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Every homeschool mom knows the feeling: the holidays creep in, the schedule slips, and before you know it, the simple joy of the season turns into educational chaos and self-doubt. You’re not failing—this is normal, and it is manageable with the right mindset and a bit of planning and grace.
If you’re new to homeschooling or this is your first holiday season doing it, take a deep breath. You don’t need perfection. You just need a plan, a flexible heart, and a willingness to embrace a slower, sweeter rhythm.
Introduction
The holidays are full of wonder, family gatherings, and wonderful adventures —but they can also bring interruptions, travel, busy calendars, and that tricky “We’ll get back to it after Christmas…” trap. Been there. Done that! Learned from it and didn’t fool myself the next time.
Here’s the good news: You can absolutely keep learning meaningful, faith-filled, and even fun during the holiday season without burning out your children—or yourself.
Here, you’ll find some simple ways to avoid the holiday slump, stay engaged, and make the most of the moments that truly matter.
Contents
- What is the holiday slump and why does it happen?
- Key components of staying on track during the holidays
- Benefits of maintaining learning during holiday seasons
- Best practices to stay engaged and consistent
- How to get started
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Helpful tools for holiday homeschooling
- Wrapping up
What Is the Holiday Slump and Why Does It Happen?
The holiday slump refers to the dip in motivation, routine, and energy that occurs from mid—November through the New Year, affecting both kids and parents. Though it seems to linger on until the end of the school year (at least for us).
Why it happens:
- Travel throws routines into a whirlwind
- Extra events crowd the calendar and our minds
- Cold weather affects energy levels
- Kids get excited for Christmas and lose focus
- Parents carry the emotional load of planning, hosting, and preparing, and school tends to fall to the back burner
Homeschooling gives you flexibility—but that flexibility can turn into extended breaks if not handled intentionally.
Remember, every family is different and every child is different. What may work for me might have to be tweaked to fit your specific situation. The goal isn’t to prevent rest. It’s to keep your family grounded, learning, and connected without losing your rhythm entirely.
What Are the Key Components of Staying on Track?
1. Flexible Lesson Pacing
First, during the holidays, expect lessons to take longer and attention spans to shrink. Plan shorter blocks, slower pacing, grace-filled expectations, and maybe an extra cup of coffee if you’re anything like me.
2. Creative, Portable Learning
Next, learning doesn’t have to stop when you leave home. Travel-friendly or “short on time” lessons help prevent long gaps and keep kids engaged.
3. Interest-Based Engagement
Kids are naturally more joyful and cooperative when lessons involve what they love. Tailoring learning to their interests can reduce pushback and spark fresh excitement.
What Are the Benefits of Staying Engaged Through the Holidays?
Smoother Transition Back to Regular Schedules
Less catch-up work = less stress for everyone.
More Joy and Less Pressure
Most of all, when learning stays fun and meaningful, the season feels lighter.
Stronger Family Bonding
Faith-based lessons, seasonal studies, and interest-led learning bring the family closer—especially when holidays get hectic.
Key Things to Know About Avoiding the Holiday Slump
Build Margin into Every Lesson
Plan for lessons to take 20–30% longer.
Example: If reading usually takes 15 minutes, plan for 25. Let slower moments be part of the experience.
Create “Travel School” or “Short on Time” Lesson Kits
For example, some of the things our Kits include: Workbooks, read-alouds, educational games, audio lessons, or books, dry-erase boards, plenty of paper or a notebook for each child (this can also help with playing games in the car), crayons or colored pencils, and regular pencils or pens (for older kids). These kits can be tailored to really anything that your children enjoy using or learning with.
I used to keep Velcro dots in ours when learning how to make a graph was what we were learning about over Christmas, and they would make a graph on the back of our seats in the car that was used to compare different types of animals we passed on our trip. So, honestly, make this something useful for your family, and maybe you have to be a bit creative! Have fun!
Lean Into Interest-Led Learning
Turn their passions into learning paths. Some examples of this might be:
- If your child loves baking (just not in the car) → fractions, reading, life skills
- Maybe nature is their thing → winter animal studies, weather tracking, and if you have to travel, data sets with animals you pass, or naming different land forms
- Who doesn’t enjoy Christmas crafts → fine motor skills, history, art
How to Get Started
Step 1: Plan a Holiday Rhythm, Not a Schedule
Choose your “must-do” subjects (usually reading and math, at least for us) and let the rest rotate or flex.
Keep expectations simple and reachable. If you have time, energy, and motivation to get more done great! If you only get those “must-dos” done it’s still better than losing the battle with screentime right!
Step 2: Build Holiday-Themed Lessons
Kids stay more engaged when learning feels connected to the season. Some examples of how to connect the two might be:
- Bible readings about the birth of Jesus, and why we celebrate His birth
- Christmas social studies: how other cultures celebrate
- Winter science experiments (snowflakes are always a big hit)
Step 3: Create a Travel Plan
If you’ll be visiting family or traveling, pack light learning materials ahead of time.
Even 10–20 minute lessons keep the momentum going.
Step 4: Evaluate Weekly
Ask yourself:
- What worked? Is there something that didn’t?
- Did anything slowed us down? Why? Is it avoidable?
- What brought us joy? Ideas on how to continue with something similar?
Adjust as needed.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Expecting Business-as-Usual
Holiday learning is different. Embrace it. Avoid this by: Planning slower, shorter, more flexible days.
Taking an Unplanned Long Break
A few days off is healthy. Weeks of no structure make January rough. Avoid this by: Keeping 1–2 core subjects going consistently.
Forgetting to Plan for Yourself
Burnout rises during the holidays. Avoid this by scheduling time for your own rest, marriage, and joy.
Helpful Tools for Holiday Homeschooling
Story Podcasts or Audio Books
Perfect for travel. Great for language arts and imagination.
Workbooks
Lightweight and easy to do anywhere.
Devotionals
Keep faith central and create a meaningful daily structure.
Coffee and a Cozy Book
Momma, this one is just for you! But remember, no matter how crazy the holiday season gets, you got this!
Wrapping Up
The holiday season doesn’t have to derail your homeschool rhythm. With planning, flexibility, and intention, you can enjoy the season and keep learning moving forward.
Most importantly—plan. Then plan a little more. (My closest friends would say I plan too much)
Plan extra time for lessons, plan for travel, plan for family gatherings and fun, and don’t forget to plan time for yourself and your spouse.
And above all, remember to enjoy the moments—even the small ones, even the chaotic ones, even the ones that seem ordinary. God is in them, too.
Some of my go-to supplies for interest-led learning, travel school kits, and holiday-themed lessons.
- Velcro Dots
- Colored Pencils & Crayons
- Hardcover Notebooks– Hard cover ones with coil binding work great for traveling.
- Dry-Erase Boards with markers
- Holiday Themed
