Being a mom is a tough job in itself. It becomes even more challenging when you want to continue your education while homeschooling your child. Many moms struggle to find the right balance between caring for their kids and focusing on their own education – now throw teaching them in the mix, and you might just panic!
However, this shouldn’t demotivate you to pursue your studies or homeschool your kid. Whether you’re aiming to pass a big exam like the Bar or exploring online degree programs while helping your child learn new concepts, you can achieve your goals as long as you manage everything smartly.
To help make things a bit smoother, we’ve gathered some tips for studying at home while homeschooling your child.
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Tips For Moms To Continue Their Education While Homeschooling
1. Stay Organized:
When it’s time to hit the books with your child, keeping things neat and tidy is a game-changer. Divide the study materials for different subjects into separate folders. If you’re feeling a bit fancy, try using colors or labels to make everything clear. This will help keep things organized for your child and make it easier for you to teach them.
Organizing your study material is essential, too; try making separate folders on your laptop for PDF files, PPTs, and Word handouts. Store all your written notes in one place for easy accessibility.
However, what works like a charm for one person might not be the ticket for another. So, while you’re putting together your study material, ensure the organization style you choose is a good fit for you and your child.
To stay on top of your game, having a planner can be a lifesaver – especially if you’re juggling tasks like homeschooling your toddler and pursuing a Bachelors in Art degree simultaneously. You’ve got various choices here: a paper planner or the digital resources offered by your school online.
2. Dedicate A Space For Studying:
Dedicating a specific place to study within your home is the golden ticket to boosting the effectiveness of your classes. Creating the ideal environment is critical whether you’re studying or homeschooling since both you and your kid need an ambiance with zero distractions.
Finding that sweet spot between your mom duties and educating your child can be challenging when managing your own education, but dedicating a specific place to studying helps make it easier to concentrate and get into your study mode.
3. Choose Wisely:
It’s completely fine if the duties of parenthood make taking on a full-time course load difficult. It is critical to prioritize your well-being. Pursuing your degree steadily is an excellent approach, especially when laying the foundation of your child’s academic journey.
Online education offers increased flexibility. You can decide how many modules you take each year while catering to other responsibilities. You can personalize your academic journey to your needs and your child’s demands. In online learning, there are usually no hard deadlines or fixed time constraints for taking classes. This allows you to integrate your education into your family life, ensuring a balanced approach.
4. Streamline Daily Chores:
Streamlining your daily routines can free up valuable time you can invest in your studies or unwind and recharge – because downtime matters, too.
Efficiency can extend to everyday tasks like cooking and grocery shopping. Try out meal planning to chart your week with quick and easy meals, then do batch cooking over the weekend and stash meals in the freezer to spare some time for your studies. This prep work ensures smoother weekdays. Moreover, consider having your groceries delivered to your doorstep. This small shift eliminates last-minute dashes to the supermarket.
Around the house, enlist your kids to pitch in and save precious time. You can ask them to help you after they finish their study session for the day. Even little ones as young as four can handle easy tasks like tidying up toys or filling a pet’s bowl. As they grow, they can take on more significant chores like laundry or even whipping up a simple meal with supervision.
By weaving these time-saving tactics into your daily life, you’re crafting a space for your studies while homeschooling your child and giving yourself room to relax to be a better student and an even better mom.
5. Be Smart About Your Time:
Juggling homeschooling your child, parenthood, and your education demands smart time management. You might not realize it, but you likely have more free time than you think – so make every spare minute count.
Those serene afternoons when your little ones are napping or the older kids are off to sports practice, parties, or grandma’s are golden opportunities for tackling essays or other assignments. And those scattered moments, like waiting in the car at McDonald’s drive-through or at a clinic for an appointment, are perfect for reading or revisiting lectures.
Don’t forget to tap into the hours after your kids are tucked in bed or watching TV after their study session. Whether you carve out an evening hour or set your alarm a bit earlier for a morning study session, these quiet hours can be very productive. Plus, when your kids are awake, you’re all in for quality time together.
6. Take Breaks:
Your brain has its limits when it comes to soaking in information. Skipping breaks can lead to struggles with memorization, leaving you stressed and disappointed. That’s why pacing yourself matters. Since you’re homeschooling your child while continuing your own education, taking breaks will be your biggest ally.
For every hour you dedicate to studying, make it a point to pause for at least 15 minutes. Use this time to switch gears – stroll, listen to music, play a quick game, or chat with friends. It’s a mini-mental vacation that keeps burnout at bay. Moreover, sufficient sleep is essential, too. Hitting the hay sets you up for effective learning for you and your child.
7. Involve The Whole Family:
Pursuing your education while homeschooling your child becomes much smoother when you rope in your relatives, parents, and spouse for support.
Start by having a heart-to-heart with your family and friends about your study plans. Explore how they can pitch in – maybe your mother could take over homeschooling duty one evening a week, giving you focused study time.
Set up a family calendar if you don’t have one yet. Highlight your essential coursework deadlines so unexpected playdates or surprise family dinners don’t pop up.
Bottom Line:
These helpful tips are your allies when balancing homeschooling, parenthood, and education. Balancing family duties and academic pursuits is a challenging but achievable task. Whether it’s remaining organized, creating a designated study place, or enlisting the help of your family, these strategies can help transform your home into an effective learning environment. Efficient time management, taking breaks, and applying positive reinforcement all help to maintain motivation and well-being. Remember that making the most of your available time and including your loved ones can help to make the journey smoother.
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Forest Rose is a God Loving, Blessed Wife, & Mama to 3 girls. She’s passionate about lifting moms out of the trenches that are discouraged, overwhelmed, or feeling alone or isolated. Her hope is to point them to Christ and equip them to rise up with a newfound hope and joy within, that He alone can provide. Besides blogging, she also loves to create printables!
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