Homeschooling When Mom Is Sick
With the flu and cold season upon us, you may worry about homeschooling when mom is sick.
Getting sick is bound to happen, especially if you work with the public. Germs are everywhere!
One thing to keep in mind is that you need to take care of your health when you get sick.
Being sick as a mom sucks. Being sick as a working homeschool mom presents a new problem.
I only have so many days set aside for homeschooling. So, while chucking it all in for a day is an option, it is NOT always the best idea for me.
Are you worried about how to homeschool when MOM is sick? Take heart and take a peek into what our homeschool day looked like while I was sick.
Homeschooling When Mom Is Sick
On Tuesday, I usually do a Facebook Live on my page and in my group.
I wasn’t feeling too good and was worried my voice would give out, so I kept it short.
In the video, I talked about what our day looked like so far. Sarita had a great idea in the comments, so be sure to check those out.
Disclosure: I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Here are the resources from the video for easy reference for you:
- How to Avoid Getting Sick As A Working Homeschool Mom
- How to Build the Best Quiet Boxes for the Working Homeschool Mom
- Cooking Lessons: Kids Cook Real Food
- Fantastic Online Courses for Homeschoolers: K-12
You Can Continue Homeschooling When Mom Is Sick
When mom is sick, getting down in the dumps is easy. Like you, I don’t have a lot of time to be sick.
Thankfully it hit on a day I was going to be home most of the day, and I only needed to knock out some work at home.
I want to share with you what homeschooling looked like on a sick day. As you’ll see, it was fairly laid back, yet my kids learned a lot.
I worked on this detailed comparison of two of our favorite science subscription kits, if you are curious.
I started my morning with coffee, doggy snuggles, and reading. And a box of Kleenex 😉
The kids came out, and we chatted about our day and how I wasn’t feeling well, but I’d be working on the sofa if they needed me.
After they made their own breakfast, eggs, and hash browns, they settled into work.
Homeschooling teenagers is much different from what I thought homeschooling teenagers would be like. I thought High School was this big scary animal. Although it is harder in some ways, it is also easier and way more fun than I was anticipating.
All that to say, if you are afraid of homeschooling the higher grades, don’t be. You can totally do it.
Do you know all those times you have been trying to teach your child to be an independent learner?
Maybe you give them a notebooking page to work on, and you walk away to do dishes, do laundry, or even answer an email. When you look up, they haven’t moved?
As soon as you sit down, they zip right along.
It can be sooo frustrating!
I encourage you to hang in there. Keep working at it.
It is worth those small battles to have them work on their own. There will be times you cannot be right there beside them for hours at a time, like when you are sick.
Let Older Kids Take The Wheel
One of my favorite moments from my sick day was Math.
My daughter struggles so badly.
She thinks she is horrible, which undermines her confidence, and then with all this “ugly” in her head, she really can’t do it.
I am not much help, but I usually sit there, and we talk about it.
When I was sick, homeschooling looked different that day. Her brother sat there and tutored her through each step. He shared some of his favorite math sites for finding extra help, and she got all the questions right. She was super excited!
I loved hearing them giggling and working together. Because, let’s face it, siblings do NOT always get along, right?
Later they worked on building a game side by side, sharing while snacks. Invisible mazes in Minecraft are all the rage.
Make The Most Of Slow Moments
Homeschooling when mom is sick is all about making the most of slow moments. One way I do this is by reinforcing what my kids are learning with games.
While I was all for playing a game, I didn’t feel like using too much of my brain. My daughter and I played a farming-type game together on the computer.
When I say “together,” I mean she plays the same game as me, but we each have our own game. It is not multiplayer yet, but there are plans to make it so soon. I am super excited about this.
Two of our favorite farming games are Harvest Moon Games and Stardew Valley.
Stardew Valley: The Board Game
Stardew Valley Collector’s Edition (PS4)Harvest Moon: One World – Xbox OneHarvest Moon: Light of Hope SE Complete – Nintendo Switch
Side note: As I was writing this, I showed her that you can get Stardew Valley on Amazon. In hunting around, we found all kinds of fun, cool things which set us off giggling.
