When my older kiddos were little, I tried over & over to create a homeschool schedule that worked for us. It would look great on paper but derailed miserably by lunchtime everyday, and left me feeling like a failure.
I don’t remember where I read about establishing a routine vs. a schedule, but it was life-changing for me (I don’t say that lightly).
I discovered that I function best with a daily rhythm… doing the same things in the same order each day.
I now divide our school day into time blocks. For example: 10:30-12:00 is my time to do Math & LA with the younger crew. I know what we have to get done within that block of time, but I am free to help each child in whatever order works best that day. I don’t pin myself down to doing Warrior Boy’s math at 10:30, reading with Sassyfrass at 10:50, etc.
We don’t always stay within the blocks, but at least I know where we should be & can adjust to get back on track.
A peek at this year’s routine:
6:45 crawl drag myself hop out of bed, Bible, coffee, computer time
8:15 kids up, Good Morning Guide, breakfast & read aloud
9:00 Bible Roadtrip
9:30 Theme of the Day
10:30 language arts & math w/the littles; older girls work independently
12:00 lunch, free time to read/play game/work on project/go outside
1:00 quiet time for assigned reading
1:30 Science (Mon/Thurs). History (Tues,Wed), House Blessing (Fri)
2:30 little kids done; older work independently
Establishing a routine is part of my Back-to-School Boot Camp. Check it out to read more about our homeschool plans!
