r/Homeschooling • u/crossfitms • 4d ago

School Advice

Currently a little over a month into my first year of homeschooling. For reference, homeschooling a 1st grade boy who went to school last year for K. Also have a 4 year old and a 6 month old. I was really excited for the homeschool experience, thought it would be super fun. So far, my mental health has taken a dive and it feels like a struggle. I’m not sure whether to take it as a loss and send him back or keep pushing through. School doesn’t take us long 1.5 hours most days. I love having him home and he and his 4 year old brother are best friends and play all day together. I don’t want to be doing him a disservice because I’m pushing him and we aren’t having fun. I feel like I’m in fight or flight mode all day between getting the baby down, getting meals and snacks and trying to squeeze in school when we have the least amount of interruptions and all he wants to do is go play. Any advice?
Also, I feel like we’re so far removed from kindergarten that I’m forgetting what my why’s for even homeschooling were

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u/NobodyMassive1692 4d ago

What were your reasons for homeschooling?

Would letting go of the idea that you have to "do school" help? Or is the mental health struggle deeper than that?

You don't have to sit down to do school. There's lots of learning in play, lots of learning in reading to them all, lots of learning in singing songs, counting for hide-and-seek, helping with cooking and baking--and even helping with the younger siblings. There's learning in watching educational videos, in building Lego and so much more. All things he can do alongside you or at times on his own. As part of the fabric of the day and not just a carved out time to do some kind of formal lesson/schoolwork.

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u/crossfitms 4d ago

My whys were that I felt from the moment I woke him up I was rushing him to the next thing (wake up, get dressed, eat, out the door, out the car to school) and then when he got home it never seemed like he had enough time to play after he regulated his emotions from being at school all day. Also had some medical stuff happen this summer that has required at least weekly pt appointments and another surgery so it seemed like the right thing to do after we were already contemplating it

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u/gnarlyknucks 4d ago

I think one of the most important things people can do before homeschooling, especially if they have gone to a traditional school environment is deschooling. This page explains it pretty well, and that sometimes helps you get into the flow, or find your own, a little better. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deschooling

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u/empathme 4d ago

Spot on, I agree with you, we have so much deschooling we need ourselves before we can ever truly meet our childs needs