5 Fun Activities to Reconnect after a Bad Homeschool Day

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Reconnect After a Bad Homeschool Day

We all have a bad homeschool day once in a while.

Kids scream. Mom screams. We all scream… and there’s no ice cream to be had! By the end of the day everyone is tired, frantic, and in need of a good hug.

It’s time to reconnect after a bad homeschool day.

1. Ice Cream Sundaes

Since everyone has been screaming anyway, why not take a trip by the store to pick up supplies for ice cream sundaes? If the day’s been truly memorable, in a bad way, continue creating childhood memories for your children.

Have an ice cream sundae for dinner. Yes, it’s allowed…. or at least I won’t tell if you don’t tell!

Show your kids you love them. Have fun. Go wild with the sundaes and head to bed laughing about having ice cream sundaes for dinner.

Seriously 20 years from now your kids won’t remember the fighting, they’ll remember the love and the ice cream sundaes.

2. Head Outside for a Walk

Staying inside the house after a bad homeschool day gets claustrophobic. The air is stuffy. Everyone is tense and walking on eggshells.

Just head out the door. Load the kids in the car, and take off for your favorite nature walk.

Find leaves to study together. Look for worms. See how many different types of seeds you can find today. What do you see?

Relax and chatter about your favorite books. Enjoy the view. Watch the sunset if you can.

Breathe in the peace and quiet of the outdoors.

3. Read Their Favorite Book

We’re always assigning books for our kids to read, but when was the last time you asked your child for a book? Sometimes after a horrid homeschool day, it’s nice to relax and read together.

Don’t assign a book, ask your child for one, and read it. Read it aloud. Curl up and read it on the sofa.

Ask your child what they think of this character and that one. Have a long discussion about their favorite book, not the current literature assignment.

4. Enjoy a Quiet Cup of Tea

Don’t just make one for yourself, make one for you and all your children. Curl up around the kitchen table. Relax. You don’t have to be a homeschool mom all the time.

You’re allowed to take off the mom cap and just be yourself. Tell your kids silly stories about your childhood. Tales of your grandparents.

Listen as your children tell stories of their own. Pranks they pulled on each other. Times they fought side-by-side.

Enjoy this time with your children. They’ll be grown and out of the house soon enough.

5. Watch the Family’s Favorite Movie

It seems like each family has a favorite movie. For some, it’s The Princess Bride. For others, it’s The Hobbit.

The movie doesn’t really matter. What does matter is reconnecting after the bad homeschool day.

Pop popcorn, eat ice cream sundaes, or order a pizza. Relax with your kids. Make an effort to give extra hugs and tell your kids you love them.

Watch the movie and let the family unwind. Tomorrow will be better.

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14 Comments

  1. Excellent ideas, Sara! My boys would enjoy any of these after a bad day… or a good day, for that matter. Sometimes us homeschool moms get so wrapped up in the lessons that we forget to just relax and have fun with our kiddos as well. Thanks for the reminder!

    1. Thanks, Michelle! You’re right, it’s too easy to get wrapped up in the lessons that we forget to enjoy time with our kids as well as teach them. 🙂

  2. I always find that reading with Aiden is a treasured way for us to reconnect after a tough day! And you pretty much cannot go wrong with ice cream! 😉

  3. I like these ideas! My kids would certainly remember if we ever let them have ice cream for dinner! After a rough day I like nothing better than just reading books for fun or cuddling with the kids and watching a movie or their favorite cartoons. I doesn’t ALL have to be educational…and yet I keep trying to remind myself that everything IS.

  4. Ice cream for dinner?! Sounds good to me!

    I love your suggestions here. I find reconnecting with nature to be one of the best healing strategies. It can mend any issue.

    Thanks for sharing and linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.

    Wishing you a lovely day.
    xoxo

    1. I can’t tell you how many times stress has disappeared after a relaxing walk around a lake. Nature is one of the best healing strategies. It many not cure everything, but it does help. 🙂

  5. I LOVED this post! Thanks for the great suggestions. We will definitely be doing some of those.

  6. Sometimes we have to take off the teacher hat and just be mom. These are great ways to do that!

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