Easy Ways to Ease Into the New Year in Your Homeschool

The holidays are tons of fun! However, all that fun can be intense, and transitioning back to a normal schedule can be challenging after the holidays. Fortunately, there’s a lot we can do to make easing into the new year a lot easier in our homeschool. 

I’ve got some easy ways to ease into the New Year in your homeschool after the holiday season that you don’t want to miss. Returning to homeschooling after a busy holiday is all about adopting a slow, low-pressure approach to homeschooling. 

Transitions can be difficult, but giving ourselves and our kids grace as we ease into the New Year can make it more fun for everyone, moms included. Keep reading to discover the simple but effective ways we ease into the New Year in our homeschool.

The Transition to a New Year

The transition to a New Year can be difficult. We’re all still feeling overwhelmed by all the parties, gifts, late nights, and sugary treats. It’s not easy as adults to get back on schedule and it’s that much harder for our kids. But we can make the transition to a New Year easier in our homeschool with a few modifications. 

The post-holiday slump doesn’t have to be stressful! I’ve got a simple but effective plan for returning to homeschool in January. It’s so easy and it works so well that I do it every year. 

Our slow and simple approach to homeschooling in the New Year has made the season easier for all of us. Instead of jumping back into our regular curriculum, we slow down and focus on just a few interest-led learning activities each day. This method has been a game changer for our family as we ease into the New Year with our favorite books, games, and videos.

The Best Homeschool Choice I Make Every January

The slow transition back to homeschooling has been such a blessing for our family that I follow this concept every January. We look forward to slowing down and focusing on books, games, and discovery decks together every New Year. 

First, I choose a book and game that’s related to a topic our homeschooler is interested in or curious about. Then, we read the book aloud together and play the game as a family. We like watching informative videos about the topic too. It’s a great way to answer Emily’s questions and take the pressure off me as we slowly transition back to our homeschooling routine.

If we manage to read one book, watch one video, and play one game together as a family, the day is a success! This approach to homeschooling in the New Year takes the pressure off everyone and reminds us why we love learning together as a family. Plus, we get to take advantage of all the amazing benefits of reading aloud and playing games together so I can feel good about it as a mom too. 

This year, we’re adding discovery decks. These decks answer questions kids are naturally curious about like “Why do animals hibernate?” or “Why do we fart?” 

These discovery decks are perfect for interest-led learning families who want to give their homeschoolers choices in the lessons and activities for the day. Kids can pick one of the 20 cards they’re most interested in from a variety of topics including animals, space, weather, and the human body. 

Books, Games, and Discovery Decks for January Learning

We plan to pair books, games, and discovery decks for January learning this year. It’s an easy way to ease into the New Year in our homeschool that you can adopt too. Here’s how it works:

Each day our daughter Emily will choose a card from the discovery deck. The cards have fun questions kids are already curious about and a QR code they can follow to a short informative video all about their question.  Then, we will read a book together as a family that’s related to the question together and play a family game together too. 

For example, if the question is “What are boogers?” we might watch the What are boogers? video from Sci Show Kids.  Then, read The Booger Book by Mark Bacera. We could end the homeschool lesson with the hilarious Gooey Louie Game where kids get to pull boogers out of a giant plastic nose. 

We adopt this slow transition back into homeschooling every January and it’s something we all look forward to rather than dreading the New Year. It has been a game changer for us and I hope your family enjoys these easy ways to ease into the New Year in your homeschool just as much as we do.