Our School Day Routine
Since I was 16 years old, I knew that I would homeschool my kids someday.
I love homeschooling – I love the flexibility it offers, the opportunity to study what interests you, the freedom to learn in the way that you learn best, the way it connects and strengthens families, and the free time you have to pursue your hobbies or interests as an individual.
With so many people now finding themselves unexpectedly homeschooling, I wanted to share a peek into what our family’s homeschool days look like.
Before anything else though, I want to be sure you know that every homeschool is different! No one else’s will be just right for your family, because no other family is just like yours. So take ideas from whatever inspires you, but always feel the freedom to do what is right for you.
I’m including links to things I mention if you’d like to learn more!
Our daily routine might look something like…
Everyone wakes up whenever
Breakfast
Kids get ready for the day (dressed, bed made, teeth brushed) & start their independent work (I write their assignments in a spiral notebook.)
I do Piyo (or we take a walk all together)
I take Kjersti upstairs for her morning nap & have quiet time & read my Bible
Kaden’s independent work (written in his notebook)
Math 4 (Teaching Textbooks – on the computer)
Copywork (in a notebook)
Read aloud (10 minutes to younger sibling)
Clean something (differs per day – dust, vacuum, etc.)
Alia’s independent work (written in her notebook)
Violin practice
Piano practice
Handwriting Without Tears workbook
Math worksheet
Read aloud (10 minutes, to Leo or mom)
Clean something (differs per day)
Morning basket (all together) – What is a Morning Basket?
Memory work – Bible, poetry, song, etc.
Bible reading
History read aloud (from a book related to whatever time period we’re studying)
Picture book – historical, science, seasonal, etc.
Bedtime Math app
+ “busy bag” for Leo – blocks, special markers, etc.
Giving Leo a busy bag (he calls it a “school bag”) with things he only can use during school time has been a game changer – I always say the most challenging part of homeschooling is having a 3 year old in the mix, and this has been a big help. There are all kinds of busy bag ideas on Pinterest, his favorites are some wood blocks a friend gave us & his water mat. We keep a handful of things up high in the pantry to rotate throughout the week. The fact that they’re only for school time is what makes this work – if he had access to these things all the time he would have no interest in them at all, but limiting their availability makes them special & fun!
I also have started letting Kaden and Alia do something quiet / not distracting during morning basket while I read to them, and this has been a big improvement too – Kaden usually works on coloring his army figures with sharpie, and Alia varies, but this has greatly reduced pillow throwing and bickering between them while I’m reading, so yay!
Afternoons we have a lot of free time. The kids play Legos, do art projects (on their own, or they also love the drawing videos from Art for Kids Hub), we bake, play outside, read, swim, etc.
Then before bed I usually read a chapter of whatever we’re reading aloud to Kaden and Alia after Leo & Kjersti go to sleep. Right now we’re on The Silver Chair in the Narnia series, and plan to read Heidi next. Some favorites of ours have been the Little House series, Narnia series, Charlotte’s Web, the Boxcar Children, A Little Princess, Harry Potter, and the Secret Garden. We also love to listen to audiobooks during the day or in the car. (Great info on Audible here. Hoopla is included in many library memberships and is a great place for audiobooks too!)
I would say we have a “normal day” like this about 3-4 days a week. We usually have co-op with other homeschool friends one day, and there’s often a field trip or appointment of some sort that mixes things up on another day.
On a less frequent basis we also do & enjoy these things…
Weekly/
Music lessons
Poetry tea time – this is so fun, even if you or your kids think you don’t like poetry. Try it, you will all love it.
Occasionally/
Book of Centuries update – this is from Charlotte Mason and is genius for putting history into context, and pulling together what you’re learning in any subject.
Creative writing project – we’ve been using Jot it Down from Brave Writer. Lots of fun ideas. You could totally come up with your own creative writing projects too.
Nature journal – simple, interesting, and fun.
If you’d like to read more, my favorite homeschooling books are
I also listen to the Read Aloud Revival podcast sometimes & always enjoy it and learn something encouraging when I do. Their first episode is a must listen! Honestly, if you do one thing I’ve mentioned in this post, listen to it now. It’s been transformative in my educational philosophy, in the most liberating and pleasing way.
Read Aloud Revival also has awesome book lists for each month, season, topic, etc., and if they’re on their list, they are really good. It’s a great way to find fantastic new books to read!
If you are getting into homeschooling, and have any questions, I’d love to do my best to help you! Feel free to email me katelyn@katelynheather.com ❤️
Homeschooling is not all pretty and idyllic, and it’s certainly not easy, but it’s so worth it. If you find it’s loud and messy and chaotic, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong, it’s just part of raising children and living life.
This time we’re given with our children is a great gift, and it won’t last forever. I’m so thankful for this opportunity to invest in them.
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