We log well over 180 days of school a year. In the middle of all of that we take holiday breaks, have out-of-town specialist appointments, therapy sessions, and sick days. Most “school” days we do our book work. The girls do the “three R’s” on grade level; then we do science, social studies, and Bible together.

But what about those days that we’re under the weather, but not sick enough to cancel school? Or the days that we’re exhausted from having traveled all day the day before for a specialist appointment?

I used to push to do our regular schedule on those days, but that inevitably led to exhaustion and burnout. Now, we give ourselves a break when we need one. If you’re pushing yourself past the breaking point because you must get those days in, relax! You can get a school day in without dragging out your curriculum materials.

Here are some of the things we do on our relaxed school days:

• Read aloud, or listen to audiobooks. I especially like this activity if the girls have a copy of the book they’re listening to so they can follow along. Having me read aloud to them and then discussing the story is another of our favorite ways to spend time together.
• Play games together. Sometimes we play board games together. Other times we play Wii, computer, or DS games. It’s not the time-waster you might imagine. I have found lots of games that meet therapy and educational goals. Does your child have trouble counting with one-to-one correspondence or with simple addition and subtraction? Play a board game that requires moving forward and backward a number of spaces. Those skills in one-to-one correspondence and counting forward and backward can translate into working math problems by counting forward and backward on a number line. We enjoy a lot of Wii, computer, and DS games that help our daughter with eye-hand coordination, visual and auditory processing, motor planning, and motor coordination. Her occupational therapist is always happy to hear when I’ve found a new game. She shares the information with other families!
• Take it outside! Yes, sometimes we just load up our books and activities and do “regular” school outside. But we can also pack lots of educational value into time outside without the kids realizing how much they’re learning! I’m blessed with two daughters who love nature, so it’s easy for us to go outside and spend time finding trees, leaves, bugs, rocks, and birds to identify and learn more about. Those number and motor skills can be served again with a good game of hopscotch. Need to work on visual processing? Take some 3-D sidewalk chalk outside, draw pictures, put on the glasses, and see which colors appear to be above and below the concrete! If you need some proprioceptive and vestibular input, spend time on the swings. Work on motor planning and coordination by tackling the bike or scooter again.
• Be crafty. Playing with play dough and modeling clay, drawing and coloring with markers, crayons, and colored pencils, and making crafts are great activities for building hand strength and improving fine motor skills. They also double as art, and some crafts can make great gifts for grandparents’ birthdays and other special occasions.
• Take a local field trip. For those days you’re just tired, not ill, take a mini-field trip. What are free or inexpensive educational activities available in your area? When we had a Flat Stanley visit our homeschool, we learned that our town’s Chamber of Commerce has a driving tour of historic downtown. All you have to do is go inside and ask for the map and CD to listen to as you ride along. For ideas in your area, call the Chamber of Commerce and ask around!
• Have snack time. If everyone is feeling up to it, bake something! We practice reading (recipes) and working with fractions while we’re baking. We also make up and solve word problems using finger-sized snack foods like goldfish crackers, Skittles, peanuts, raisins, etc. Of course, you have to eat the manipulatives when you’re finished!

Take a deep breath and relax. If I can manage to get school activities done on days that we’re not feeling well or are really tired, you can too. Take some of these ideas, and then look around. You’ll find even more great ideas right under your nose!

Happy homeschooling—even on the days you don’t feel like it!

Jennifer lives in Arkansas with her husband of ten years, two beautiful daughters, two cats, and two pet mice. She is a former classroom teacher in her fifth year of homeschooling. Jennifer enjoys spending time with family and friends, Bible study, reading, writing, and interacting with others through social media. She blogs at Jennifer A. Janes and is a regular contributor at The Homeschool Village. You can meet Jennifer in April at The 2:1 Conference, where she’ll be speaking with Heather Laurie about special needs homeschoolingPin It