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You are here: Home / Holidays / Christmas / Homeschooling through the Holidays: Four Ways to Stay Sane and On Schedule

Homeschooling through the Holidays: Four Ways to Stay Sane and On Schedule

November 28, 2016 By Angie Kauffman · PRINTABLES TIP: Always go toward the end of a post to find the printable. · Disclosure: This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. {I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.}

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Homeschooling through the Holidays: Four Ways to Stay Sane and on Schedule is a guest post from Karin Katherine of Passport Academy.

The holidays can be an exciting and challenging time for many homeschooling families.  Who doesn’t want to take advantage of the “flexibility” of homeschooling by enjoying some much needed time off with family and friends?  If you’re like most homeschool parents, you’ve probably already begun weighing the benefits of tackling your growing holiday lists vs. sticking with your now tried and true school schedule.

Homeschooling through the holidays doesn't have to be an all or nothing endeavor. Here are four tips on how to stay sane and on schedule this holiday season | Real Life at Home

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Thankfully, homeschooling through the holidays doesn’t have to be an all or nothing endeavor.  It is possible to enjoy a happy holiday season with your family without sacrificing your homeschooling efforts.

Homeschooling through the Holidays: Four Ways to Stay Sane and On Schedule

Take a break from your regular studies and explore holiday themed unit studies

Unit Studies are completely customizable and can be adapted to various grade levels and interests, making it easy to incorporate the entire family. 

One great unit study option is to study about Christmas around the world. Here are some resources for this literature and social studies-rich topic:

  • A free unit study and lapbook printables on “Christmas Around the World”
  • 6-week Christmas Around the World Unit Study
  • Celebrate Christmas Around the World Unit Study Materials

Christmas Around the World - A 6 week Geography-based Unit Study

Cut your school week or day in half

If you normally teach six hours per day, reduce your formal studies schedule to three.  If you normally teach five days per week, consider moving to a two or three-day a week schedule through the holidays.

Unless you homeschool year round, this may mean that you’ll be working on school some in the summer, but your family may enjoy spreading school out in this way.

(Read More about Homeschooling Year Round or How to Use a Four-day a Week Schedule for Homeschooling)

Stick to just the basics (reading, writing and arithmetic)

One great way to cut down on your formal schooling during the holidays is to focus just on reading, writing, and arithmetic throughout the holidays.

Spend the rest of the time crafting, cooking, baking, or volunteering as a family. This is a great time to work on life skills that you might have difficulty fitting into your schedule at other times of the year.

Create a Christmas “bucket list” to supplement your school schedule

Create a Bucket List of 10 things you want to do this holiday season and then do them, along with your regular school work.  In this way, you can still enjoy the holidays without overextending yourself or feeling like you’re missing out.

The key to staying sane while schooling this holiday season is to keep realistic expectations.  Leave room in your schedule for unexpected opportunities and avoid over-scheduling.  By slowing down, instead of stopping completely, you’ll avoid burnout while still maintaining enough of a routine that January won’t come as quite a shock.


Resources that are helpful for homeschooling through the holidays:

Ideas for homeschooling through the holidays

Christmas Unit Studies and Lapbooks

Christmas-themed worksheets (many are free downloads)

Free printables for kids and families for the month of December

Other Posts and Printables You’ll Love:

December Printable Activities for Kids and Families

December Printable Activities for Kids and Families

Fun and Meaningful Family Activities in December

Fun and Meaningful Family Activities in December

Ideas for Teaching about The Nutcracker Ballet by Tchaikovsky

Ideas for Teaching about The Nutcracker Ballet by Tchaikovsky

Karin Katherine writes about her homeschooling adventures as a mother of 5 at Passport Academy.  She is looking forward to a relaxed school schedule this holiday season.


This post was originally published on December 3, 2012. It was most recently updated in November 2016.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. They don’t change your cost, but the site may receive a small compensation if you purchase through the links.

Homeschooling through the holidays doesn't have to be an all or nothing endeavor. Here are four tips on how to stay sane and on schedule this holiday season | Real Life at Home

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Filed Under: Christmas, Homeschool Planning Tagged With: homeschooling with the seasons

About Angie Kauffman

Angie, mom to three very fun kids, is the founder of Real Life at Home.  With degrees in elementary education (B.A.) and special education (M.S.Ed.), as well as being a former homeschooler, she is passionate about supporting both parents and teachers by providing printables, crafts, and activities to help children learn and grow.

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  1. Linda says

    December 9, 2012 at 5:30 pm

    I appreciate your suggestions for avoiding burn out during the holiday season. Can I add one more? Learning doesn’t have to end just because you are not doing formal school. Try letting part of your abbreviated school day be fun things like educational games (we especially like the keyboarding games at LearningGamesForKids.com) that are fast paced and challenging. The other thing that I read about was to have a holiday book per day for the kids to read and discuss. As homeschoolers we can be flexible and should take these opportunities to expand what we do on a daily basis. Thanks so much for these ideas, I hope to incorporate a few in my holiday homeschooling!

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Meet Angie

Angie, mom to three very fun kids, is the founder of Real Life at Home.  With degrees in elementary education (B.A.) and special education (M.S.Ed.), as well as being a former homeschooler, she is passionate about supporting both parents and teachers by providing printables, crafts, and activities to help children learn and grow. Read More…

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