Home Educating with Chronic Illness: Easy Ideas for Low-Energy Days

Gentle Ideas for Days When You’re Stuck at Home and Don’t Have Much Energy

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There are days when chronic illness flares, fatigue hits hard, or your nervous system just needs rest. When you’re a mother—especially a home-educating one with multiple children—those days can feel really heavy.

I’ve had many of them. Days when I wake up with the best intentions, but by mid-morning, I know I need to surrender. The pain, the fog, the sheer weight of everything… it’s a lot. And still – small people need feeding, loving, guiding. Life keeps moving.

So what do you do on the days when you can’t do very much?

Here’s a gentle list of low-effort, low-energy things that can carry you through, offer your children something to lean into, and help you all get to the end of the day with softness and a little more peace.

Things You Can Do from the Sofa (or the Bed)

• Audiobooks + drawing supplies
  Let them sprawl on the floor nearby while listening to a story. Keep a rotating stash of colouring books, pencils, and plain paper close at hand.
• Nature documentaries or slow TV
  Choose something calm and beautiful—think “Our Planet,” “Puffin Rock,” or “Andy’s Wild Adventures.” It’s still learning, and you’re all resting together.
• “Book basket hour”
  Gather a few books for each child (or have them pick their favourites), pile into bed or onto the sofa, and take turns reading or just quietly flicking through pages.
• Tell stories instead of reading
  No energy to hold a book? Tell a story from your childhood, or make up a silly tale together. They’ll remember the connection more than the content.
• Lego / puzzles / quiet play kits
  Set up an area where they can tinker quietly. Having a pre-packed “mama-needs-rest” basket can really help.
• Educational apps or YouTube channels
  Curate a few ahead of time that feel safe and nourishing. Think Numberblocks, Cosmic Kids Yoga, or SciShow Kids.

Things That Feel Like Learning, But Don’t Require Much From You

• Baking from a packet mix
  Let them do as much as possible—measuring, mixing, pouring. You can supervise from a chair.
• Documentary or topic-of-the-week afternoon
  Pick a subject (volcanoes, Ancient Egypt, bees), watch a short documentary or video, then let them draw or write something about what they learned.
• Set up a mini project box
  This could be a shoebox with materials for a self-led project: paper, glue, scissors, stickers, a topic card (“Make a poster about your favourite animal”).
• Let them “teach” each other or you
  Kids love to play teacher. Give them a whiteboard or notebook and let them lead a “lesson.”
• Use audio learning
  Listen to a podcast together like “Brains On!” or “Peace Out” (a mindfulness podcast for kids).

Things to Let Go Of

• The house doesn’t need to be tidy today.
• You don’t have to teach anything today.
• You are still a good mother. Especially today.
• Slowness is not failure. It’s healing.

Gentle Anchors to Hold the Day

• Light a candle in the morning to mark the start of the day.
• Sit together for one slow, quiet cup of tea or hot chocolate.
• Have everyone take a “cosy hour” after lunch—reading, lying down, or just being quiet.
• End the day with a family snuggle, no matter what kind of day it’s been.

Some days are just about surviving. And that’s okay.

You’re allowed to do the bare minimum. You’re allowed to lean on screens and snacks and softness. You’re allowed to rest, even when things feel chaotic around you. You don’t need to explain or justify or earn it.

You are still mothering. You are still showing up. You are still enough.

With love from one tired-but-still-trying mama to another