As a believer, you have every intention on starting your day off with God; but, do you ever find it difficult to put Him first in your homeschool morning routine?
Trust me when I say that this mama struggled for years to get a grip on establishing a routine that eventually felt mundane and led me to quit cold turkey. Month after month I would reattempt to start a morning routine that honored God while modeling good believer habits for my kids.
Reality is, I needed help. Perhaps you are in this exact same spot right now. Maybe you are headed there without realizing it. Or, you could be the mama who already has this part of her day mastered (kuddos). Either or, I want to share three practical steps that can help you put God first in your homeschool morning routine.
Related Article: 7 Secret Homeschooling Mom Routines that Saved my Sanity
Devise a Plan
Don’t overthink this step. This plan needs to be simple and something that can easily flow with your family dynamic and unique homeschooling style.
Consider some things you can do that will be natural for your family, instead of a shocker. Check out these ideas:
- Use breakfast time to have a family-style devotional.
- Establish transition times as a time for prayer.
- Have some busy bodies? Kick off the day with praise, worship, and dancing.
- Choose a “big helper of the day” to gather materials you may use (more about this next)
- Have a back up plan just in case.
Whatever you plan to do, don’t forget to have a discussion with your children. Let them know of any changes that will be made, and why. In this case, take the time to explain the new plan for helping put (and keep) God first in your homeschool morning. The discussion can also be taken deeper to explain the why to your new plan.
This is also a great time to get ideas from your older children. You may be surprised what they suggest!
Gather Materials
When it comes to materials, I have found that less is more. I dropped all the extra books, coloring pages, and journals and opted in for one family-style devotional that I actually authored myself, and my Bible. That’s it!
Of course you can opt in to use whatever is necessary for your family; however, keep in mind that if it feels like more of a task and burden, you may be less likely to stick with your plan.
My newest book, Day-Starter Devotionals: Family Style is an all-encompassing resource packed with monthly prayers, weekly devotional prompts, and Scripture quote cards. It is made to be used for an entire year so it’s super feasible on time and wallets. (See a live preview here.)
If you use a morning basket, include the materials in that basket to ensure they are completed in the morning. If you don’t do the morning basket thing, that’s okay! Simply keep your materials in the area where you and your family meet in the morning.
Related Article: The Easy Way to add Foreign Language to Your Morning Basket
Execute
Now that you’ve put together a plan and gathered your materials, it’s time to put it into action. This is the biggest and most important step, as well as the most meaningful.
Our children are watching our every move. I try not to beat myself up for starting something and not following through or finishing. This area is no different. Knowing that I am showing my kiddos how to be doers of the Word and not only hearers is my personal motivation for doing our morning devotional… even when I don’t feel like it.
Yes, there will be days when throwing out this part of the day in exchange for something else seems appealing. But it’s important to stick to your plan, or that backup plan. And if you forget, do what you planned as soon as you remember.
A Peak Inside My Homeschool Morning Routine
Just so you know, we are relaxed, eclectic, do-our-own-thing kind of homeschooling family. I tried the whole “everyone wake up by 7 to start our day” thing, and nope, didn’t work for us.
What I found that works is allowing everyone to wake up on their own. It’s so amazing to see that everyone still ends up waking up about the same time! So, while everyone is waking up, using the bathroom, and getting diapers changed, I begin to prepare breakfast.
I use breakfast time to read from the Day-Starter Devotionals: Family Style mainly because if my kiddos are putting food in their mouths, they’re not talking or interrupting me (best tip ever).
By using the devotional, I read a prayer that prays Scripture over my children and our family in general. The weekly devotional prompt is read afterward and discussed. These two things combined take less than 10 minutes!
Having done this for several months, we look forward to this time together. It’s also amazing to see small changes in behavior, hunger for the Word, and overall family relationships.
I’d love to hear from you! Chime in the comments below and tell me how you put God first in your homeschool morning routine!
And, just for you, I am offering one blessed winner a FREE copy of my new family devotional, Day Starter, Family Style!
Enter to win a FREE Physical Copy of With the Huddlestons Family Devotional here!
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Michelle Huddleston is an Author, Mentor, and Home Education Specialist. She, and her husband Bryan, have four children and enjoy homeschooling in the great outdoors. Founders of With the Huddlestons, it is their desire to provide homeschooling families worldwide with tools, resources, and support that help them confidently homeschooling their way. From a free online homeschool COOP program to an online Academy with live eCourses – With the Huddlestons helps take the pressure off home education!
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