Homeschool burnout is real. There are many benefits to learning from home, but families find that their students can become bored from engaging in too many home-based activities. Incorporating fun recreational activities into your lesson plans can pay multiple dividends in your student’s focus, happiness and energy. Here are five outdoor boredom busters you may want to add to your homeschooling plans.
- Home Projects
Involve your kids in projects around the house to create a mutually beneficial extracurricular activity. Teaching basic home maintenance functions can build a solid foundation of skills for your students and, as a bonus, they can help you tackle the projects that have been sitting on your to-do list. This is especially important if you have teenagers in your family who may soon be venturing outside of your home. Be sure to also teach your teens ways to stay safe while working around the house, such as basic ladder safety skills.
- Outdoor Excursions
Go for a walk around the neighborhood and encourage your kids to take note of the things they see around them. Helping them appreciate and connect with the outdoors can lead to a lifelong love of nature. A simple hike along the beach, in the mountains or through a forest can also be enough to help bring a high-strung teen back down to earth. They may even be able to go on a canoe trip or guided horseback ride. Kids and teens learn by doing, so you can count an outdoor adventure as a beneficial learning opportunity (and perhaps a much-needed break for you, the parent-educator).
- Start a Garden
Take a step toward sustainability and plant a garden with your homeschooler. As a parent, one of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to provide for themselves. Planting a garden is just the way to accomplish this. If you don’t yet have a green thumb or are overwhelmed by the prospect of having more life to care for, start small. Choose one or two veggies you know your family will enjoy. This may seem small, but your kids will remember learning from you and with you for a lifetime. Nature is a wonderful place to let the mind run free, so don’t be afraid to let your students get a little messy. Scientists have even discovered that beneficial microbes in dirt boost serotonin levels in the brain, so don’t be surprised if you all come back to the homeschool table a little happier.
- Swimming
Help your kids reset their mind and body by going for a swim. Water activities can provide a fresh sensory experience and a change of scenery. Not to mention, water play at its core is just plain fun! If you don’t have access to inground swimming pools Maryland, swimming at your local indoor recreational facility or outdoor municipal pool are good options. Most recreational facilities offer swim lessons if one of your children isn’t too sure of their abilities in the water. Swim lessons may also allow your teens to spend time with other people their age.
- Sports Teams
Consider signing your kids up for a sport they are already good at or one that they find interesting. Is your child lightning fast on the soccer field? Can they serve up a volleyball like nobody’s business? Talk with them about what they want to try out and run with it. Much like the swimming lessons mentioned above, enrolling your kids in sports activities can teach them valuable life skills by encouraging them to problem solve, work as a team and maintain healthy relationships.
If your homeschool routine has been a bit bland lately, don’t throw in the towel. Shake up your schedule with these five outdoor boredom busters. Your kids, and your sanity, will thank you.