We are year round homeschoolers. That means we don't take a long summer break. Rather than throwing in the towel for the year, we just shift with the season. We keep on learning without any FOMO, because all the fun stuff like pool days, lake fishing, and making our own popsicles are still happening as part of our family rhythm. It's the life hack that allows me to check off our summer bucket list items, without feeling completely burned out, a few weeks into the season.
As much as we all feel ready for summer break, without our kids school schedules in the mix, our days can easily become chaotic. Routine goes out the window and that makes going back to school feel harder than it should. Enter family rhythm. Think of it as a loose or flexible routine. Unlike a schedule, there are no time constraints. No rushed hour by hour schedules to keep. The focus is on creating a fluid lifestyle, without abandoning much needed predictability.
Summertime in Texas means that unless we're enjoying some sort of water play, we're only outside in the early morning or late evening hours. We generally stay indoors during the hottest part of the day. With five kids in the house, you can imagine being couped up inside without much of a plan, is a recipe for disaster.
Our family rhythm serves as an outline for our days. The photo above shows our summer family rhythm. As you can see, it's quite open ended. There are multiple options for each day, to give the kids choices, but there is no pressure to get things done. There is a lot of room for flexibility and we can easily invite friends to join us on most days. Because we're a neurodivergent family, we intentionally limit our outings away from home during the summer, to avoid crowds.
As a seasoned homeschooling mom of five, I've come to rely on our gentle family rhythm to get me through each season, not just the summer. We use this method all year, though it varies slightly with each season that changes. Come autumn, our family rhythm will get adjusted to fit in our daily learning and extracurricular activities.
This is my secret to avoiding burnout, no matter the season. I invite you to give it a try. You just may find thoseit works for you too.
