Now the holidays are winding down. Or maybe they’ve crashed and burned, and you are crawling out.

Either way, people are going back to work, and you are probably starting school back up again, or thinking about it.

This post-holiday time is a fantastic time to sit back and take some time to simply watch your kids. We are tired and have possibly lost touch with our children’s spirits and our homeschooling life. Maybe we’ve gotten up in our heads too much from the stress.

Don’t try to change anything, don’t go at this with some kind of problem to solve, just…observe.  Pick one child and watch them for a few days.

What is their temperament like? What is making them smile? Scowl?  When are they lighting up? When are they shutting down?

How are they interacting with others? Is a particular sibling being encouraging or bullying? How are they dealing, really?

Watch how they eat, write, color, leave a room, build something, break something, create a fantasy world, eat a banana, hold a pencil, respond to praise. Anything. Everything.

These are some questions to guide you, but really, just watch.  Quiet your mind and simply accept what you are seeing. Take it all in without judgment. You might be surprised how much you learn.