5 Reasons Why You Should Take a Day Off

So, I think February and March are the Wednesday of the school year.  That is, like a work week Wednesday, not a swanky vacation kind of Wednesday.  You know, the excitement of Monday (or insert here: new pencils and crayons) is over, and Friday (summer vacation) seems so far away.

If you're paying attention at all to the school calendar of your local school district you may notice a peculiar thing this time of year:  random days off.  Why shouldn't we do the same?  We've just taken about a day and a half off for no particular reason at all, no holiday to celebrate or get ready for.  Why, then, take a perfectly good weekday and NOT do school??

Here are my top 5 reasons:


1. We get a lot of work done before the break.  I can (and sometimes do) threaten to let lessons spill into our break days.  Having that vacation up ahead is a great motivator to wrap up units and projects.

2. We get a lot of work done after the break.  Remember how exciting the first day of school is?  We get a chance to start new habits, begin again with a better attitude.  Maybe we'll discover a new passion or skill.  A short break can capture some of that feeling and momentum when we do hit the books again.

3.  I get to just be with the kids.  This is a big one for me.  Isn't this the reason why we school at home?  To let the kids know how valuable they are.  To speak life into them.  To invest in THEM.  We get so busy with lessons all day that I often find myself just not having fun with my dear ones.  A day without lessons gives us the chance to be together and enjoy one another.

4.  It reminds us that learning is all around us.  So think of this as our "unschool" day.  Just because we're not logging in to school and marking off items in our curriculum doesn't mean we learn nothing on our days off.  To the contrary, sometimes the kids really find the thing they most want to know during these lazy days.  We can go to the library, or look up videos on you tube (together, so I can screen them).  We can play a new board game or try a new recipe together.  The opportunity to learn is designed into our whole world.  Sometimes we just have to step back a bit to see it.

It's so important for us to spend some time "unplugged".

5.  I can check off and get ahead.  I love getting back to our regular schedule with a few items off the list.  This longer weekend I:  made an appointment,  got a hair cut, and did some spring cleaning (yay!).  I also did some actual lesson prep for next week, which should mean a more relaxed and productive week ahead.  You could also:  freeze meals, shop for birthday gifts, plan parties or incentives, OR get some "mom" time with friends OR even a date with your spouse!!!

It really is amazing what a day or two off can produce.  I'm certainly glad we took our days and I'm ready to get back to class!