8 Key Areas for Routines in Homeschooling
As parents, we all know how important it is to have routines for our children and ourselves in order for life to run as smoothly as possible. Homeschooling is no different, only it might need a little more planning and creativity, especially if this is something new for you. You will be spending a lot of time together!
Below are some of the key areas that I think need good routines for homeschooling:
1. Food
My kids seem to structure their days around food (is that normal?!) Anyone would think we starve them, based on how often the little ones in particular ask when is it morning tea / lunch / afternoon tea / dinner time?! I find it really helpful for our homeschooling routine to have set times in the day for eating, so that there is predictability and boundaries (plus the older kids at least know there is no point asking for food outside of these times!) Aside from the health benefits, this models to our kids self-discipline and teaches them delayed gratification; important skills for life. As an example, we do morning tea at 10.30am, lunch at about 12pm, and afternoon tea at 3pm.
2. School work
All homeschooling families do this in their own way, but it is probably helpful to at least have some structure alongside the necessary flexibility. We generally aim to get the more academic subjects such as English and Maths done in the early morning, leaving the late mornings and afternoons for art, topic studies, cooking and so on. Of course we would usually also keep afternoons available for social gatherings with other homeschooling families, but for the moment this will be online. For tips on managing schoolwork, check out this post.
3. Chores
Chores are character building! Make sure your kids have chores that they are responsible for (see this post on chores for ideas). We find it helpful to have set chores and set times for doing them, where appropriate. These are part of being in a family, and while it can be hard to set up initially, in the long run the household will run more smoothly and efficiently with everyone playing their part. Plus, it relieves some of the pressure on us!
4. Exercise
I have personally found it pretty hard to get into a good routine with this, since there is no one to keep me accountable! Most kids are pretty active anyway, but it’s important to set a good example and hopefully set them up for a pattern of regular exercise as they get older and less naturally active. So this year (after realizing getting up early for a run by myself was never going to stick!), I decided to embrace the fact that we are all together, and make the time after breakfast and before school work starts exercise time. I strap the youngest two into the stroller and the rest of us run or bike around the local walkway for 20 minutes or so. It’s working!!
5. Fun
This is an area I can be guilty of neglecting to plan. Ideally, it would be worth aiming to read aloud together every day, and maybe doing a games night once a week. Now that we’re all cooped up at home it might be a good idea to plan some games or a fun activity such as a science experiment or dance class every afternoon!
6. Unstructured time
Kids need time to do their own thing, make their own fun and just be. Often as parents we get so caught up in organizing every minute of their lives that we forget to leave time for this! My kids are devastated if there isn’t time in the day for free play, and even if they say they’re bored it’s amazing what imaginative games they come up with! I’m not including screen time in this either – let them do dress ups, play with lego, play outside, do craft.. the options are endless. In addition, this time gives us as parents the space to do the things we need to do, and have a break!
7. Screen time
This is a really important area to be disciplined and routine about! For the sake of our kids’ mental health, physical health and creativity we should impose limits, conditions and boundaries on their screen use. Perhaps they could earn their screen time with chores and good attitudes to school work. It shouldn’t be a right, but a reward. The benefits of screen time to them are minimal, although I do appreciate the need for time out for parents!
8. Bedtime
Sleep is SO important for both kids and adults! In terms of brain development, mental health and even physical health we should be making this a priority for ourselves and our kids, and we should have regular bed times and wake times (read Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker!) Preschoolers’ naps can be fitted around other homeschooling activities, to make the best use of the time. Part of ensuring our kids get enough sleep is not allowing them to take their devices with them to bed! They need their rest.
It will most likely be too hard to get all 8 of these key areas for homeschool routines running smoothly at the same time, but perhaps aim to focus on 1 or 2 to start with!
