Creating a schedule or a rhythm of learning at home is important, but every family’s rhythms at home will look differently. There is no one way to schedule your day.
Some kids and families thrive off strict schedules and others prefer things to be looser. Perhaps you’re balancing work from home and educating your kids. Maybe you like to fly by the seat of your pants. Whichever family you are, it can take some time or trial and error to discover your new at home rhythms.
Don’t go into day one and expect your kids to fall in line with every new routine or schedule, especially if you’re transitioning from school outside the home.
Don’t attempt to structure your day like a classroom. The classroom setting needs to be more structured and orderly, because there are 25+ kids in one room, and usually only one teacher in charge of all of them. There are benchmarks for progress, things need to be documented, and kids need to be sitting quietly for much of the day.
But learning at home looks so different. No matter which method or style of homeschooling you follow, your child still has the freedom to eat snacks, go to the bathroom when they need to, do their math on the couch, or take a brain break on the trampoline. This is the beauty of learning at home!
Anchor your home learning rhythms around things you already do… waking up, eating breakfast, snack time, lunch, quiet rest time, etc. You already have some natural rhythms in your home, so don’t fight against those. If your kids are naturally early risers, get your tasks done early in the day.
But don’t feel like you have to get up early – if you’re going to be fighting your kids to be up early, your day isn’t going to go well! If it fits your family, don’t be afraid to let your day start slowly and save those tasks for later. Rhythms help to set expectations for how days generally flow. If your kids know what they need to accomplish during a day or what you expect them to work on, it can prevent friction or at least lessen the “I don’t want to’s” a little bit!
When it comes to rhythms and routines, allowing children to have a say in how they spend their time is very empowering! This doesn’t mean you have to let your kids rule the roost, but as adults, we usually don’t have every moment of our day planned for us. Instead of telling them to do their math from 9-9:30 and reading from 9:30-10, try saying “You need to accomplish these three tasks today. You can choose when you’d like to do them, but if I see that you aren’t getting them done, you’ll have to sit down with me at ___ time to do them.” This is especially helpful if you and your kids tend to butt heads about schoolwork.
The Start the Day Right pack is a great way to start developing routines with your kids:
It can be good to have a plan for the day, but don’t forget to be flexible. This is the freedom of homeschooling, right? Being able to drop the math lesson for a spontaneous nature walk is a homeschool perk! So if you are a planner, go for it – but do so with respect to your kids’ needs and interests.
You can download the Plan the Day Well Planner on the membership page!
If you’ve been homeschooling awhile, it can be good to change up the schedule or routine to infuse new life into your days. While kids can thrive within structure, sometimes adding a new element to your routine can inspire your kids to learn in a fresh, new way!
I find it really helpful to read a homeschooling book or two over the summer to give me some new ideas. I have a list of books in the Mother Culture section of my Amazon storefront if you need some new ideas.