Inside: Finding your homeschool routine. How to make your homeschool day fit your family.
Creating a homeschool routine that really works for your family can be tricky business, but there are a few things we can keep in mind to ease the stress.
A sort of disclaimer I will put out is this: I believe keeping in mind your personality, quirks, etc. and your kids’ personalities is super helpful when it comes to planning for your homeschool routine.
For me, I do not thrive on a rigid schedule. I need room to blend education with our daily living so that it can ebb and flow as we do.
I do like a homeschool routine to loosely go off of so there isn’t a total lack of control. If this sounds like it might be similar to you, then come along.
Tip #1: just start
Of course, this is only after you’ve planned and re-planned a million times over. You know, if you’re like me. But really, get out of your own way and get on with the show already. Be willing to learn some as you go.
Tip #2: be so patient with yourself..
..and your kids. Remember this is new to everyone. I had to learn the hard way (maybe you don’t have to be like me). You’re gonna have some hiccups and things are definitely gonna hit the fan a time or two. Totally okay. It’s called learning. You, along with the kids, are gonna do a ton of that.
Tip #3: take notes
Get to know what flows with your personality, your strengths, your weaknesses, what works for the kids, mash them together a little here and there, take some out in other places, etc.
Jot your thoughts down when you can, keep post-its handy and maybe a small, separate notebook that you can easily retrieve
Tip #4: take breaks
Taking time to step back and evaluate has been one of the biggest helps for me. I aim for six weeks on, one or two weeks off.
In Sarah Mackenzie’s book, Teaching from Rest, she says “After a six-week term, we have a week off. During that time I consider each of my children and each part of their curriculum. Is it a good fit? Is it meeting their needs? Challenging them? Stretching them?”.
She also says, “Baking in a regular review time frees a homeschooling mom from making big decisions on the fly, while giving her the assurance that a time of assessment is coming – that if something isn’t working, it can be remedied soon.”
Through our first few years of homeschooling so far, I have been known to change it up quite a bit. Keeping these couple of things in mind, though, has helped me make our routine work for us instead of the other way around.
Do you have any tips when it comes to creating a homeschool routine?
More posts I think you’ll like:
Why We Love a Later Start to the Homeschool Day
Homeschooling When a New Baby Arrives
A Kiwi Crate Review: Disk Launchers
Leave a Reply