It has been a while since I shared our daily routine and guys, I think its time that I share a little peek into our regular days. Everyday is different but I do my best to keep a regular rhythm for my sanity and the kids successes.
Instead of allowing the clock to dictate what we do, we have chosen to follow more of a routine that is broken up into blocks throughout the day. Some people have their daily blocks broken up by times but I have ours divided by food breaks. When we are hungry we move onto the next section. With the exception of my sons definition of hunger because he could eat all day long. Meals and snacks have created natural breaks in our home but maybe it won’t within your walls. You get to decide how and when to switch gears.
1st Block
We start our day with food. Breakfast is usually something quick and easy that the kids can get on their own. Rarely do I help with breakfast but occasionally I need to pour the extra full milk jug or get the eggs out of the fridge. While the kids are getting breakfast I am usually snoozing or getting myself ready for the day.
Each day my kids have daily expectations for chores, personal habits and their education. Right after breakfast they can start tackling their to-do list. More on our daily requirements coming up in another post. Their first items are usually personal care items like getting dressed, brushing their teeth and making their bed.
We try and start our day in the word of God with our personal scripture study. Each child has their own set of scriptures and lots of different supplies to use as they wish. I study at the same time and help the kids as needed. Some mornings our family spends more time in the scriptures and some days its just a quick study. The important part is that we are trying everyday.
Our morning basket is my favorite time of the day. We gather together and read books while we snuggle. Yes, all five of us are snuggled up listening to me read. We read pictures books, board books and chapter books. I generally try and keep a variety of books available and let each child choose one book for me to read but I choose some days. Especially if we have books due at the Library or if we haven’t read our chapter book for a few days.
2nd Block
Snack time is the perfect reset. My little kids will often eat and then play around the house but my bigger kids can munch away while starting their lessons. We don’t do lessons in the same order every day or for the same amount of time. Instead I let each individual child pick the order they would like to accomplish their personal lessons. They know which lessons are required of them each day and enjoy the freedom of choosing when they tackle each assignment.
During our 2nd Block I am busy juggling multiple lessons which often works but my kids do take turns when I need to work more specifically with a child. Having a toddler and preschooler makes this difficult but if I take a moment to connect with them they are likely to run off and entertain themselves again. I make sure to have independent work for everyone so that they can still be productive even when it is not their turn.
3rd Block
Lunch time is the best time!! I get started prepping meals while my kids are finishing up their lessons or playing (preferably outside). Some days that means I am making sandwiches while reading my sons math book upside down to him while he is on the other side of our island but it gets the job done.
The speed in which my kids finish eating is hilarious. They either scarf down their meal or take 9,000 hours to finish what is on their plate. When our kids plates are clean and they drank their water then they can finish up any chores from their list before heading upstairs for quiet time. Quiet time means naps for the littlest and individual reading for everyone else. Once everyone has settled down then we move into more academics.
For our family style lessons such as Science and History, we have them on a loop schedule which means we rotate though them. We don’t do both in the same day often and sometime we don’t get through a whole lesson before attention is lost. We just do what we can and stop when it is needed. I use my best judgement, often we can push though and finish what we are learning about but occasionally we just need to try again another day.
4th Block
Once our youngest wakes up we either have free time, finish our lessons or have a snack. Just depends on the day and how the kids are. Most often we are done learning and need a bite to eat before they play together. If the days has either been great or terrible I will sometimes turn on a TV show but the days without TV are always our best days. My husband arrives home during this block which normally means a quick tidy up and game before we start making dinner.
5th Block
You can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Dinner is made, everyone is eating and you just have to get through the next few hours. After dinner clean up we pick up the house again and perhaps play another game before throwing the kids into their pajamas. We end our nights with our Scripture Bedtime Stories and individual reading time. The little’s have a shorter reading time than the big’s but eventually everyone is tucked into bed.
Victory Block
We made it! The day is over, well our home school day is over. Luckily, our kids are involved in daily chores so there isn’t a lot of work to be done after bedtime but there is always something to do. I try and get something done but I also like eating chips on my couch with my husband while we watch a show so I don’t always spend the night the best way. Truth is I don’t even feel bad about that. The nights are for me and I love not having to think about too much after bedtime.
How does your day look different than ours? What would you like to take from our daily life and add yours? Share in the comments below.
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