Homeschooling on the Bad Days

We all have our bad days. Due to lack of sleep, illness or things not going the way we planned. Whatever the reason, we all have them and they are hard. Especially when you are trying to educate your child.

 

Our boys have often woken up from a big night the previous night, not in the mood to do anything, especially learning. So what do we do on these days? Here is a list of eight ways to help your kids through these days.

1. Skip the Book Work

Our boys don’t like sitting still and writing at the best of times. It is so much harder to get them to write when they are tired or ill. So, on these days, we tend to skip the PACEs, handwriting practice and workbooks. They can (and will) catch up on a good day. 

2. Bring out the (Educational) Movies

Our boys love dvds about animals, especially Deadly 60 or David Attenborough. These dvds are also quite educational, as they learn about animals and their habitats. Since living in the caravan, our boys have really taken to reading books. They like to read the books and then watch the dvds made from these books, such as Charlotte’s Web, Alice in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Wind in the Willows. They also loved the books written by Roald Dahl and have watched all the dvds that are made from his books, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

3. Science Experiments

Hands-on science experiments make learning fun. Blowing things up or glow in the dark activities always gets our boys attention. This easy volcano experiment kept our boys occupied for hours as they kept erupting it over and over again. The same went for this elephants toothpaste and the ice on a string experiment. 

4. Nature Walks

Get out of the house, get some fresh air and talk a walk or a bike ride. Go down to the park, pond or lake with a picnic lunch. Not only is this good exercise, there is so much to learn about the plants and animals living in these places. Scavenger hunts can be so much fun and create lots of interest from young children. If they get tired, lay under a tree and talk about the clouds. There is so much to be learned from nature.

5. Music

Music can be quite soothing as well as quite energetic. Put on some soft, calm music relax. Or maybe you could put on some more upbeat music and dance. Crank it up and have some fun. Try putting on different styles of music, sit back and try to work out what instruments are being played. Talk about the composers/song writers and the Periods they lived in. This is a great way to get music into your homeschool. Maybe even spend some time making up your own songs or poems, even if they are silly.

6. Board Games

Board games can be fun and relaxing. Games like Monopoly, can really help with learning about finances and adding. Maybe you could even create your own. These printable board games don’t need much work and are so much fun: Monster Truck and Despicable Me. I also find games like Pictionary can lead to drawing or painting fun.

7. Fun Activities

Boys love to build things, even when they are not feeling 100%.  Our boys love to build forts, dress up as knights or cowboys and make their own fun. Lay down a sheet of paper down the hall and create your own city for the matchbox cars, draw on the streets and make shops from lego. If the weather is good outside, make a obstacle course or, on a hot day, cool down with a water fight.

8. Audio CDs

Lots of kids books these days also have an accompanying audio cd. Our boys love to lay back and listen to the story, often falling asleep. Sometimes they like to follow again in the book, though it can be a little difficult as the audio cds don’t always line up with the books word for word.

What are some other ideas?

For some other great homeschooling ideas, check out my homeschooling Pinterest Board: