One of the many fantastic aspects of homeschooling is that you can literally do school any of the 24 hours in your day! I was just about to gather everyone to the table, but they’re all playing so nicely together right now that I decided to let them be. We’ll get to school in a bit. Since they’re busy, I decided to write to you.
Our family routine has changed over the years, but it always contained several key aspects- 10 of them actually. I’d love to share them all with you but then this post would be WAY TOO LONG. So how about 5 today and 5 tomorrow?
So, in no particular order, here are 5 things I include in our days to keep them streamlined and everyone (mostly) on track.
Prepare the night before
Years ago I learned the valuable lesson that each day actually starts the night before. By setting out clothing, school books, anything I need for breakfast – and anything else that will help the day run more smoothly.
Meal plan
Meal planning, freezer cooking, and having my baking days each week save me so much time. There’s no guesswork about meals and it really, really helps the budget too.
Here are some popular meal planning posts
How to Meal Plan in 4 Easy Steps (weekly and monthly menu printables)
How I Feed 8 People on $150/Week (with sample menu)
21 Things You Should Make From Scratch
5 Benefits of Cooking From Scratch
45+ Homeschool Lunch Ideas (with a printable list)
15 Staples to Keep on Hand and Over 25 Dishes to Make With Them!
Play with the kids
It’s so easy to get caught up in the have-tos of our days and we often forget the things we get to do. I try to make a point in each day to get down on the floor and play with the kids. Legos, Barbies, drawing, painting . . . anything that helps us connect.
Have a family clean up time
Our family clean time comes right after dinner is cleaned up. At first, I had to supervise and help the kids a bit – train them if you will – but now they know exactly what needs to be done so while I clean up from dinner, they’re tackling the main living areas.
Do one big chore each day
If you’ve been around long, you’ve heard me talk about designated days. The designated days method is kind of my secret sauce for keeping up with the housework. You can find more about that in this post.
Our entire day is filled with gentle productivity and easy rhythms/routines.