Homeschool at our house isn’t always as neat and tidy as I’d like it to be. Some days everyone is in a great mood and we finish up before noon, and some days we’re all on the verge of tears and we can only manage to finish handwriting.
When you’re together 24/7, things can get crazy. But all that together time provides lots of opportunities for us to learn respect for one another’s emotions, and build stronger family relationships.
One thing that really helps us calm some of the chaos is having a daily routine. It helps us to know what to expect from one another, and gets us all on the same page.
In this post I'll give you a glimpse of what our typical homeschool day
looks like.
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Benefits of Having a Routine
We love having a daily homeschool routine because it adds some structure to our sometimes hectic days. My oldest thrives on structure, and he‘s a much happier kid when he has a basic idea of how our day is going to go.
According to WebMD, having a routine can help to:
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Reduce stress levels
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Improve your sleep
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Improve your health
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Increase happiness
Pretty great, right? I think those are four things that all human beings need, not just homeschoolers. Personally, I notice improvement in most of these areas when we are consistently sticking with our daily routine.
The Importance of Flexibility
I've tried using a rigid, hour-by-hour schedule. I’ve also tried throwing that schedule out the window and winging it. For our family, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.
If I put too much energy into trying to get things done by a certain time every day, I quickly fall behind because of the constant interruptions that come with being a mom of young kids.
Someone always needs more Fruit Loops, or to inform me of the new dead thing that the cat brought home. Maybe someone is sick, or we had to schedule maintenance for the van in the morning. Something always seems to pop up.
For me, trying to keep a schedule that is too rigid is a recipe for disappointment and discouragement. Flexibility is a must.
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Our Simple Homeschool Routine
Here’s what a typical homeschool day looks like for us:
Breakfast, Chores, & Independent Schoolwork
First, everyone wakes up and eats breakfast. After we’re all fed, the boys get started on their morning chores. For
us, that means making beds, brushing teeth, cleaning up toys in their
bedrooms, farm chores, and doing any schoolwork that they can do
independently (such as handwriting, reading, soccer drills, and piano
practice). This is also when I try to get some things done: Dishes,
laundry, getting myself dressed, etc.
Devotional & Read Aloud
Once the kids have finished with their "morning routine," we sit down together for a scripture video and a prayer. We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and we really like to watch videos from Line Upon Line for our little morning devotional. My kids are ages 10, 7, and 3, and those videos do a great job of holding their attention and helping all of us understand the scriptures a little better!
After our devotional, It's time for our read aloud. We sit down together and I'll read a chapter or two from our current book (right now we are on book one of The Wingfeather Saga).
Lunch Break
Depending on how quickly we move in the morning, we may need to take a break at this point for lunch. If so, we continue after our bellies are full again.
One-on-One Learning
Next we take turns with one-on-one learning with Mom (language arts and math). Usually I just ask who wants to go first, and whoever isn't doing school with me has the job of entertaining their little brother. We use The Good and The Beautifulfor handwriting, language arts, and math and we LOVE the open and go format. They even have adorable printable sample schedules. Check them out here.
For history and science, we take more of an unschooling approach at this stage in life. We read historical fiction, explore the world through gardening and homesteading, and watch documentaries and other educational videos.
That’s our super simple and flexible homeschool routine!
Every family is different, and what works best for us may not work well
for you. And that’s ok! Whatever routine you end up with, I hope getting a
glimpse of how we do things helps you discover something that will work
for your homeschool.
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