20 Ways to Beat the Homeschool Blahs (Even the February Funk)

Every year around this time, a little nuisance may creep in slowly—or march right in and stay awhile like an unwanted house guest. That unwelcome guest is the homeschool blahs, also known as the February Funk. Hey, it happens to the best of us, so don’t let it get you down—and whatever you do, don’t throw in the towel on homeschooling!

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Homeschooling Month by Month

If you follow a traditional school calendar, excitement for the new school year is buzzing in August or September. New curriculum, fresh supplies, and shiny new routines energize both moms and kids. By October, the homeschool honeymoon begins to fade just a bit—but thankfully, October brings beautiful weather, outdoor adventures, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and seasonal crafts.

November and December tend to knock us off schedule, but that’s okay—it is the holiday season, after all. January usually brings renewed energy and a welcome return to routine.

And then… February hits.

February—the shortest month that somehow feels like it lasts forever—can hit our homeschool like a dirty, wet snowball. Depending on where you live, you’re tired of the snow, the cold, or the endless gray days. Valentine’s Day has come and gone, spring break feels impossibly far away, and someone in the house probably gets sick (and generously shares it with everyone else).

We’re stuck inside more, cabin fever sets in, and before we know it, we’re cranky with our curriculum, our kids, and ourselves. Creativity is at an all-time low, and doubts start creeping in:

“Am I really cut out for homeschooling?”

The February Funk stinks. It can leave you unmotivated, irritable, and questioning everything. While I couldn’t find specific statistics, I’ve often heard that November and February are the months when many homeschoolers feel like quitting.

So let me say this clearly:

DON’T. DON’T. DON’T.

It’s just a feeling—and it will pass.

20 Ideas to Beat the Homeschool Blahs

Blahs are not welcome here, so I keep a list of go-to ideas for when they show up in our homeschool. And truthfully, it doesn’t have to be February for the blahs to appear. Sometimes it’s just a busy week. Sometimes you’ve finished a unit and don’t want to start something new until Monday. Sometimes your kids have worked extra hard and simply deserve a fun, easy day.

One of the many things I love about homeschooling is this: you get to run it however you want.

So here are 20 simple, flexible, and sanity-saving ways to beat the homeschool blahs.

1. Try a Unit Study. There are endless ideas online! Ask your kids what they’re curious about and do a quick Google or Pinterest search. Unit studies can cover any topic and last as long—or as short—as you want.
   If you want to do unit studies often and do them well, I highly recommend the Unit Study Masterclass from Our Journey Westward. You’ll be a pro in no time.
2. Have a D.E.A.R. day! (Drop Everything and Read) The official day is in April, but any day is perfect for reading! Start a new read-aloud, take turns reading to each other, or write your own stories. And of course, I can help you find the perfect books from PaperPie!
3. Creative Writing Day! Try three-minute writing. Everyone starts a story, writes for three minutes, then trades papers. You can even crumple them up and toss them like snowballs. Trade a few times, return them to the original writers, and read them aloud.
   The results are hilarious—and surprisingly creative!
   If you need extra inspiration, my friend over at The Secret Life of Homeschoolers has a fantastic collection of writing prompts for every season, and her picture prompts are my favorite!
4. Mad Libs Speaking of writing, Mad Libs are a timeless classic for a reason.
5. Have an Art Day! One big, messy, glorious art day! Paint. Glitter. Glue. If you usually avoid art because of the mess, doing it all at once is oddly freeing.
6. Have a Science Experiments Day! Just like art—embrace the mess. Do multiple experiments in one day. This is a great book if you’re looking for easy and fun science experiments.
7. Work on a Puzzle – Jigsaw puzzles, PixBrix, diamond art, Legos—these are calm, focused, and surprisingly educational.
8. Host a Playdate -hanging out with someone besides your siblings can be refreshing.
9. Play Board Games – (All day). Most of us own way more board games than we use. Pull them out—bonus points if you do it unannounced in the middle of the week.
10. Get in the Kitchen! Cook up a dish from a foreign country, or your favorite state in the USA. I recommend Eat Your Way Around the World and Eat Your Way Through the USA for ideas!
11. Have a Home Improvement Day. You can even disguise it as a deep cleaning day! Everyone pitches in. As the weather warms, landscaping and pressure washing are great jobs for older kids.
12. Have a Personal Project Day. Do your kids have any “projects” of their own to work on? Let kids work on something they care about. For my son, it was working on his four-wheeler.
    Giving kids—especially teens—time to work independently is valuable.
13. Bundle Up and Take a Walk. Fresh air does wonders for the body and the mind. Hit a trail and notice nature. Here are 12 things I always carry with me!
14. Geocaching If you’re already outside, you might as well be hunting treasure. Watch a quick intro video and give it a try!
15. Pinterest Do you have boards filled with “good intentions”someday” ideas like I do? Pick a few and actually do them.
16. Have a Freezer Cooking Day. Many hands make light work of an otherwise large task. Perhaps start with preparing breakfast or lunch recipes. This would also help save time during the school day!
17. Have a Movie or Documentary Day! Remember the TV cart rolling into class? Enough said.
18. Scavenger Hunts are a great for inside or outside. Make up your own, or grab these picture cards, or this indoor/outdoor set for family fun!
19. Take a Field Trip A day out of the house can change everything. Museums, aquariums, nature centers—this time of year is often quieter and less crowded.
20. Celebrate Something—Anything! I offer a totally free list of fun days to celebrate each month on my blog, complete with ideas. Grab a packet of planning pages for the entire year in my shop.

Homeschool Blahs Don’t Stick Around

Remember, the homeschool blahs are usually just a short season. Sometimes all it takes is a day or two—or a week—of doing something different to restore everyone’s morale. It’s okay to ditch the lesson plans occasionally. Learning happens in many forms, and every idea on this list absolutely counts as a school day.

These are often the days your kids remember most.