A little motivation, please!

If you’ve been homeschooling for some time, you may have experienced a drop in motivation and drive in your children and yourself at certain times of the year. You have probably experienced days when everything seems to go wrong: the teenagers complain, the little ones fight, everyone bickers and the noise level is intense… Days when you would like to go and live on a deserted island, to put it simply!

Nothing is more normal… Every season has its difficulties and its joyful moments. Typically, it is said that homeschooling families and even school-going children experience a significant drop in energy in November and then again in January and February. In November, the weather gets darker, colder and more depressing. In January, the excitement of the Christmas holidays and celebrations subsides and we return to a slightly more monotonous rhythm.

It’s time to plan some simple (or more complex!) activities to pull out of your hat for when the dull days come!

1) Create an advertisement or flyer for a tourist attraction

A simple project that requires almost no planning (other than getting out some craft supplies like large cardboard boxes) is to suggest that your children create an advertisement for an event, restaurant, hotel or activity. You can set guidelines or leave them free to choose their theme and the content of their poster. You’ll be surprised at what they can learn through this simple creative activity!

2) Make a lapbook or interactive notebook

There are complete lapbooks and interactive notebooks available for free on the internet on a variety of topics, which can be printed, cut out, coloured and completed in a few hours. This is a good way to gather information and make it visually interesting. And presto! You get a tangible record of what you’ve learned (well… even if it’s often mum who does most of it…)!

3) Cook a special snack

We underestimate the energizing power of a special snack or dish to revive the spirits! When I bake something like donuts, homemade chips, ravioli or cinnamon buns, my kids are back in a good mood almost instantly! And I myself feel a sense of accomplishment when I have cooked something new or interesting, especially if it’s made with produce from our garden.

4) Have “tea” with your children

Prepare a pot of herbal tea or a big pot of hot chocolate, set the table, get out some cookies and an interesting book to read aloud, and you’ll have a nice quiet moment together with your children… (because while they’re eating their cookies, they won’t be able to argue or complain! Hi hi!)

My children especially enjoy when I read “living books” to them like “Little House on the Prairie”, “Pioneer Life in Canada” and ” Quatre saisons dans la Vallée du St-Laurent”.

5) Celebrate Christmas around the world

Do you love Christmas and want to keep the festive season going a little longer after December? Why not plan a “Christmas around the world” activity during the year? Every 25th of the month we celebrate Christmas, but in the manner of a new country, by preparing typical food, games or gifts that are exchanged in that country. You can simply make a “travel dinner” where you cook the traditional dishes of a different country each month**. What a rich way to discover!

6) Plan something to look forward to during the day

To chase away the dreariness of the house and to put me in a good mood when I’m a bit weary, I give myself a specific goal to achieve for the day or I plan to do something that makes me excited. Children are usually ” keen ” to do something out of the ordinary. It could be cooking a special recipe, writing a greeting card to an elderly person, going to a museum, taking time to play with Lego blocks (yes, even when we’re older!), inviting our neighbours over for a game of cards (pretty daring, right?), finding a volunteer activity to get involved in, creating a game of Snakes and Ladders, taking up an artistic pursuit such as embroidery or knitting, making a piece of clothing, building a wooden house, etc.

In everything, let us pray to God to guide our family projects, to give us good ideas for educating our children and to keep us motivated. He will certainly open doors and give us opportunities to grow, serve or help.

** See a great example of a “travel dinner” here:
https://la-mere-poule.blogspot.com/2011/05/viva-mexico.html