So many moms get stressed about how to manage day-to-day homeschooling. Especially moms in situations like mine where they have infants or toddlers to manage as well. I know every family is different and has different needs, but I wanted to share with you all how our family manages with a schedule. Perhaps you'll gain some inspiration for your own family. I also include which curriculum we use for each subject.
A lot of families don't do well with a schedule and they prefer more “go-with-the-flow” types of homeschool. I often find days like those to be pretty chaotic. With 4 kids, our family does great with a schedule. We will sometimes throw out the usual schedule and do a themed day of fun or go on a random field trip. That is the beauty of homeschooling. As long as you're educating your child, you're doing great!
7 am – Babies wake up
Our family schedule starts when the first child awakes. This is the time when me and the babies wake up and start our morning. I bottle-feed one baby while breastfeeding the other. My bottle baby finishes fast so she gets lots of tummy time to practice crawling. The babies are usually done and ready to go back down for a 2-hour nap at 8.
You can read more how I managed having newborn twins that were on different schedules here.
8 am – Older kids wake up
This is when the older kids are allowed to leave their rooms and start getting ready for the day. They follow a checklist posted in their rooms. The checklist is available in my shop. They must make their beds, brush their teeth, get dressed, brush their hair, and then get breakfast. My 5-year-old and 3 old are able to make their own breakfast (frozen waffles, pancakes, pancake on a stick, reheated eggs, yogurt fruit bowl).
While they are doing this, I take care of myself and get ready for the day.
Girls Morning Checklist (Editable)
Jumpstart your little girl's morning routine with our delightful and engaging “Girls Morning Checklist”. Designed to promote independence and organization, this two-page checklist is a fun, interactive way to help your child master her morning routine.
9 am – Morning Menus
After they are done eating, I make sure their morning menus are clear and ready to be used. I also make sure to update the calendar on our blackboard and write the correct date. After they have cleared the table, they use their dry-erase markers to complete their menus. They both have a calendar page, weather page, and feelings page appropriate for their abilities. My 2nd grader has a clock page, and 2 affirmation pages also. My Kinder has cartoon characters ABCs and adding pages.
We get their morning menus from For the Love of Homeschooling!
While they are completing their morning menus. I take the time to do some computer work. I also look at what is planned for school that day and print off any printables.
10 am – Break/Snack
This is usually when the babies wake up from their nap so the older kids take a break and get a snack while I feed the babies.
11 am – Bible/Grammer/Social Studies
We come back together while the babies play in their playpins or on their play mats. We knock out our group work in Bible, grammar, and social studies. These are relatively short lessons and include some sort of craft or coloring activity. Here are the curriculums we are using for these subjects this year.
Bible: Bible Truths 1 4th ed.
Grammar: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, Level 1
Social Studies: My Story 1 and the World Around Me
12pm- Math
We will sometimes do reading first instead of math. Depends on how time-consuming it is that day. If it will take more time, we will save it for after lunch. We have been using this curriculum since pre-k for threes. I also lay the babies back down for their next nap at this time.
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1pm – Lunch Break
Most of the time the girls will make their own lunch, a PB&J, ham and cheese, or spaghetti-os and meatballs. I'll make my own lunch too. When the girls finish eating, they can play until 2pm unless we have a chore to do or we want to cook something together.
2pm – Reading
We follow Horizons curriculum for reading and spelling. My 3-year-old will sit next to me so I can help her read words and make sure she is writing using the proper form. My 5-year-old will complete her work on her own. When she is focused, she flies through reading and spelling. Her favorite part of this subject is making up sentences to write. She used to hate this part the most a year ago. Her progress over the past year has been amazing.
3pm – Music
The girls have music lessons every Wednesday at 3 so during the other days, we will practice music at the same time. My 5-year-old practices her ukulele on her own by going through the music her teacher gave her. I will practice with my 3-year-old on the piano and go over what her teacher told me. This usually only takes 20 minutes.
3:30 pm – Snack/End of School
That's it! We are done with the main part of the school. Somedays we will just do our morning menus and then go on a field trip. After they finish school work, they will have play time either separately as quiet time, or together. Around 430, they can watch TV until my husband gets home, and while I make dinner. Usually, when my husband gets home, and after dinner, we do a short lesson on the country of the month. We are currently going off of Around the World in Picture Books from Beautiful Feet Books. We just buy the books that we can't find in our local library. The girls don't even realize it is schoolwork. We get to paint, watch YouTube videos, and read picture books. It has been one of my favorite curriculums.
You can read my 24-25 curriculum here.
I would love to include you in my prayers as we both pray over our lives and children. Feel free to email me and let me know how your journey is going.
