Homeschooling After a Death in the Family

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If you have recently had a death in the family, let me first say “I’m sorry.” Homeschooling after a death in the family is probably not something you ever imagined having to go through, but I’m here to help with some suggestions.

When a loved one passes away, I want to do nothing more than just curl up in a ball in my bed. Don’t get me wrong, taking time to grieve is important. It’s all part of the process but, as a homeschooling parent, it’s not always easy. Depending on where you live, you may have certain homeschooling rules and requirements that need to be followed and I’m just going to assume that “time to grieve” was not taken into account when those rules were created.

If you are interested in including the memory of your loved one into homeschooling lessons and activities for the kids, it’s totally doable. It might not be (emotionally) easy, but I’ve found that focusing on the positive memories help to ease the pain of losing a loved one. Everyone grieves differently so what works for me might not work for you, but…it might help the kids.

As important as it is to take care of the kids, please make sure to take care of yourself, too! Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you have nearby friends or family, reach out to them if you need someone to make a meal, watch the kids, or just need someone to talk to. Never underestimate the love of online friends, too. If you’d be willing to help them in a time of need, chances are that they want to help you as well.

In addition to personal acquaintances, there are even community groups that could help. Lasagna Love has volunteers all across the world who would love to make you and your family a homemade lasagna. If you’ve signed your kids up for the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program, you could even use their pizza rewards to take care of dinner for a night. (If not, sign them up now!) Look through your local Facebook groups, or do a quick Google search, for organizations that could help you out. I bet members of your local homeschooling groups would even be happy to help.

I’ve come up with a few activity ideas that could be used for homeschooling after a death in the family. All have the goal of celebrating the life and memories of your loved one and are meant to focus on the positive. PLEASE take the time to grieve, though. It’s ok to be sad. It’s ok for the kids to be sad. It’s all part of the process and, if you are able to, take opportunities to grieve together as a family.

Take a look through these ideas for homeschooling after a death in the family and, hopefully, they can help to relieve some of the stress you may be going through after losing your loved one.

Activity Ideas for Homeschooling after a Death in the Family

• write an acrostic poem using your loved one’s first name
• create a short story about a favorite memory
• research family history using a service like Ancestry.com
• create a portrait of your loved one
• create a collage of images that remind you of your loved one
• go through old photographs together and select one to be used as inspiration for a drawing, painting, etc.
• make a recipe that reminds you of your loved one
• write down all the happy memories you can think of
• go for a walk together and share stories and memories on the walk

If you just aren’t ready to do activities in memory of your loved one, that’s ok! Take this time as an opportunity to dust off those summer workbooks the kids never finished, watch some documentaries, read books together, or even visit some local attractions (trust me…as good as it feels to be in your pajamas all day, taking a shower and putting “real” clothes on helps). Listening to music and hugs always help me, too.

It may not be easy to tackle homeschooling after a death in the family, but it’s certainly doable. Take the time you need for yourself, for your family. You can do this.