Establishing a Homeschool Routine During COVID-19: A Homeschool Mom’s Insight
*This article contains affiliate links and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the links provided, though there will be no extra cost to you. Read our full disclaimer here.
With the spread of COVID-19 and resultant school closures, kids everywhere are suddenly being homeschooled, and parents everywhere are losing their minds on how to possibly manage this.
Well, let me try to help a little…
I actually just transitioned this year into homeschooling my older two kids (5th and 6th grade), so I have had a little time to establish a routine that may be helpful to some of the parents now trying to manage this new territory.
My kids have been doing online schooling where I am there to assist and answer questions, though they can manage much of it on their own, being that they are a little older. Obviously, this would not be true of very small kids, so of course that will require more hands-on work from the parents.
My kids have loved homeschooling from day one because they basically get their work done in just a few hours, rather than spend a whole day away at school. While I have also loved the efficiency of this, it has left us with many open hours to fill.
In the beginning, I realized that both kids, but especially my son, were spending WAY too much time playing video games, watching TV, and generally just sitting around. They finished school work so quickly that there were just way too many hours left, and I realized those hours were being used quite idly.
Both kids had also started working in their own bedrooms, rather than the original space we had desginated, and at times I would find them just sitting on their devices when I thought they were doing schoolwork.
Another problem was that we were also getting away from adhering to a bedtime or waking by a certain time, since there was no real schedule in place.
All in all, I just started to feel like we were being a little too lazy and not using our time wisely. So, we came up with a system that has been a complete game-changer.
The first thing we started was getting back to regular bedtime and wake times. I wanted us all on the same page and ready to start our day together at the same time. I particularly wanted this because of the first thing I wanted to implement with our time home together – daily bible study.
We now start each morning by sitting around the table together – I with my coffee and kids with their breakfasts – and we all read our bibles. We began in the New Testament, and each day we take turns reading aloud for a couple of chapters, while discussing what certain scriptures mean and how it all applies to our lives today. Then we read a Psalm or two, as I want them to understand the power of prayer and praise.
This usually only takes about 30 minutes, but it is the perfect start to the day for all of us.
The next step in our new routine has been vital.
All devices are placed on my desk at the start of our day.
So now, I don’t have to worry that my son is locked in his room playing on the iPad when I think he is doing school work.
The kids know they do not get their devices back until they have completed all productive things for the day and I say it’s okay to have them back.
Before devices are returned, they must complete the following list:
- All school work for that day must be done. We have an online school that generates the daily schedule, but the idea is that there should be about 3-4 hours of work each day to stay on track with the amount they would be learning in a brick and mortar school.
- They must complete some sort of workout for P.E. time. They sometimes go running together outside, sometimes use our treadmill, complete other exercises that we have taught them, or even play basketball or other outdoor activities. The point is that there has to be at least some exercise each day that really gets their heart rates up.
- They have to complete whatever chores I assign for that day. These are always different, depending on what needs to be done, but these are generally things like sorting and/or putting away laundry, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning bathrooms, etc. This is VITAL to keeping them productive, while also giving me the help I need, given that I am now spending time helping them in their studies that used to be my time to work.
Generally, my kids will bounce between the items on this list, which helps to break up the day. I also work from home and know that I struggle to just sit and work for hours on end. I am always hopping up from my desk to start a load of laundry, do some dishes, whatever will help break up the monotony of just sitting, so I allow my kids to do the same.
As long as they get everything done, I generally don’t mind the order that they do things, though some kids may do better with an exact schedule, which would be fine as well – do whatever works for you personally.
Though we allow flexibility, a general timeline of our day would look something like this:
Another thing that I have implemented may not work for everyone, but it has helped us. I make the kids do their work together, in the same room at our designated space, rather than disappearing to their separate bedrooms. Though this of course means they at times argue or mess with each other, as a whole it has been really great.
Being together makes it feel more like a classroom, and they hold each other accountable. It makes it designated time where they each do their work, and they help to keep each other on task (because of course they would be quick to tattle if the other wasn’t working). Also, there are times where I hear uproars of laughter, so I love that they are spending the time together.
Now, all siblings are not created equally, so if your kids are likely to kill each other and just distract, then keeping them separate may be the better option.
We have also discussed what TV qualifies as educational – shows like Brain Games, which my kids LOVE. I will sometimes allow TV watching during the middle of the day, even if the list is not completed, IF the show is educational. This has allowed even more flexibility in the things they can be doing, while still being mindful of education.
Every family is different, so each has to come up with what works best on an individual basis, but I hope this helps to inspire a general guideline of what might work. The basic point is to come up with things that you would deem to be productive in addition to just the school work, and then allow those things to be dispersed throughout the day so that you won’t feel as though the day was wasted.
We all function better with a schedule, so I definitely encourage all parents to try to come up with what will work for their family so that we can all survive this unchartered territory while it lasts.
~ Jennifer ~
