Usually, articles that are related to homeschooling and breaks, tend to be about giving your kids breaks.
Play breaks
Mental breaks
Scheduled breaks
Short breaks between semesters
But what about breaks for the teacher?
Dentists, Doctors, and health providers all say that once we have children, we tend to stop taking care of ourselves the way we should. Our teeth get worse. Our general health becomes worse. Our mental health is greatly challenged, lol. We are not focused on us.
What we need is to make sure we have breaks too.
Many homeschool parents right now are thinking, “There is no way I have time for that.” Let me ask you though, is it easier to do preventative maintenance on your house or deal with a broken air unit out of the blue? Is it easier to do regular oil changes in your car or deal with a suddenly seized engine on the way to a field trip? Likewise, is it easier to take small breaks for yourself now or deal with burnout or even a mental snap later?
It is OK to take a 15 minute break to 3 hour break for yourself. Yes, I said three hours. They will not die without you if you step out for 3 hours once a month. And every break time will look different. They depend on what needs your family has, how old your kids are and what kind of support system you have in place, but you NEED a break too.
Some people take a break by getting a cup of coffee, or tea and sitting on the porch with a fun book for 10 or 15 mins.
Some people take a break by taking a walk for 15 or 30 minutes.
Some people take a break by getting their nails done and having lunch with a friend.
Some people take a break by pulling out a guitar or other musical instrument and playing for a while.
In home breaks are OK too, as long as you have an actual break. The kids can learn that that is the time for them to do something quietly in their room. Their own break time if you will. Or that can be when they are doing independent work and they really do not need you hovering anyway. You can check their work when your break is done and you are better able to think.
I will stress the importance of a regular, out of the house, for a decent stretch of time, away from kiddos, break here. Once a month, or even every quarter if that is what can be worked out, but you must step out, breath, rejuvenate yourself and ground yourself before trying to jump back into the crazy fun tornado that is homeschooling. A break in the house still has our mind wandering to what the kids are doing.
Are they doing their work right?
Do I hear my youngest playing again instead of doing handwriting?
What if parts of the new fun schooling I just bought are lost while I am not looking?
These thoughts are parenting thoughts. They are there for a reason, but they do not allow us a full, proper break. That is why I emphasize an out of the house break.
No, a trip to the playground does not count. You are still focused on the kiddos, their safety and if someone just put their mouth on the nasty monkey bars.
You need a break, so you can keep what sanity you have left, and so that you can give your children the best you you can be.
Breaks really are OK. Try it some time.
Greetings! My name is Joy and I am currently a stay at home mom who is home schooling her three kids in South Carolina. I love learning and I love sharing the love of learning with others so getting to home school my kids and watch the “ah ha” moments when they understand something is unbelievably rewarding. I have been homeschooling since my twins were preschool age so we are going on 8 years now. I am also a military spouse so we have the added joy of being a military family with some of the complications that come with it. As a family we stay busy with our scouting groups, American Heritage Girls and TrailLife, and we do many camping and hiking trips with them. When I have down time, I am typically reading books I have sitting around the house, on YouTube/websites getting more information on different home school programs or working on plans for homeschool. I look forward to being able to share our experiences with everyone and help encourage all homeschooling families.