Each year since beginning our homeschool, we have taken the entire month of December off. We spend the month refocusing, unwinding, and reconnecting with one another.
Homeschooling through the holidays . . . or not.
Homeschooling through the holidays doesn’t have to be stressful. . . or even planned for that matter. One of the greatest perks of homeschooling is the flexibility it affords us. Being able to take time off and slow down around Christmas time is one thing this mama looks forward to each year.
I love the closeness that blooms during this season. While we don’t do formal school in December, we do continue to learn. After all, homeschooling doesn’t take place between the hours of 7am and 4pm. It’s a lifestyle ~ a lifestyle that paves the way to lifelong learning.
Instead of our usual studies, we:
- work our way through our favorite Advent books, Jotham’s Journey and Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas
- spend lots of time in the kitchen baking and sharing our delicious (and kid-friendly) Christmas goodies
- making homemade gifts for family and friends
- read lots of old Christmas stories
- research other Christmas traditions
- attend local plays- like the Nutcracker, and live nativity scenes
Spending this time focusing on Jesus and eachother really allows us to reconnect. Although we have a large family, we’ve not adapted the family-style of schooling. Oh, it’s not that I don’t want to! The big kids just like such different things that it can be difficult to incorporate all interests together with delight-directed learning.
During the month of December, all that changes. We do everything together- as a family.
Having special activities and “plans” during this downtime can be as easy as a simple google search or as complex as creating a whole Christmas unit study. If you aren’t sure where to start, there are lots of pre-made Christmas unit studies available. Here are a few from some of my favorite resources…
- Free Christmas Unit Study from Meet Penny
- Christmas Around the World Unit Study from Confessions of a Homeschooler
- A Mini-Study of Christmas from Homeschool in the Woods
Whatever you decide to do, don’t stress! As long as your family is learning and having fun, then you’re doing just fine!
How do you homeschool through the holidays?
The Bloggers of IAHE have shared their top tips for how to homeschool through the holidays!
Shalynne of Wonderfully Chaotic
Tawnee of Adventures in Homeschooling
Being that this will be our first holiday season doing homeschooling, this was encouraging to read! I tend to feel guilty when we don’t get to the planned lessons when things get busy, but I am slowly learning that is one of the reasons I chose to homeschool. I love the freedom that comes along with it and that we don’t have to be sitting down and sticking to a schedule to continue learning; learning can happen all day and anywhere. 🙂 Thanks for posting, friend!