).
- If the weather is cooperative, you can also move outside. We love to do this! Sit under a tree and enjoy read aloud time. Get out some sidewalk chalk and practice math facts or handwriting.
- A fresh environment can really help stimulate focus and give you all a new perspective.
- For this fourth idea, I think a good pivot is perfect! You probably have a schedule, routine, or at least a to-do list for your homeschool day (maybe week).
- Well, you just might need to change up the tasks of the day. And that’s A-OK!
- You’re a homeschooler. You have freedom and flexibility. Unless you have some kind of deadline or requirement, it’s absolutely fine to move things around. In fact, I highly recommend it!
- Along this line, you can also simplify a lesson. Like, if there’s 30 math problems - slash that in half. Have your child just do odd or even numbers. Still getting in great math practice but a lot less stress!
- Go to a new location! This idea is kind of like #3 but you completely go somewhere outside of your home.
- I used this a lot when my boys were young. I’d pack us all up and we’d head to our local library that has a section just for kids. At the time, there were all sorts of toys and things that my little ones could enjoy. My older boys would sit at a table and get a page or two of work done, come over and play, then go back and get more work done. Plus, they would pick out new books to enjoy for fun reading. Win-win!
- We also would go to a local park that didn’t have much activity during a public school day. The little ones could enjoy playground equipment while the older ones could sit at a table and get a little work done - or just run around and get energy out.
- We’re also lucky to have some amazing walking/biking trails in our area. Great for getting fresh air, exercise, and birdwatching!
- A frequent reason for needing a reset is being hungry or thirsty! Check in with all and see if some food and drinks could help. Sometimes, a small snack and quick drink is just the ticket!
- Switch it up!
- If you’ve been doing a lot of book work, switch to more hands-on projects like crafts or interactive fun like games.
- Learning happens all the time - not just with books. Your kids (and you) can get so much out of enjoying a variety of resources and activities.
⭐ BONUS TIME! I’ve got an extra idea for you to try to reset your homeschool day.
Pick a fun homeschool activity!
It can be anything - a printable, craft, science experiment, fun in the kitchen. Whatever all of you agree on - go for it!
I’ve got a huge list of ideas for homeschool fun activities that you can get inspiration from. And my free printable Homeschool Fun from A-Z list is awesome, too!
Make Your Reset Work for You
You may find that you need to try a few different things to see what works best for your family. Try out ideas based on your kids’ needs and personalities.
Hitting the reset button doesn’t need to be a big deal or dramatic production. It’s best to keep it simple, manageable, and positive.
⭐ Action Step (or challenge - whatever motivates you!): Pick one of these ideas and have it in your pocket for the next time you need to hit the reset button. Give it a try. And then let me know how it goes!!
Well, it’s already time for our recap:
- I talked about why you may need a homeschool reset - and why it’s completely normal.
- Then, I chatted about the benefits of hitting the reset button on your homeschool day.
- I shared 7 quick and easy ways to reset.
- AND I shared a bonus idea plus action step!
I’d love to hear from you! Do you have any ideas on how to reset your homeschool day? What questions do you have? Please share by emailing me at rockyourhomeschool@gmail.com
Well my friend, that does it for another episode of Positively Homeschooling. If you enjoyed this podcast, I ask that you please share it with a friend or two. Your sharing means so much - thank you!