BJU Press Blog

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7 Energy-Busting Activities for Your Homeschool

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energy busting activities
I live in South Carolina, and lately it has been very, very wet around here. And since my four young children do not particularly like sitting still, my 1700-square-foot home has been extremely noisy. That makes homeschooling challenging because, with so much pent-up energy, my school-age daughters have had a difficult time focusing. Sometimes, we just need to do some activities to keep us going.

Physical activity is important to mental health. My brain, like the brains of my four children, performs much better when we’ve had some kind of physical exercise. Below are ideas for some quick physical activities that you and your children can do together. Not only will they help you release some of that built-up energy, but they will also improve your focus for a better homeschool day.

Indoor Exercise

Technology can be a great help for quick, kid-friendly workout routines. Here are a few technology-aided workouts that we enjoy:

  • Animal Workouts (Alexa® Skill): If you have an Alexa-enabled device in your home, try the Animal Workouts Skill. Your device will lead you and your children through a routine in which you all pretend to be different animals. For example, you’ll be running in place like a jaguar, swinging your arms like a monkey, and hopping around like a kangaroo. My kids think it’s hilarious.
  • Home Workout (available on Google Play™): This app is geared more toward adults, but my fitness-loving second grader doesn’t let that stop her from using it. Most workouts take less than 15 minutes, but they are pretty intense.
  • Sworkit Kids (available on Google Play™): This app is similar to the Home Workout app but is more geared towards kids. I like that you can customize the workout based on how much time you have.

Outdoor Exercise

Some days, the kids just need to get outside, even if it’s raining or freezing cold. Here are a few of our favorite fresh-air exercises:

  • Taking a walk: Walking is a popular exercise in our family. If you enjoy walking with your kids, you may want to check out a post I wrote about how walking can also be an outdoor learning adventure.
  • Running around the house: Sometimes, when I notice that one of my daughters is having trouble concentrating, I send her outside and tell her to run around the house a certain number of times as fast as she can. It’s amazing what five minutes of running can do to sharpen her focus!
  • Timed races: Like many kids, my daughters are a bit competitive. They love to “win” even if they are competing against themselves. I often time them as they run down the driveway, race their bikes around the block, or roller skate to the mailbox. The presence of the stopwatch encourages them to try their hardest.
  • Puddle-jumping: Every once in awhile, after it rains, the kids pull on their rain boots, and we take a walk. The kids jump in ever puddle they can find and hold contests to see who can make the biggest splash. It’s a good mental and physical break for everyone.

These are just a few of the ways that we release energy to improve our focus. What are some of your homeschool’s favorite energy-busting activities? We would love to hear about them in the comments below!

What Am I Accomplishing with My Time?

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The other night I collapsed in bed after a long, exhausting day and took stock of my accomplishments. I couldn’t come up with much. Yes, I had sent two loads of laundry through the washer and dryer, but there were at least another three loads waiting for their turn. Yes, I had picked up dozens of stray toys and socks off the floor, but most of my house still looked like a disaster zone. Yes, I had spent over an hour fixing dinner, but three picky eaters had almost refused to eat it. It had been a discouraging day but not an unusual one.

As a stay-at-home homeschool mom, my days are filled with a lot of busyness. I stay plenty busy teaching as well as facilitating our Distance Learning courses. I never lack for dishes to wash, laundry to do, meals to make. But despite all the busyness, I rarely feel like I accomplish much.

On days like these, I often have to remind myself that my accomplishments are not always visible nor are there ever enough hours in the day to do everything. It’s essential for me to choose to spend my time doing the “best” things, the things that God wants and that will count for eternity. Here’s the list of “best things” that I try to focus on.

My Need for a Close Relationship with God

I can’t afford to cheat on this one—ever. For me, this means that I have to pull myself out of bed at 5:25 every morning. But the thirty minutes or so of quietness that I get to spend reading my Bible and praying is well worth it. This time fortifies my soul for all the craziness and unexpected turns of each day. (Psalm 119 records the myriad of ways that God’s Word benefits us, and in Psalm 145:18, God promises to be near those who call on Him.)

The Needs of My Husband

If my husband asks me to do something, that “something” moves to the top of my priority list once I’ve had my time with the Lord. It doesn’t matter whether the request involves making a phone call, sewing on a button, or taking the car in for an oil change. By making his needs my priority, I’m getting a chance to demonstrate love and submission. (Colossians 3:18 commands this of me!)

The Needs of My Children

My children have physical, spiritual, and emotional needs that take up a lot of my time. Sometimes it’s hard to pause my dinner preparations or my cleaning sprees and take the time to figure out the cause of an argument, patch up a scraped knee, or help a child through a challenging math problem. But when I readily put aside my own “to do” list, I’m demonstrating love and compassion to my children. (Titus 2:4 admonishes me to love my children, and John 15:12–13 helps me understand what true love really is.)

The Needs of Other Believers

Paul admonishes believers to “do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Sometimes that might mean I cook extra so that we can take a meal to someone who needs it. Sometimes it might mean I let someone borrow our things. Other times, it might mean I take a few minutes to write someone a quick note of encouragement. The time I spend on these tasks is not wasted. It gives me a chance to exercise my spiritual gifts and show love to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Needs of the Unsaved

Every week my family and I minister at a Bible club for kids. Most of the children do not attend church and don’t know much about the Bible. Some come week after week. Others we only see once or twice. Whatever time that we have with these kids is precious because it is an opportunity to plant the seed of the gospel (or perhaps to water it). Again, I don’t consider this time wasted. Not only is it a good opportunity to teach my own children about ministry, but it’s also an opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission Jesus gave us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18–20).

Depending on your situation in life, your list of “best things” may look very different from mine, and my list certainly isn’t perfect. I struggle daily to keep my work properly balanced. Thankfully, I can claim the promise of James 1:5 and rest in the fact that God will give me wisdom about how to spend my time if I ask Him. He’ll give you that wisdom as well. So take some time at the beginning of this new year to prayerfully consider how God would want you to use the time He’s given you.