She ended up buying me the Coffee Mug, which now sits on my shelf. It’s adorable!
We love pulling out board games and card games on sick days.
Classic Operation GameGuess Who? Original Guessing Game for Kids Ages 6 and Up for 2 PlayersDon’t Spill The Beans , Easy and Fun Balancing Game for Kids Ages 3 and Up, Preschool Games for 2 Players, Board GamesMonopoly Junior Board Game, Ages 5 and up (Amazon Exclusive)
Games teach our kids much, such as running a business, making friends (or not), completing tasks, and more.
More importantly, it is a great way to connect with my girl.
We planned our farms, discussing the different layouts and making the most out of our space, plus making it cute. We researched together how to do things, what recipes we needed, and where to get the items.
It gives us something to chat about and giggle over. I’m really enjoying these moments.
Being sick is a great time to slow down and connect with your kids. Try something they are interested in. Fail miserably and laugh at yourself. It’s worth every moment.
Homeschooling When Mom Is Sick Isn’t Perfect
Just because you continue homeschooling when mom is sick, and you have all the systems in place, doesn’t mean it will go perfectly.
My kids are great kids, but they are still kids learning how to get along and work together. While I was sick, a potato started a fight.
They had been assigned to (re) watch the knife skills videos I bought earlier this year. They were getting sloppy, and I was tired of repeating myself. Besides, sometimes they listen to her better than me. Do what works!
This was the perfect day as later they were assigned to make Instant Pot Chicken Soup. The recipe is found in the Instant Pot Cooking Lessons for Kids!
They worked together peeling, washing, and chopping veggies.
This is also where the first and only “fight” showed up.
Over a potato. (ha!)
One headstrong child thought you must wash and then peel the potato, while the other felt you should peel and then wash.
By the sounds of the conviction in this argument, the whole world rested on the outcome.
It turns out they split the potatoes and did their own thing. Yay!
The soup turned out wonderful, by the way, as shown in the photo below.
What “Hanging In There” Is Worth
I know the hard work I put into teaching the kids life skills such as cooking, cleaning, and working together pays off.
Our totally awesome sick homeschooling day is due to all the hard work I put in before this day.
And there were moments I wasn’t quite sure about that…lol!
For example, my super smart kids can ask pretty common sense questions which will drive me nuts!
- One day my son was really upset I didn’t teach him to open a package of bacon. I’m sorry, at 15 years old, and I figured he could figure that out on his own. Guess not!
- Or when my daughter asked me how small she should chop the potato in the soup.
- Or when I’ve repeated that “yes, you need to use soap when cleaning the dishes”…5 times in one week.
My point is that teaching our kids isn’t always easy!
Sometimes the only thing you can do is drink coffee and repeat that it WILL pay off someday…just maybe not this day.
Homeschooling When Mom Is Sick
If you wake up and find yourself sick, here are a few ways to keep homeschooling when mom is sick:
- If possible, take the day off and rest. Find some quiet activities the kids can do while you rest. If the kids are sick, too, focus on rest and getting better.
- If you can’t take the day off of work or homeschool, take a slow day. Use games to reinforce what your kids are learning, watch documentaries, use notebooking pages – it all counts!
- Outsource their homeschooling to online programs, such as SchoolhouseTeachers.
Yes, nobody wants to be sick, but like most things, it is always best to take what the day has handed you and do your best.
I really, really had fun even though I felt like a truck hit me and looked even worse. So far, this lovely head cold has stuck around for a few days.
Yes, I headed to work, cleaned, cooked, and did errands and appointments…Life doesn’t stop just because mom is sick.
That said, I didn’t feel like the world’s biggest loser for once. I didn’t allow mom guilt to overwhelm me. I took it in stride and had FUN when I could.
Tell me, how do you cope when you are sick? Do you have any favorite “kick this to the curb” ideas for me?
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Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!