How to Transition Back to a Homeschool Routine after Christmas Break

As the excitement from the holidays winds down, the kids may be a little less than enthusiastic to transition back to a homeschool routine. But that doesn’t mean it has to be painful!

The morning after Christmas break

All of the Christmas festivities have come to an end, the last of the bits of wrapping paper have been found and thrown away, and the kids’ new toys are littered across the floor. While the undecorating has yet to begin, the day has come to start back to school again.

As the morning dawns, you pour yourself a cup of coffee – still groggy from your own interrupted routine. With the first sounds of feet touching the floor in the rooms above, you pray that today is a good day.

You know that getting back into the routine of school can feel slow and clunky. Even if you took a very small amount of time off, it can feel like your kids have completely forgotten what it looks like to diligently do their work.

Still coming off the affects of the extra sugar, they are less focused and more moody. Their bodies slump, and more often than not, you catch them staring off into space instead of working on the assignment in front of them.

While you may want to berate them for forgetting your well-thought out and practiced homeschool routine, there are a few other things you can do instead.

Take care of your own needs

More often than not, this means attempting to get up before the kids and developing a productive morning routine. However, it doesn’t always have to be the morning.

Allow yourself some quiet time at some point during the day. Make sure you get a nutritional breakfast. Finally, don’t forget to pray in some way, shape, or form over your day.

Do a mental check

Prepare your mind for a slow or seemingly difficult transition back to a homeschool routine. Think of it like hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

How do you want to respond in those difficult moments? How would you like to encourage in those diligent moments?

Mentally prepare yourself for this transition to take about a week or so. Longer if you had a long Christmas break like us – 4 weeks! Being mentally prepared will help you keep from feeling blind-sided and will help you respond more positively in even the most difficult moments.

Focus on nutrition as you transition back to a homeschool routine

On that first day back, it may be tempting to pull out the cereal or make a quick batch of muffins. Your focus is on keeping it simple and easy since you know you might be exerting more energy than you would like to keep the kids focused.

Yet, that will only set them up for a sugar crash right in the middle of their morning. Instead, start their day (and yours) with some protein. It will fill them up and help keep them focused through lunch.

Eggs with freshly-ground wheat bread or some long-fermented yogurt and honey granola are a couple of great options! If you are really wanting something baked, this dutch baby pancake is the best of both worlds!

Take it slow – option #1

As you transition back to a homeschool routine, taking it slow can mean a couple of different things. There is no right way.

Instead of diving right into your full routine, use the first week back to slowly add each subject back into your routine. This allows you to slowly get back up to your typical “speed” without feeling burnt out.

This could literally mean starting day one with only one or two subjects and then adding on a couple more each day. It could also mean doing half the amount of work per subject per day the first week, and then doing the full course load the second week.

Taking it slow may not even look like either of those examples! Don’t be afraid to observe and play around with it a bit. I promise, you will find a way that works best for you.

Use the extra time in the morning to allow the kids to sleep in at first, while slowly cutting the time back just a little each day until they are again waking at your desired wake up time. If your kids are early risers, use that time to get in some extra snuggles or read aloud time.

Physically “taking it slow,” allows your and your children’s bodies to re-adjust as you transition back to your desired routine.

Take it slow – option #2

If you want to jump right back into your full homeschool routine, you can still slow down mentally.

That first week or two, it may feel like the kids have forgotten what it looks like to complete their school work. They may jump around a bit more (hello post-Christmas sugar!) and their little brains may want to get distracted by all of the fun that they want to have with their new toys.

Slow down mentally by mentally preparing yourself for how things may take a bit longer. You may find that you have a slower start to your mornings, or you may have to spend a bit more time on that one problem longer than usual.

Shift your thoughts from how much needs to get done to what is most needed in this moment. Slowing down mentally allows you to see the needs as they arise and compensate for them in the moment.

If a child is struggling with a concept that you know he has mastered, allow yourself to take the time to sit with him and guide him through it. Those breaks, while wonderful, can leave even the best of us in a daze – let alone our young, easily distractible children.

Regardless if you are slowing down mentally or physically, it will help you keep your own emotions in check more easily as you help your children get back into a rhythm with their school work.

Transition back to a homeschool routine one day at a time

Before you know it, your kids will be back in the full swing of their homeschool. I encourage you to really lean into this time of transition. Allow yourself to be present instead of thinking about all of the other things that you also want to get done. Those things will get done in their time.

That is a lesson that I wish I had learned much earlier in our homeschool journey. Once you learn to lean in and surrender to this season, you will find much more internal peace regardless of the external struggles that surround you.

For more homeschooling tips, check out THESE blog posts!