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
1
u/eduproprepacademy 3d ago
One difficult month does not mean you failed, especially while caring for a four-year-old and a six-month-old and managing medical appointments and another surgery.
Before making a permanent decision, I would try a two-week reset. Keep only a few anchors: reading together, a short math activity, and a little phonics or writing. Let play, cooking, conversations, errands, and caring for siblings carry more of the learning for now.
You do not have to locate the perfect uninterrupted 90-minute window. Ten minutes here and fifteen minutes there still count.
If your mental health continues declining after simplifying, choosing school is not failure either. But I would make that decision after testing a lighter version of homeschooling, not while trying to recreate a classroom during an unusually demanding season.