10 Great Ways To Energize Your Homeschool In December

By the time December rolls around in our homeschool, we are all more than ready for a break. We have been going nearly non-stop like little educational Energizer Bunnies, churning along day after day with limited breaks.

Doing our best to make the most of the first half of our homeschool year.

Learning all we can and balancing our desire to complete our lessons and utilize the materials we paid for while leaving leave plenty of room for independent learning. 

But With The Holidays Quickly Approaching…

Yet with the holidays approaching and the promise of an extended break in our future, not to mention shorter days from the recent clock changes, we find that homeschooling in December can be challenging as we are simply less excited about opening our books for another month of learning. 

And honestly, there are so many other things we want to be doing with our December.

While education of the mind is important, our hearts need tending to as well.

And this includes family traditions as we prepare for a holiday. Decorating our home, visiting with family, and holiday baking all seem to take precedent this time of year.

Yet the homeschool mom in me wants to keep the learning going. Wants to keep the educational calendar moving forward. 

Striking a balance and harmonizing our lessons with the energy of the holidays is just what a homeschool needs in December.

Balancing Our December Homeschooling Plans With Reality

While we are all ready for a break in our homeschool, and I am sure you are as well, we can’t quite put down all of the books. Yet.

You see, if we simply stopped right now it would mean picking up in January in the middle of a lesson, the middle of a chapter, and the middle of assignments. 

I, for one, am too much of a control freak to let that happen. 😉

It would also mean that we may not complete enough required school days in the first part of our school year – something we will not be happy about come May or June of next year. 

Yet right now, as I work on planning out November and December, it’s a great time to look at where we can pause our individual subjects. The ideal time to locate those sweet stopping points that will allow us to pick up in January with minimal interruption in the overall year. 

Unlike that one year, one of our first as homeschoolers, where I planned right up until the very last day I could in December. That year I ended up with not one, but two kids who were not finished and ended up working on school until December 23rd! #facepalm!

Clearly that was NOT one of my best moments.

However, December homeschooling can be tricky because not all of our subjects are in the same spot. Some take longer to wrap up than others and vice versa.

Even for courses we do all together, I find that one child is ahead of another for various reasons. 

All of this means I have some work to do if I want to energize our homeschool for December and find ways to work in some family time, wrap up our lessons so we can stop at a good spot, and be ready for a winter break we are all looking forward too. 

5 Great Ways To Energize Your Homeschool In December

While I am busy finding ideal stopping spots and making sure we are all moving forward in our homeschool, I also want to build in some seasonal lessons and learning opportunities. 

And really, it’s not nearly as overwhelming as it sounds – promise!

To energize your homeschool this December, find where you can incorporate these 5 items into your schooling.

1. Learn about Christmas around the world

Study and explore how Christmas is celebrated in places other than your backyard. See how other towns, cities, and countries decorate and celebrate. Bake a new dessert or try a new regional meal. The possibilities are endless! You can also check out this super fun Christmas Around the World unit study.

2. Study the history of Christmas

It’s truly fascinating when you start digging into the history of Christmas. Modern-day celebrations stem from an intermingling of cultures, traditions, and pastimes. Dig deep into why we do just what we do every December. You can get a brief overview to start your learning from History.com, then, see where your curiosity takes you.

3. Study some music and learn a new Christmas song

The holidays are a great time of the year to revamp (or even start) a music program in your homeschool. The options are endless from common songs about Santa and the North Pole to traditional holiday favorites. Check out this list of 50 of the most loved Christmas Hymns to get you started!

4. Learn about snowflakes

Whether you live in a snowy climate or not, kids are fascinated by snow! Books and movies do a great job of making the white stuff look absolutely amazing, mysterious, and almost magical.

Living in New England we are all too familiar with the white stuff that typically shows up around Thanksgiving and stays until March or later… whether we want it or not.

A few years ago I used this Lifecycle of A Snowflake Booklet with my son and he loved it. This year, I will be going back and using it again with my youngest.

5. Learn about the change of seasons

Christmas is not the only thing going on in December that we can learn about. It’s also when we change from Autumn to Winter. And with this Learning About the 4 Seasons printable you can take a break from your textbooks and have some fun while you teach your children about the changing seasons.

Energize Your Homeschool In December By Learning Without Textbooks and Lessons

In addition to adding seasonal lessons, you can also add in some family time, character-building, and community service opportunities that take your homeschool on the road. 

6. Reading

Yup, read a book. This is a great time to dust off holiday and seasonal classics or grab a few from the library.

Or even grab a new holiday title or two. 😉

Make some coffee and cocoa for the kids, hunker down in the living room, and simply read the day away.

Both you and the kids will enjoy the change of pace, the family time, and the opportunity to let your brains rest.

7. Copywork

Grab the same book you just read and have the kids copy a sentence or even a passage of great writing from it.

Copywork is a great way to work on penmanship, sentence structure, and vocabulary in a low-key way.

8. Make Christmas Cards

Dig out the craft supplies (even if they are currently collecting dust) and have the kids make cards for friends and family. It will be a great experience for the kids, and the recipients will love a homemade card.

9. Seasonal Recipes

The holidays are a great excuse to take your lessons from the table to the kitchen!

Whether you are baking for gift-giving, to share at a holiday party, or simply because you love that holiday-only recipe, this is the perfect time to get the kids into the kitchen with.

Not only is this a fun family experience, but cooking and baking are also great ways to work on math, chemistry, and home ec.

Or, bring in the smell of all things holidays with these easy Christmas simmer pot recipes.

10. Spread the Holiday cheer!

Now is where we take those holiday cards we made, along with some Christmas cookies and a few new carols that you all learned, and spread the cheer!

Head up to a local nursing home for a visit. Bring some goodies to your local fire or police stations. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Serve at a soup kitchen.

The opportunities to serve your community are endless.

Oh, and while you are at it, don’t forget to mail a card to two to a service member who is deployed this year.

Energizing Your Homeschool in December Is Good for You All

December homeschooling doesn’t have to be hard.

It doesn’t have to be dull and drab and boring, filled with the same old, same old you have been working on for several months now.

For the most part, by the time December rolls around everyone is ready for a break. 

Luckily, December offers some truly amazing ways to learn that are unique to any other time of the year and a great opportunity for a much-needed break for you all.

And with this list of 10 options to get you started, plus your own imagination, you can keep the learning going a little longer, energize your homeschool, and show your children that there is magic in learning even near Christmas. 😉

There are so many ways you can incorporate holiday or season studies into your homeschool this December. Comment below and let me know what you are doing this month!