This week is spring break for the schools in our area. Our family took an early spring break to coincide with my parents’ visit two weeks ago, but I won’t lie: another break is sounding pretty nice right about now. Our past few months have left me feeling like I’m living life on 2x speed, and while I’m more than a little ready to bring the Jernejcic school bus to a full stop, the summer finish line is still months away. (And since we’re considering moving to a year-round school schedule, that “finish line” may morph into a brief rest stop.)
Throwing in the towel on this school year is not an option, but I also don’t want to begrudgingly buckle down and suffer through the end of the year. To keep myself from falling into either of these polarized responses, I’ve been thinking through my approach to the final months of the school year. Here is what I’ve come up with.
1. Preserve routines and schedules and remain as consistent as possible.
Our family does best when we keep to our usual rhythms. This means that we will resist the urges to sleep in, loosen up on school expectations, or get slack with bedtimes. Whenever possible, we will stick with our morning school routine, structured mealtimes, chore schedule, afternoon nap/rest times, scheduled outdoor playtime, and bedtime rituals—even when the lengthening spring days would make it easy to give in to a lax schedule. A loosening of the reins in these areas always sounds nice, but we pay for it later with bad attitudes and poor behavior.
2. Don’t be afraid to stray from routine on occasion.
Remaining consistent with our routines and schedules MOST of the time makes it possible for us to occasionally take INTENTIONAL (i.e, not haphazard or emotion-driven) breaks from the norm. These interruptions may take the form of days off of school for field trips or playdates; a later bedtime for a special family game night; or skipping our core subjects one day to focus on a fun project. These scheduled diversions will keep us from feeling like slaves to our school routines without totally derailing our school plans.
3. Embrace High Reward activities.
Several months ago I heard a podcast in which the host explained that most opportunities for how we spend our time fall into one of four categories: Low Investment/Low Reward (easy tasks that should be automated or eliminated); Low Investment/High Reward (routine tasks that pack a big punch); High Investment/Low Reward (activities that take a lot of time and offer nothing in return); and High Investment/High Reward (big activities that have a big impact). This is a great framework to consider when thinking through how we spend our homeschool days. Ideally, a majority of our time will be spent on activities that provide great value. Many of our daily routines—like family meals together, reading aloud, daily walks, and nightly prayer time—are low investment while offering huge (long-term) rewards. Other parts of our day (like routine math lessons) require little investment but the rewards are more difficult to identify; if a high-reward opportunity (such as an exciting field trip or a spontaneous educational project or an in-depth spiritual conversation) arises, the principles of this framework give me permission to enthusiastically embrace the interruption. The framework also gives me the necessary nudge to skip a potential opportunity that sounds good in the moment but ultimately detracts from more important school and family activities.
4. Name, remember, and prioritize values.
Going back to #3: “High Reward” is a discretionary term, so I need to be clear on the things our family values most. Right now, our priorities include quality family time, spiritual growth, an enthusiasm for learning (particularly a love of reading), intentional community, and a calm and peaceful home environment. Opportunities that take us out of our usual routine but that enhance our family values are an easy yes! If we find our family verging from our named priorities, it’s time to reassess and recalibrate.
5. Avoid the comparison trap.
It’s easy for me to look at all the fun extras that other families are doing and feel like we aren’t measuring up. I need to remember that every family’s situation, capacity, and set of values is different. When making plans for my crew, I want to keep OUR family’s needs and priorities in mind rather than simply doing extra activities in an effort to keep up with everyone else.
6. Lighten up!
In keeping with my theme for 2026, I don’t want to be so distracted with how and where we spend our time that I forget to embrace the precious memories our family is making in this season. Even the most chaotic school days contain moments of joy and purposefulness and opportunities to learn and to grow. With this in mind, I might conclude that the best approach to countering a spring slump is to stop thinking of it as a slump! This season may feel overwhelming, but that doesn’t make it unbearable. Bringing a lighthearted, joy-filled attitude into our schooldays will make the harder moments more bearable and the happy moments that much brighter. This won’t always come easily to me, so bathing each day with prayer—and with regular invitations for the Lord’s presence to permeate our home—is a MUST!
Whether or not you’re a homeschooler, you likely have experience with a spring slump of your own. What attitudes or strategies have you adopted to help you navigate a busy or challenging season?