The Importance of Routine in Homeschooling
Every family has different schedules and things to do throughout the day. Setting up a realistic and inclusive routine is key since it will create habits and promote a structure that can optimize your efficiency.
Similarly for children, having structure promotes security; an element that is paramount in their development.
Routines can provide structure for families and help them organize everyday tasks. When you are homeschooling, these activities and lessons can be weaved seamlessly into the day, without rush or pressure.
Routines can also create a sense of identity, security, and belonging for family members; they often hold special meaning for children. Hence, it is important that these are repeated regularly and that they accommodate the needs of all family members.
Homeschooling gives you the opportunity to create a schedule that fits your family specifically, and just because they are called routines doesn’t mean they need to be boring! Learning, and organizing can and should be fun if we set it up subtly without the need to control all the details.
Holistic Education means, hands-on lessons, emotional development, character formation, manners, social skills are all a part of the curriculum.
With a good routine, these aspects can be naturally nourished in day-to-day life, thus homeschooling doesn’t only happen when we sit at the table to draw out the activities or watch the educational videos.
Here are some benefits of setting a routine:
The chance to eliminate non-beneficial habits
Reduce stress
Improve Focus
Create structure and provide a sense of security
Enhance presence and the ability to enjoy each moment
Having a schedule guides you in determining what your priorities are so that you can spend the right time on the right tasks.
Below I am sharing my own family routine :
Make the beds
Morning meditation
Water the plants
Morning movement
Breakfast
Literacy Activity
Start cooking and setting up for lunch
Break (play outside)
Math/ Science/History activity
Lunchtime
Clean Up
Storytime and reading
Sunset walk/ supper or snack
Bath time
Clean the house
Bedtime prayer
Checking off the list as the day goes on, and keeping this list in sight creates trust with my students and allows them to relax into each activity.
Before you jump into homeschooling or complementary education at home, take some time to draw out a fun and healthy routine for your children and help them create their goals to ensure that they live their days intentionally.
