A new school year has begun and most of us are trying to get settled into a new groove for the year. No matter what form of education you have chosen for your children, all of them require a commitment to a schedule/routine. I thought I would share a few things I have learned over the years to help the school year run smoothly. As a homeschooling teacher and mother, my experience comes from that, however, every family runs better with a good schedule/routine whether they have school at the kitchen table, at the computer, or in a traditional classroom via public, private, or charter school.
The key to a good school year is having a schedule or routine. The two are similar, but deciding which one works best for your family is key to having as easy a year as possible. A schedule is more direct and each day is broken down in time allotments for what needs to be done. Although I feel that both a schedule or a routine should be written out for the whole family to see and refer to on a daily basis, a schedule is written down by times (usually) to know what happens when and how long you have to do it. On the other hand, a routine is a bit more relaxed. A routine is a regular course of procedure, a daily list of things, tasks, projects, or subjects that must be done. If your children attend a traditional classroom each day, then a set schedule is what they are used to and how your family functions during those school hours. For those of us who homeschool, our choice will depend on our personality, the size of our family, our daily chores (or tasks that have to be done), and what works best for our families. I know many moms who strive and thrive on a strict hour to hour schedule from the moment they get up in the morning until they go to sleep at night. Every minute of the day is accounted for and for those times when unexpected things come up, they somehow have time allocated for that too! It just works for them. I, however, am on the other end of that spectrum. Our family thrives on a routine. Although there are a few times during our day that we like to stick to a certain hour and time limit, mostly we just move onto the next item on our list as we finish the one before. Begin and end everyday on a schedule. Whether you are a scheduler or a routine follower, I suggest having two times a day set in stone: wake up and bed time. It's important for everyone in the house to have a time to wake up and a time to go to bed. Children thrive on routine and starting and ending your day in a consistent pattern will bring security and stability for your children and your home. Plan each day between the structure of these two times. "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 Plan ahead. Keep a family calendar that shows all appointments, activities and upcoming events, that all family members can see and refer to before committing to any knew opportunity that arises. To ensure each day runs smoothly, keep a personal list of what needs to be done or any appointment or event scheduled for each day. I personally, keep a couple of lists written down in a small notebook. I have a list of our daily routine: -wake up, quiet time, get ready for the day - breakfast & morning chores - school -lunch -finish any school work that was not completed (this is for my teenagers mostly), nap for my little ones and quiet time for me and the older children (this would be the time I do any project or work that I need to get done -play and afternoon chores -dinner - family time - bath and bed Remember, I'm a routine type of gal, so I do not have certain times that we complete each thing, and everything is subject to change. I also have a list for each month of the year. This is where I jot down important days, events that are coming up or anything special that is happening each month. I also make a list here, of things I may need for those events. Such as gifts, party supplies, vacation supplies, school supplies; whatever it is that I will need to buy or gather before that event occurs. The final list I keep written down is our monthly budget. Be flexible. As the school year progresses, your schedules will change. If your children play sports, those months of the year will look different than the months you are mostly home. Holidays will also look a bit different. Allow room in your schedule or routine for these changes and make sure it is easily adaptable. And remember, life always seems to throw us a curve ball, so be prepared to completely scrap your schedule and start all over if the need arises. Lastly, and most importantly, pray over your schedule. Ask God to lead you and your family each day to use your time wisely. Begin your day with God and teach your children to do the same. Every day that begins with Him will be blessed....even the hard, crazy and unexpected days. "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you." ~ Psalm 37:5 Each of these tips help our home and school run smoothly. Not all days turn out perfectly, but our routine helps our family to stay on track. I hope you find these little tidbits helpful and I'm praying for each of you during this new school year! "But be sure everything is done properly and in order." ~ I Corinthians 14:40 Keep reading God's Word! Joyfully His, Andrea
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
October 2021
Categories |
Photos from John Beans, Noel Feans, Noel F., wuestenigel (CC BY 2.0), kinglear55, It's No Game, faktor1komma5, Noel F., Ted Rabbitts, Lisa Zins, irio.jyske, James Brennan Hawaii, Evim@ge, polipao, mysterykatt123, deziluzija, The Sleep Judge, Tony Armstrong-Sly, John Brighenti, ikarusmedia, Pavel K, amy32080, Matthew Paul Argall, Bennilover, Maria Eklind, kennethkonica, eye of einstein, kinglear55, Bennilover, Tony Webster, mothernaturebeauty, ForestWander.com, GoToVan, wuestenigel, Kenneth Vetter, greenoid, verchmarco, i threw a guitar at him., Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon, verchmarco, r.nial.bradshaw, Noel Feans, Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon, Schneidersphotography, sagesolar, flickr./com/photos/amanda_munoz