Manage the Homeschool Morning Madness
Our homeschool mornings are completely crazy sometimes. Start with an up-all-night-with-the-baby mama and a cranky teething crawler, then add a couple of energetic kids who need constant instruction AND chaos tends to ensue (as you experience every day can imagine). Talk about an outmatched morning!
As homeschoolers, we have things that must be done prior to starting our school day. If we don’t eat a decent breakfast, none of us can focus. If our work area is cluttered, then everyone is distracted. If our teeth aren’t brushed (eww) and we aren’t dressed by noon (eek), we NEVER accomplish as much as we should.
After a few days weeks of choosing between kids running amok and starting school late or barking orders like a drill Sargent, I decided we needed a change to our homeschool morning. We have an order to what we are supposed to do, and the routine keeps us from wondering where the day went at 2 pm – still donning our bathrobes and fuzzy slippers.
The problem is, my little ones can’t remember what they are supposed to be doing, where, or when. Unless I constantly am there to instruct or remind, of course, but being in three places at once is slightly difficult! 😉
Enter the glorious morning checklist for the homeschool morning!
All of our morning tasks are outlined in the order I expect them to be completed. There is a picture for each task, so even my preschooler can understand. Each item can be checked off as they go with a dry erase marker. According to my kiddoes, this makes it fun! If they complete their checklist in a timely manner without mama having to intervene, they receive a small treat or reward (think getting to use the cool pencil for the day, a sticker, or an M&M).
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After waking up, I want to train my children to pray over their day as the very first thing they do. Before my feet hit the floor, I talk to my Savior. We cannot survive days without the Holy Spirit guiding us and Jesus intervening before the Father on our behalf. Attempting homeschooling, or the homeschool morning in the strength of our sinful flesh tends to end badly. (Ask me how I know! 😉 )
Plus it seems silly to not ask the one who knows what I am going to be up against each day, before it happens, to be the Lord of my day and to help me through. He is the reason we are breathing this day ladies, and He has given us this time with our children. This doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Praise Him and ask Him for help! We are all outmatched mamas on our own!
Once our prayers are finished, it is time to eat breakfast. I am programmed to need food prior to doing anything that requires patience, as I wake up hungry. My children are usually the same way, so we eat breakfast next. I usually have some healthy options that they are able to get to on their own. We stock up on yogurt, homemade granola bars, and fresh fruit that they can easily access. I also have them help make baggies of healthy cereal that are proportioned appropriately so they can grab them in the morning or at snack time. After breakfast, they are expected to clean up their mess. I am still working on training them in this area, and perfection isn’t expected.
They then brush their teeth. They are still learning how to be neat with their toothpaste spitting and rinsing, so we do this before getting dressed for the day. I lay out their clothes as part of my nightly routine, so they are easily able to find their outfits and get dressed on their own.
Once they are dressed, they head over to their chore charts and get started. I reset our chore charts in the evening as well. I try to pick out a few chores that they can each help bless our family by doing, and then add a couple fun ones they enjoy doing. They move their chore magnets off of their chart when they are completed. We keep chore time fun, and we all help out to serve one another.
The last thing on our checklist is to start schoolwork. Each child has a morning binder that they are able to get out and begin on their own. When they are able to see exactly what they should be doing and when they should be doing it, our homeschool mornings run so much smoother!
We can even avoid mommy meltdowns! Whew, we may be outmatched, but we made it to the school-day unscathed!
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Tiffany
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