Homeschool Burnout is Real

Homeschool

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9 Ways to Reset When You Want to Quit

By Tricia Goyer

If you have cried over a math workbook this week, this post is for you. If you have frantically Googled “private schools near me” while your kids were eating lunch, this post is for you.

And if you feel like you are failing because your homeschool doesn’t look like the glossy Instagram photos, I need you to hear this loud and clear: You are not failing. You are just burnt out.

I’ve been there. With ten children (seven adopted), two grandparents in the house, and writing deadlines looming, I have had days where I wanted to hand out “school’s out forever” slips. But I learned that burnout isn’t a sign of weakness. Instead, it is often a sign of caring too much and trying to do it all in your own strength.

The good news? You don’t have to quit to find peace again. You just need a reset.

Here are 9 practical, grace-filled ways to hit the “refresh” button on your homeschool year right now.

1. Declare a “Bare Minimum” Week

When you are drowning, stop trying to swim the English Channel. Give yourself permission to strip your schedule down to the absolute essentials. For one week, do only the “Three R’s”:

Reading: Read aloud on the couch (or use audiobooks—my personal lifesaver!).
’Rithmetic: Do one page of math (or play a math game).
Religion/Relationship: Read a Bible devotional together.

Everything else—science experiments, history timelines, Latin roots—can wait. As I wrote in Homeschool Basics, https://amzn.to/4sC2sOL “You can hit the ‘Easy Button’ without sacrificing your child’s education.” Your relationship with your children is more important than checking off a box today.

2. Change the Scenery

Sometimes the four walls of your house are the problem. If everyone is grumpy, close the books and leave.

Take “school” to a local coffee shop.
Go for a nature walk and call it science.
Visit the library and let them pick whatever they want to read.

A change in environment often resets the brain’s stress response for both you and your kids.

3. Identify Your “Time Rocks” (Prioritize)

Burnout often comes from clutter—mental and physical. We try to fit everything in and end up exhausted. Visualize your day like a jar. If you fill it with sand (social media, busy work, errands) first, the big rocks (Bible, connection, core subjects) won’t fit.

The Reset: Sit down today and identify your top 3 “Big Rocks.” If those get done, the day is a success. Let the sand fall where it may. Remember, “You can do it all, just not all at once.”

4. Stop Comparison-Scrolling

Social media is a highlight reel, not real life. You are seeing someone else’s “best day ever” while you are living your “hardest Tuesday.” If following certain homeschool accounts makes you feel “less than,” unfollow or mute them for a season.

In The Grumble-Free Year, I talk about how comparison is the thief of joy. Protect your heart so you can pour into your own family. You are the expert on your children, not the influencer on your screen.

5. Switch Up the Curriculum (Or How You Use It)

Is a specific textbook causing tears every single day? Ditch it. You are the master; the curriculum is the servant. If it’s not working, you have the freedom to change it.

Try Unit Studies: Pause the textbook and spend a week learning about something your child loves (sharks, castles, baking).
Oral Lessons: If the act of writing is the battle, let them answer questions out loud while they jump on a trampoline.

6. Create a “Culture of Story”

When the textbooks feel dry, and the burnout sets in, turn to the power of story. This is one of my favorite ways to reset. Instead of drilling facts, read a biography of a missionary, a historical fiction novel, or a story about family heritage.

Stories teach life lessons and character in a way that workbooks never can. “Facts are forgotten, but stories are remembered.” When in doubt, just read.

7. Schedule “Mom Rest” (Non-Negotiable)

You cannot pour from an empty cup. It is not selfish to need a break; it is necessary for survival.

Implement a Daily “Quiet Time”: This was a rule in the Goyer home for years. For one hour every afternoon, everyone (even the older kids!) had to be in their room reading or resting quietly. This gave me the quiet headspace I needed to finish the day strong.
Wake up 15 minutes early: Drink your coffee and pray in silence before the chaos begins.

8. Pray WITH Your Kids, Not Just For Them

When tempers flare and burnout looms, stop everything and pray out loud. It changes the atmosphere of the room immediately. It humbles us as moms to say, “Lord, I’m frustrated and I need Your help right now.” It models for our children where to go when they are overwhelmed.

9. Remember Your “Why”

Why did you start this journey? Was it to raise children who love the Lord? To build strong family bonds? To let them move at their own pace?

When we get burnt out, we usually have drifted into “public school at home” mode—focusing on grades and performance rather than hearts and discipleship. I would rather have a child who loves God and reads at a 5th-grade level, than a child who gets straight A’s but has a hard heart.

A Scripture for the Weary Mom

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." — Galatians 6:9

Take a deep breath, mama. You are doing a good work. The harvest is coming. Just don’t give up—just rest.

Are you in a season of burnout? Which of these 9 tips do you need to try this week? Let me know in the comments so I can pray for you!

Homeschool Burnout is Real

Homeschool