Making Outdoor Play Time a Part of Your Homeschool Day

When many people think of homeschooling, they get a mental vision of a large family of children gathered around a large table, studying vigorously for the greater part of their day. And while this may not be exactly accurate in regards to many homeschooling families, the truth is that homeschooled children often do spend a lot of time in their studies. Homeschooling parents often notice that their children can advance through academic material quite a bit faster than they did in public school. This can make it tempting to work even harder. However, for a balanced homeschooling experience, it is very important to make time during your homeschool day for play, too. Play time gives children and their homeschooling parent the opportunity to decompress and exercise. Play is an important part of any homeschool.

However, many homeschool parents who would love to get out to play more with their kids, wonder how they can manage the time to do it. Between studies, housework, childcare, and meal preparation (not to mention any errands or field trips that need to be accomplished), finding time to get outside to play can be challenging. If you are wondering how to fit more outdoor play time into your homeschool day, the following tips might be helpful to you.

Something's gotta give - If this means that you must opt for simpler meals that take less preparation at least some of the time, or that your carpets must miss being vacuumed one extra day during the week, that's okay. Play time is necessary for balance in your homeschool lifestyle.

If you must work on something, bring it outside with you - As a homeschooling mother who also works from home, I often find that I must bring my work outside with me while my children play. And even though this doesn't qualify as total relaxation, the fresh air and sunlight still do wonders for my mental state. And regardless of the fact that I need to get work done, my children still need to get outdoors. This solution makes both possible.

Remember that almost everything has educational value - Who says there's no educational value in swinging on a swing, or playing basketball? Even though it isn't coming out of a book, these activities are teaching your children subtle physics lessons that they may relate to later when they are trying to study the subject from a text. Additionally, being outdoors afford kids the opportunity to learn about and understand weather, insects, animals, and plant life.

Homeschooling isn't often equated with play time, but with a little planning, outdoor play time can be an important part of your homeschool day.