If you are currently living in the UK like our family is you might have been struggling with the weather and the cost of energy. I am not going to lie I have felt very disheartened by the ever rising costs despite limited use. There is just something that breaks your soul not being able to afford heating properly in winter especially when you have children.

As a homeschooling mom I am grateful it is easier to tune my expectations of studying for my kids depending on circumstances. I know that cold weather makes you want to snuggle and it can make it harder for kids to concentrate on complicated tasks. If your children seem to be struggling a little more than usual with the cold I would suggest you give yourself and them some slack, it is cold and our brains don’t work the same when it is cold. I have decided to focus on more passive ways of education, using games can be fun but other things can be used to stimulate little brains. Reading is top of my list, even if it is fairytales, reading to kids is amazing. It provides time together building memories, stimulate their imagination and enhances their vocabulary, encourage them to ask questions or make suggestions on how to better the story, which helps their critical thinking.

Use easy resources like fun educational videos, there are many programs on YouTube that can spice up learning, a video doesn’t have to be a long boring documentary to have value, something short and engaging will work better with kids and they might be up for watching more on different subjects. Engage with them according to their level of enthusiasm. Find something relevant to the topic your kid is meant to work on and watch it together, it is at least something ticked off the box and it might even give a momentary boost to their brain to do some work on the subject. Channels like Homeschool Pop have resources from mathematics to biology and it can turn homework around. Be gentle on your kids, it is hard for them too, even if they don’t show or you are handling things at home they see their peers struggling and kids are social sponges. Take it easy, the sun will be back soon enough and things will be a little easier then. Homework will still be there.

Hibernation is not just for wild animals.

Take it easy and give yourselves a break, be gentle.

I hope you have a magical day or at least a snuggly one.