Today, the first Monday in September, workers around the nation celebrate Labor Day by taking time off to rest.
While you may not have considered taking the day off from your normal homeschooling, perhaps by the end of reading this post we will have convinced you otherwise!
3 Reasons to Take a Break This Labor Day
Whether you don’t think your family has time for a break or don’t think you deserve one yet (it’s only a few weeks into the semester, after all!), here are three reasons why you may want to reconsider and spend time relaxing this Labor Day.
1. Homeschooling Is Work
First, although you might not get paid to homeschool, what you do as a homeschool parent is a type of work. For most of us, we understand work to mean rewarded effort. In other words, work is the expenditure of energy to complete a task and earn a reward, typically money.
While that is certainly a type of work, work can also include many other things, like learning to play an instrument, mowing the lawn, or cooking dinner. And certainly, homeschooling is a type of work, too.
And as with all types of work, it’s important to take a break from your normal homeschool routine every now and then!
2. The Semester Is Ramping Up
Labor Day arrives at a convenient time for homeschool parents.
By the first Monday of September, you have spent the past few weeks getting back into the swing of things. Typically, the first few weeks of a semester involve mostly reviewing material learned last year and laying out a plan to accomplish the big goals in the upcoming weeks.
So, taking time to rest during a three-day Labor Day weekend can be rejuvenating for your family before you dive into the nitty and gritty of the semester!
3. An Opportunity to Learn
Of course, homeschooling never really stops, whether you take a day off during Labor Day or a few weeks during Christmas. While you might not follow a formal schedule, attend your weekly community day, or progress through your curriculum, learning opportunities still arise during times of rest.
Even if your family takes Labor Day off from traditional schoolwork, your family can still learn. For example, you might consider discussing the meaning of Labor Day with your child, addressing topics alluded to in this post, like “What is work?” and “What is rest?”
You could also research the history of Labor Day together with your child, discussing the fascinating story of how long hours and harsh conditions for factory workers led to this nationally recognized holiday.
How Will You Spend Your Labor Day?
Of course, whether your family rests or works this Labor Day is entirely up to you. Hopefully, however, we have persuaded you to at least take it a little slower and find a spare moment to relax.
For instance, consider taking the afternoon off to play and relax while spending the morning completing a Bible devotion, a read-aloud, and a few math or memory work exercises. Or, think about taking the whole day off to go on a hike, take a picnic, or do a cookout.
Of course, there is no reason to feel guilty either way, whether working or resting this Labor Day. While we do hope your family can find some relaxation today, it just might not work out. Don’t worry about it — you can always rest another day!
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