{"id":202440,"date":"2019-12-12T18:19:25","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T23:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/4-ways-to-prioritize-math-in-busy-seasons\/"},"modified":"2019-12-12T18:19:25","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T23:19:25","slug":"4-ways-to-prioritize-math-in-busy-seasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/4-ways-to-prioritize-math-in-busy-seasons\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Prioritize Math in Busy Seasons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hey there! How\u2019s it going?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are your kids counting down the days to winter break? I know lots of kids start to get extra squirmy this time of year. Staying in bed seems so much cozier. Work seems a lot less fun. Harder subjects (which I know, I know, often include math!) seem less and less appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how do you keep math a priority in busy seasons like this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll just say right off the bat, it\u2019s tough! You simply cannot avoid distractions in this season.<\/strong> And interruption is almost equally as hard to get away from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of that means that at this time of year, we can\u2019t go for \u201cbalance.\u201d No, we need to go for <\/strong>prioritizing<\/i><\/strong>.<\/strong> We have to decide what the most important thing to accomplish is, and let other things fall by the wayside, temporarily. For some of us, math may not be the thing we want to prioritize. But I would urge you to keep it on the front burner for the next week or so. With the nature of math learning and the Saxon spiral method, very few people will ever say, \u201cI wish I had done less math.\u201d Math seeps into so much of education and life<\/a> that it needs to be kept up with.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019m not here to preach at you! I\u2019m here to help. If you want to make math a priority, here\u2019s how you can do it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Commit.<\/strong> Figure out how much time you want to devote to math and anything else that needs to be kept up with. Make sure you leave room in your schedule for that, and that alone. Then protect it like crazy! Don\u2019t let anything creep in on that time, knowing that you\u2019ve made room for the other once-a-year stuff by tending only to the essential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Fun Stuff First.<\/strong> By this I mean, if there\u2019s a part of the assignment that is enjoyable, let your student do that first. Then tackle the harder stuff. Then, take a break. Math may be challenging enough for your kid. But math when there\u2019s baking to be done or gift lists to make? Even harder! So reward the effort when they\u2019ve made a good one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Forget the word \u201cshould.”<\/strong> Pinterest,<\/a> Instagram, and your extended family will all tell you everything you \u201cshould\u201d be doing right now. I mean, they never shut up about it, do they? I\u2019m kidding, but we all know there simply isn\u2019t enough time to do it all. You\u2019ve committed to doing a couple of vital things, and there simply isn\u2019t anymore you \u201cshould\u201d do except enjoy the season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Remember this is temporary.<\/strong> This one can help with keeping those pesky \u201cshoulds\u201d at bay, too. This is just for a little while! You WILL get back in the swing of a full schedule, soon enough. If you have prioritized the most important subject(s) and activities, the other will be okay to go untended for a few days.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Now trust me, I do know how hard this is! But for most of us, a good, solid break is near! Hang in there,<\/strong> and remember there\u2019s no perfect way to get through the busy-ness of this season. Do your best and I hope these tips for prioritizing math help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Talk to you soon,<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nicole the Math Lady<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey there! How\u2019s it going? Are your kids counting down the days to winter break? I know lots of kids […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[17,4,19,20,6,21],"class_list":["post-202440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classroom-ideas","category-news","tag-homeschool-math","tag-middle-school-math","tag-nicole-the-math-lady","tag-saxon-for-homeschoolers","tag-saxon-math","tag-saxon-videos"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119.jpg",2000,1500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119-1024x768.jpg",1024,768,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119-1536x1152.jpg",1536,1152,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prioritizing-Math-121119.jpg",2000,1500,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Nicole Thomas","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/author\/nicolethemathlady\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Hey there! How\u2019s it going? Are your kids counting down the days to winter break? 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