The Power of Homeschool Routines
Have you ever been rendered immobile by the thought of everything that needs to be done? Overwhelmed with a list of things that you need to do for the day, let alone thinking about the week or month ahead? I think we all are from time to time… the trick is to keep chipping away at things little by little, one step at a time!
Have you ever stayed with family or visited a close friend and offered to help put their dishes away? This task is one you’ve done thousands of times in your own home, but try putting away all the dishes in someone else’s home and the task takes two or three times as long. You can figure out where the measuring cup or potato peeler goes, but it may take some trail and error to find that right spot. When you get home, you’re sure to breathe a sigh of relief at how easy this task is, right?
That’s the power of building out strong, comfortable, familiar routines. You know right what to do and can jump in easily.
It may take a while to build a homeschool routine that suits you and your family. No doubt you’ll need to shift and change it as circumstances change. But going back to our dishes analogy… there are many ways to accomplish the same task. Sometimes you put the dishes away right away. Sometimes you put a few dishes away, do something else, and then return to the dishes. Sometimes the kids put the dishes away!! No matter how its done… it does get done, right?!
Developing your homeschool routine: This is the fun and challenging part, right? Figuring out how you’ll run your homeschool and life in general! You might have a fancy basket filled with morning books and activities to do with your family. You might snuggle with the kids reading books first thing. You might have a nice breakfast and get started right away. Your kids might stagger out of bed at different times and you work with them individually as they make their way to the kitchen or living room! Your family might get the “hardest” subjects done first. You might have a fairly rigid schedule… or a loose one. You
Keeping Yourself (and your homeschool) on Task: I tend to use a paper homeschool planner and keep that close at hand (below is a picture of the homeschool planning pages I am currently using). You might have a list on a white board or a checklist on the fridge. You might even have an app on your phone. At times, I have made the kids their own checklists… and that worked really well for a while. Other times, I make sure that I ask the kids if they’ve gotten such-and-such done and check things off on my own homeschool checklist. Whatever works for your that keeps you and the kids moving through your day. Be as specific or as general as you want on that list… it’s just a guide to keep you moving calmly through your day.
One Step at a Time: No matter how long our list, things get done one small step at a time, one task at a time, one subject at a time, one dish at a time. Plan to devote at least 5 to 15 minutes on these tasks each day… make an agreement with yourself that you’ll at least touch on the subject. You don’t have to do very much, but at least touch on it. The effort is worth it! Remember the saying…
Constant dripping of water wears away stone.
Last fall, I bought some bulbs for the garden. It was on my to-do list for an embarrassingly long time. The task really didn’t take me long once I made it a priority; I got them in just after Thanksgiving. Now, we’re enjoying the beauty of that small effort.
Think of your homeschool in the same way. You are planting bulbs. You are weeding, spreading mulch, and doing the other mundane tasks of daily life. Eventually, you’ll look up and see that your kids have blossomed into amazing, impressive, beautiful young people!
Have a fabulous homeschool day!
~Liesl
You might enjoy some of these related posts:
- Homeschool Encouragement: Intangible Things You Need To Homeschool
- 8 Things to Remember about Homeschooling
- 5 Common Homeschool Mistakes to Avoid
- Homeschooling Multiple Ages from 8 on Down
- Challenging and Inspiring Your Homeschooled Kids
- Homeschool Thoughts: Spending Time Reviewing
- 10 Ways to Avoid Homeschool Burnout
- Organization: How We Keep On Top of Homeschooling
- Homeschooling is Like Coaching an Olympic Sport
- High Standards and a Nurturing Atmosphere
- What are Some of the Benefits and Challenges of Homeschooling?
- A Story of the Wise Teacher and the Student
- Life Happens – Things crop up and we have to be flexible.
- Thoughts on Teaching: Creating a Power Morning
- Homeschool Motivation: 10 Ways to Keep Going
You might also be able to use these free resources:
- Free Homeschool Planning Pages (Vision Planner for planning out your next homeschool year)
These Curriculum Resource Guides are somewhere between 30 and 50 pages and are FREE to download:
See you again soon here or over at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page! Don’t forget to Subscribe to our Homeschool Den Newsletter. You might also want to check out some of our resources pages above (such as our Science, Language Arts, or History Units Resource Pages) which have links to dozens of posts. You might want to join our free Homeschool Den Chat Facebook group. Don’t forget to check out Our Store as well. 
Happy Homeschooling, everyone!! ~Liesl
Thank you!