How We Homeschool Through the Holiday Season
Homeschooling can sometimes feel overwhelming during the holidays. At the very least, schedules get a bit challenging. I’d love to share with you my approach to homeschooling during the holiday season.
What if I told you it’s possible to enjoy the holidays, relax as a family, and build deep connections with your kids all while homeschooling? Yes, it can be done! Let me share our secret to successfully homeschooling during the holidays without giving up any of the family fun.
Plus, I’ve got a brand new idea to take your kids on a trip with Santa your whole family will love! Keep reading to discover my secrets to homeschooling during the holidays.
A Different Approach To Homeschooling In The Holiday Season
The holiday season can be crazy, crazier than the rest of the homeschool year. In spite of holiday stress and crowded Christmas schedules, it’s also a time for relaxing together, connecting with one another, and making family memories. During the holidays, wearing the mom hat and the homeschool teacher hat at the same time can become a challenge.
The holidays are the perfect time to take a more relaxed approach in your homeschool. Reading books, field trips, and lots of holiday projects are all excellent ways to approach homeschooling during the holiday season. You don’t have to take a break from learning. In fact, I’d love to tell you about my favorite approach to keep the learning strong while really enjoying the holiday season.
How We Homeschool Through The Holidays
So how do we homeschool through the holidays without sacrificing fun, family togetherness, or my sanity? Here are my favorite tips for successfully homeschooling during the holidays:
Adopt a Slower Pace
Snuggle up on the couch with hot chocolate and enjoy some of your favorite holiday books together. Don’t forget the marshmallows!
Here are some of our favorite Christmas books to get you started:
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
- The Family Under the Bridge
- The Boy Called Christmas
- The Girl Who Saved Christmas
- Father Christmas and Me
- The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens
Play Games
Family game nights are an excellent way to encourage bonding with your children and build some fun holiday memories too. Holiday themed “minute to win it” style games are a great way to focus on learning STEM skills with your kids while having lots of holiday fun together as a family.
Playing games and gameschooling are also excellent ways to introduce new concepts and help your homeschoolers master skills they’ve been learning through real-world practice during gameplay.
Check out some of our favorite holiday games:
- Elf’s Journey from The North Pole Game
- Llama Drama Holiday Edition
- Santa’s Sleigh Ride
- 12 Days Card Game
- Christmas Rush
- Holiday Fluxx Card Game
- The Elf on the Shelf Present Pile Up
Observe Family Traditions
Take time to observe family traditions with your homeschoolers. It’s the perfect time to learn about the history and traditions behind all your favorite holiday activities and recipes. These memories will last a lifetime.
You can teach your children important history lessons, touch on geography, and more by making gingerbread or fruit cake with Grandma. Learn why we decorate Christmas trees and explore traditional homemade decorations.
Does your family make a certain kind of Christmas cookie or celebrate important religious holidays? Celebrate and learn about the history behind them too.
My #1 Tip For Holiday Homeschooling
Unit studies are an excellent way to deep dive into topics your kids are interested in or passionate about this holiday season. Do you have a homeschooler who loves Christmas parades? Learn about the history of holiday parades in America and the engineering involved in parade floats and balloons.
The sky is the limit with holiday unit studies! You can take the time to learn all about your own holiday traditions and favorite holiday treats. That’s why incorporating unit studies is my #1 tip for homeschooling through the holidays.
Over the years, we have put together lots of different holiday homeschooling unit studies including the popular Holiday Fun Around the World where your homeschoolers can explore different holidays around the world and learn more about what other cultures celebrate and how.
Santa’s Tasty Trip Around the World
This year I’ve planned a special homeschooling holiday adventure! You can take your kids on a tasty trip around the world with the big guy himself. In this special unit study, your kids will get to visit different countries around the world and learn how they celebrate Christmas.
You’ll get a passport activity, a map to track Santa’s tasty trip around the world, information about Christmas celebrations all over the world, and delicious recipes for Christmas cookies and treats from all over the globe.
Another thing I created to help us all celebrate this holiday season is a free reindeer unit study. This unit study is a fun way to learn more about Santa’s reindeer this holiday season. You’ll love the crafts, books, videos, and printable activity fun included in this animal unit study.
To learn more about how we will homeschool through the holidays this year, check out my holiday homeschool video.
Don’t forget to share your own holiday homeschool plans in the comments. I can’t wait to read them!
I’m so excited to start all the Christmas activities! Love the book recommendations:) I have a toddler that’s not in school yet but I’m slowly trying to include more activities. I’m thinking about homeschooling as well 🙂