This post was inspired by a conversation with a friend.

Me: Tempted to write a blog post entitled “how to homeschool while sick”

Me: And here’s the post “Don’t.”

Her: It’s true!!! It’s “easier” when kids are older and more independent, but even then…

Although I could literally just write “don’t” and let that be it, I feel the need to mention a few things.

A Few Things to Consider

The choice to homeschool while sick is truly dependent on a number of factors, such as the age of your children, whether they can read, if they are also sick, how sick you actually are, and likely many other factors I’m not even considering. When your kids are younger, they’re more dependent on you as their teacher to give them their assignments, keep them on track and help them return to their work when they have distractions. Again, until they can read, even if they could find their assignments, their assignments would most likely involve reading to know what to do, so mom or dad would need to be there.

As for sickness, if your kids are sick, then you can treat it like a “traditional” school and give them the day off, or as many days as they need for recovery (with the benefit of not missing any classes because they’re homeschooled and you can continue classes when they’re well). If you’re sick, it depends on how sick you are. I’ve taught my daughter when I had the sniffles or a minor cold, but I’ll usually give myself a sick day when I’m feeling worse and don’t feel up to it even with medicine. I know another homeschool blogger got cancer last year and took extended time off from homeschooling. She was able to do this because she does year-round homeschooling like we do and knew that she could adhere to her state regulations even with the break.

How I’m feeling right now? I’ve been homeschooling on and off for the last week. When I’m up for it, and my daughter is up for it, we do some lessons. But since she’s sick also, we’ve been doing a reduced lesson plan even when we actually do schooling. Both kids are still coughing, but they’re also playing a lot and forgetting they’re sick. Have you ever had to remind your kids that they’re sick and that they need to rest? Neither my 2.5 year old or 5 year old seem to understand the concept of rest…

If You Feel Better Later, You Can Adjust Your Plans

I know that it may not need saying, but if you start the day as a sick day, it doesn’t have to remain that way. If you feel better later, you can do some shorter lessons, read a book, or do a fun craft so it feels less like school, but allows you to get back into your rhythm. Then again, if you start as a healthy, normal day, you can always stop your lessons to accommodate sickness for you or your children. It’s YOUR homeschool. You get to decide what’s right for you and your children.

So yeah… how to homeschool while sick? Don’t… or do… it’s your choice.

Get well soon!