In homeschooling, it’s not really a question of if, but when your child will get stuck on a lesson. When that time comes, be prepared with this practical advice from seasoned homeschool veterans.

Renee Showstead Take a break, have a snack, and tap into your resources for help.

Stephanie Umpleby For phonics, we often take the rest of the week off and just read simple books like Bob Books. Then we review about a week’s worth of lessons before going on to the troubling lesson. For math, I normally pull out manipulatives to help explain what we are actually doing.

Michelle Williams Maxwell Take a break from it for a couple of weeks and try again. The break gives time to get the "I can't" stuckness out of their heads and allow them to have a fresh start.

Bess Deal Find something fun that might help teach in a different style/way.

Ligia Sextius YouTube videos or have an older sibling try to explain this lesson.

Anna Milner Come back to the lesson when everyone has a better attitude. Go outside, eat a snack, take a bath, watch a movie, etc.

Alicia Lucy Go back to basics. For example, with reading comprehension, we go back to easy read stories. Usually the reply is, "That's easy! I can do that." Before long, they're right on track.

Rebekah Brickey It depends on the subject. A break always helps. Sometimes I have even shelved something for a full year (logic curriculum) and come back to it. Some things little brains just don't understand until they reach a certain age. Do something silly or fun to get past frustration. Move. Go for a walk, play on the swings, ride a bike, etc. Sometimes they have reached the limit for learning at that moment.

Hillary Williamson Mine has a hard time with writing, so today we did a combined project. I wrote, she spoke and every now and then I ended a sentence. It ended the tears and then she tried on her own.

Janelle Hart We dig our feet in and show them how to seek the answer using all our resources. We don’t stop until we figure it out. I mean, of course you would break to eat and get any priorities taken care of, but we wouldn’t move forward until we got it figured out. It teaches so many necessary life skills and doing it right beside them encourages them greatly.

Catie Harlin The one thing I have strived so hard to do is make school fun, not a chore. I don't want them to hate it. We've many years to go yet! Do whatever your child (and your sanity) need most (usually chocolate for everyone and hugs all around). “Hugs, Mama! You're doing amazing!”

Kim Vandergrift Be patient and take the extra time needed to learn whatever it is you’re stuck in.