The following post is from Angie of Many Little Blessings: Five Simple Steps to a Better Homeschool Day
Mornings are not my forte, nor have they ever been. Deciding to become a teacher and then ultimately to stay home with my children to homeschool has always proven a challenge for my night owl tendencies. I have found that some of our best days have been made possible when I have followed five simple steps that are sometimes a struggle for someone with a natural inclination to pull the covers over her head and hit the snooze button.
Try one, two, or all of these steps and see if your homeschool day goes better:
Table of Contents
Start the day well-rested.
It can be so easy to want to stay up too late when kids are all snug in their beds, and quiet has descended on the house. It’s a perfect time to catch up on tasks and enjoy some time alone. However, getting an appropriate amount of sleep can decide whether your homeschool day will be a good one or not.
While I’m not suggesting that you go to bed at the same time as your children, it is important to know how much sleep you need to function well each day and ensure that you are getting that regularly.
Write out a plan in advance.
Consider planning your schooling at least a week in advance. If it works for you to schedule farther out, that is wonderful. When a plan is not in place for school, it usually means that Mom will be frazzled trying to schedule things at the last minute, while the children can get grumpy or wild. A plan for your day helps everyone in the house know what to expect and can assist things in running more smoothly.
Prepare materials.
Even if you take the time to plan your day or week in advance if your materials are not prepared, the day can get out of hand and hectic. I know I am always more patient and pleasant when experiment materials are already out, copies have been made, and I don’t have to run around saying, “Just a second! I still need to make these copies.” A little preparation time in advance means that you can be ready to move from subject to subject without those types of interruptions.
Eat a good breakfast.
A good, healthy breakfast is vital to your body’s well-being and can instantly put everyone in a better mood. The difference between a day when your family has had a good breakfast, and when breakfast was an afterthought (or not thought of at all) can be astounding. A good breakfast can also help you get through lessons until lunchtime without having to little ones complain about grumbling stomachs.
Avoid distractions.
How many times have you been about to start school when you decided to check Facebook or your email just one more time? Then, how many times have you found that the “just a minute” of checking turns in to a much longer stop? Work to avoid those electronic distractions first thing in the morning. Try to just check your email and social media accounts when you can actually act on the tasks waiting for you instead of checking often and letting things pile up.
Getting Your Home Ready for Back to School
Planning a Homeschool Calendar with Six-Week Terms
What are some of the things that you have found that help you the most to have a successful homeschooling day?
| Angie, a domestically-challenged writer and artist, is a homeschooling mom to three children. She writes about everything that happens in their lives between all the loads of laundry at Many Little Blessings. She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom, Catholic Mothers Online, and Just a Tiny Owl. | |
