With Thanksgiving behind us, we are driving full speed ahead into a very busy time of the year with Christmas and the New Year only a few short weeks away. Many homeschooling families take a winter break during this time because it can be difficult to keep kids focused on their studies while juggling holiday baking, decorating, family visits, and everything else that goes along with the holiday season. If you do intend on continuing classes during this time, here are some tips to help save your sanity.

Keep it Simple

There is nothing set in stone that you have to keep doing everything that you were doing before the holidays. Why not keep it simple and focus on only what you feel are the absolute necessities. Set attainable goals for this time period such as mastering one math facts family or finishing one book. Or how about working on only one subject a week? Once your goal is met, stop and enjoy the rest of the time with your kids.

Get Creative

The holidays are wonderful times to get creative by singing holiday songs, making decorations for the house and gifts for family and friends, memorizing great holiday-themed poems and selections of literature, writing a family newsletter to send to friends and neighbors, and much more. You can expand upon these activities by having the kids dig into their origins, history, and variations.

Make it Fun

Have you ever heard of gameschooling? Simply put, it is a way of learning through the use of games. And the best part is you do not have to have a whole slew of purchased educational games to incorporate gameschooling into your classroom. There is a treasure-trove of websites that offer ideas games that use very simple materials you more than likely already have in your home. Here are a few links that can get you started gameschooling right away:

The Mulberry Journal - The Ultimate Guide to Gameschooling

HowStuffWorks: How to Make Educational Games

The Measured Mom: 10 DIY Reading games for kids

Happiness is Homemade: 25 Fun Printable Games for Kids

Homeschool Garden: Freebie Friday - DIY Math Games

Homeschool Garden: Freebie Friday – Printable Game Boards

Homeschool Garden: Freebie Friday – Christmas Learning Activities

Learning does not always have to be a sit-down, textbook, structured circumstance. Our children learn something every day through our interactions with them. So, whether you decide to homeschool through the holidays or take some time off, don't sweat that you are losing valuable teaching time. Enjoy the special memories you are making with your children. The most important lessons can be learned when we least expect them.