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Homeschool Habits & Routines that work
Whenever I tell a non-homeschooling mom that I homeschool, the response is generally the same: a look of horror and comments like, “I could NEVER do that!”
I wonder what these moms are imagining? A stressed out, exhausted mom who doesn’t have time for coffee? Kids in their underwear running wildly around the house?
The idea of putting on the teacher hat scares some parents. They think of how time-consuming schooling must be, how many tasks around the house that will probably end up unfinished, and how much discipline it must take.
Of course we know it is not wild free-for-all (at least we hope not), but when running a homeschool, some practical considerations need to be made:
-How to fit in time for mom to complete other tasks/jobs
-Mom not having to chase down children to get schoolwork completed
-a routine that makes sense for all children in the home and has a good rotation of one-on-one time with mom
-Rules that keep kids focused and on-task until they are done
-Chores and housework getting done daily
Figuring out what habits and routines work for your family will revolutionize your homeschool!
Also, If you need more general homeschool tips, check out my post, “7 Mistakes Homeschoolers Make“. If you are new to homeschooling, start here.
I have been teaching in some capacity (public school, private school, university, tutoring, and homeschool) for almost 20 years and I still don’t consider myself an expert at homeschooling. I feel like it is a work in progress at whatever stage you are in. I have, however, refined and tweeked some of our habits and routines and found them to be quite successful.
Here are some practical tips that have helped me.
1. Handing off the responsibility of doing school to the child
In my early days of homeschooling, I ran into a mom friend at Chick-fil-A. She was sitting by herself enjoying lunch and coffee. I asked her where her children were. She said, “at home, doing school.” At the time, my oldest were in preschool, but I realized that getting my children learning independently had to be a future goal.
Over the years, I have spent a good amount of time talking to my children about responsibility. What if a man showed up to work and immediately asked for a break? How silly would that be? The man must get some work done before he can take a break. I discussed with my children the idea that grown-ups go to work everyday and are responsible for the work they do. In the same way, children are responsible for they work they do. I included the Bible verse about working for the Lord. I also talked about how adults can’t go on vacation until they work to make money to afford the vacation.
In our home, children must complete their independent and online schoolwork before they are allowed to play. They must show me the work, I put a sticker or a star, then they can check it off on their chart. Of course they are allowed to take breaks to eat, use the restroom, or read if they are waiting for a sibling to work with. School should be daily habit like going to work; the responsibility should become the routine.
I made a chart for each child that I put in a sheet protector. The chart has a list of what they must complete each day of the week. They mark it with a dry-erase marker. Each child is responsible for completing their chart each day. This has completely changed the dynamic of our homeschool. I used to be constantly calling for one of children to finish something, now however, they are coming to me with questions and a determined mindset to finish their work quickly.
2. Organize the School Work for Each Child Into Categories
I organize the work into:
-seatwork/independent work (ELA, math, reading…)
-computer time (typing, audiobook, Spanish, geography…)
-Other (piano, sports, arts…)
My children rotate between the computer, table, couch for reading, and other areas. I know which of my children I can teach together and which ones need my individual attention. Keep this in mind when you think through the routine.
Give each child a binder with tabs. The first thing in the binder should be a list of their work (we have ours in a sheet protector). The tabs will depend on what subjects the child has. My older children have tabs for their ELA, history, science, and copywork. My younger children have tabs for sight words, handwriting, science, fluency and such. Not all subjects are in their binder, just the ones that don’t have a separate book or are online. The binder helps keep the rest of their work all in one place and makes it easy for an adult to check.
3. Make Practical School Rules with Rewards & Consequences
If you are unsure what rewards and consequences to use, I always go with what each child likes best. I set up a chart for my children to earn a “star” each day. They get to put a star if they finished their school with a good attitude, no complaining, and working hard. They get one warning before they lose their star. If they get 10 stars in a row, they get to choose a reward. I made a list of rewards based on things my children like. They helped me come up with the rewards.
Write down what you expect from your child during school using positive words. For example, work hard (no running off to play), Positive attitude (no complaining, grumbling), Be helpful, Be respectful (don’t turn up the computer really loud)…etc.
My children also get consequences for not following the rules. This usually includes extra chores or missing out on fun activities.
4. Children are responsible to each other
This has been revolutionary for us! My children are required to read to one another daily and are also required to help each other if one gets stuck and I am not available. This harkens back to my teacher-school days where I read statistics about how teaching someone teaches both the learner and the teacher. It is why strategies such as cooperative learning began to be implemented in schools.
