Anyone who has been homeschooling for awhile can tell you that getting your kids into the mindset of doing school at the kitchen table is tricky. Regardless of whether you’re starting out homeschooling or whether you’ve pulled your kids from public school, setting a routine is the very first challenge of a homeschooling mother.
Unfortunately, I cannot offer you the schedule to beat all schedules that works for every kid. That’s the great thing about homeschooling–you can individualize your instruction to suit the needs of each different kid.
I can tell you that having a rigid routine and a set time for each particular subject does not work for our family. My twins do not see the need to be quiet during Math every day at 9am. However, here are a few of the things I’ve done to help tame the scheduling monster:
Have a set beginning and ending time
We homeschool from 8:00am untill a set time everyday. (The set time is determined by afternoon activities.) There are good days where we finish every single conceivable subject under the sun and then there are those days where school. . .
drags. . .
on. . .
and on. . .
forever.
Why don’t I make my kids sit until their finished with a subject? Well, have you ever had a bad day and nothing went right? Your day gets bad enough that you can’t think straight? I imagine that happens to kids too! Having an ending time rather than an ending subject can relieve frustration which is a roadblock to learning. Remember, the goal is to get your child to learn. . .not to finish a set number of worksheets.
Mix up your subjects
We as adults tend to organize things according to what makes sense. If you’ve bought a pre-packaged curriculum, you are likely to organize things according to how it’s written. However, you are allowed to think outside the box! You don’t have to run your day as it’s written in the lesson plan book. Take subjects that are harder for your child and follow them up with things that are either fun or easier for your child.
Squeeze school in
If you’re very new to home schooling I’m going to let you in on a “veteran” secret: you don’t have to finish every page of every workbook and textbook that you buy. Really! Furthermore, you can turn any activity into a learning activity. Making dinner? You can squeeze in cooking skills, as well as measuring, fractions, following directions, reading and maybe even a little chemistry depending on what you’re cooking. What has always amazed me though, is that it is at these times that my kids are most likely to pull something out of what we’ve been learning and want to discuss it. Regardless, life is a big education in and of itself and living it can teach your children a ton.
Don’t Give Up
Another secret that any classroom teacher will tell you if you ask is that they really spend about the first month getting kids to learn the routine and how things are done. It takes that long! So if it’s not coming together in the first week–ease up on yourself, take a deep breath and keep trying.
Setting a routine and expectations is one of the hardest things to do when you first start home schooling. However, consider it an investment. While it may take you awhile to figure out what works, you will figure something out and your kids will be the better for it.