My oldest son reads a science reader to my two youngest daughters. My two youngest read a reading assignment to the older children as part of their schoolwork (one-on-one). My oldest daughter has a novel she reads to all the other children (I usually choose one that has a movie version we can watch later).
5. Organize School Materials
Have one bookshelf for the children’s schoolbooks and binders (ours is located in the schoolroom near the door for easy in and out access). All books for school must be placed back on that shelf even if children choose to read something in their free time. This saves time looking for a book during school time.
Get organized with a rolling cart or bookshelf, some storage bins, a materials caddy, and a bookshelf with books and binders needed for school. Give each child a bin with their books and materials. Place these bins on a bookshelf for easy access. We also have a storage bin for math materials and another for art materials.
A few years ago, I made a dedicated school room in our house. Giving up a room can be a tough decision, but for me it was worth it. If you don’t have space for a room, a homeschool area can work just as well. With some forethought, you truly can homeschool in any size house or area. As long as all materials are organized and accessible, school can be a success. painting..etc.
6. Organize the Schoolroom
If you are thinking about putting a schoolroom in your house, here are some considerations:
–Have the school room in a location that is easily accessible for you. A common complaint from homeschoolers with failed school room situations is that the room is located too far from the main area of the house (such as a basement or attic). When parents and children have to go far to get a drink of water, use the restroom, stir the soup on the stove, use the computer…etc. It can have mom jogging around the house to keep things organized.
–Do not use rolling chairs. Just don’t. Trust me.
—Hang up a big dry-erase board. We use this A LOT. We also use personal dry-erase boards quite a bit and dry-erase markers with built-in erasers.
—Get a caddy for pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers, scissors, paperclips, and glue sticks. Everything needed each day is in one spot. And, when we decide to migrate to the porch on a sunny day, this caddy makes it all possible.
–Purchase a decent pencil sharpener.
–If the computer is in the schoolroom, have headphones available.
–If you have young children who are not schooling, have a basket of activities, books, and online activities at the ready that they can use only during school time. See if your library carries Vox Books (picture/audio books). Choose learn through play items. Some ideas we love: Khan Academy Kids online, Mix ‘n Match Wooden Bear Dress Up, stamps, kinetic sand, water painting, playdough, magnet tiles
7. Figure out what routines and strategies work for your family
Learning doesn’t have to occur at a desk between 8 and 4. My 8 year-old works on her ELA for the next day right before bed. My son wakes up at 6:30 to get his most difficult work done before his siblings are up. I have my coffee and answer his questions in the quiet of the morning. It is a beautiful time for us. My oldest daughter likes doing her work in her room and only comes to the schoolroom when she needs help from me. My youngest and I sit on the porch to do her school when it is a nice day. Most reading in our house occurs on the couch or outside. This is the beauty of homeschooling.
If something just isn’t working, don’t be afraid to make changes. Ask the child how it could work better for him. Sometimes, non-conventional ideas ease anxieties. I know a child who sits on an exercise ball during seatwork. Some families take walks before they start the day. My child used to jump on the trampoline before math (it helped him focus). Many times the solution lies in doing something unique!
8. Have Children Participate in Chores and Other Household Responsibilities
Homeschooling children can be a full-time job or more than a full-time job if you let it. If you want to have time to do anything else, get organized. If you work from home, do hobbies, volunteer, have chores, like to sleep at night, want time to eat food…you need a routine and organization.
Give children daily chores that they must complete along with their school. Write these down somewhere in the form of a list, that way, you can say, “did you do your Tuesday chores?” and the child knows exactly what you mean. My children have personal chores and family chores to complete. For example, my son cleans his room and does his laundry, but also cleans a room in the main part of the house, does the dishes, and takes care of the chickens.
For deep cleaning and organizing, make a list for each child of tasks they are capable of doing. Let the child choose one they would like to do each day or week. When children are given a choice, they are more likely to do the work. When I started including my children in the deep cleaning, I found that they enjoyed doing it, which was a burden lifted for me.
9. Have a Calendar for the Family
When I took down our big calendar in the kitchen, my children actually got upset. I didn’t realize they used it to organize the week in their minds. So, I re-created the calendar in our school room. I put on it important dates, practices, activities, birthdays and such. My children needed this to mentally plan ahead.
Children want to see what is next for the day, so also having this written down is helpful. Of course, I always say, “mom reserves the right to change the routine at any time.”
Good luck!
Whether you are homeschooling one child or 12, a good routine and practical guidelines can make all the difference. And then, of course, you will have days when you throw it all out the window for a nature walk. That’s okay too. 😉
♥ Melanie
