As a homeschool mom, my day is always packed very full! Yet, although I’m busy throughout the entire day, I consider my days to be peaceful and even somewhat relaxing. Sure, there’s a rough day every now and then, but the good ones always outweigh the bad. In this blog post, I’m sharing what a typical homeschool day in the life looks like….from the perspective of the mom.
Being a homeschool mom is such a blessing, and it’s a lifestyle we chose very much on purpose. I used to be a full-time hairdresser, but I gladly set that aside to be home with my family. You can read more about that story here.
Not all of our days as a homeschool family are the same, but they typically follow the same rhythm. I hope you gain a bit of encouragement from this blog post! If you’re still considering homeschooling but you aren’t sure it’s right for you, take a minute to read my post all about how to know whether or not it will suit your family.
Early Morning
Our homeschool day in the life starts with my early morning time! Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a morning person! I like to wake up around 5:00 so that I have some quiet time by myself before the kids wake up and my responsibilities begin.
The first thing I do most mornings is take our dog (a Great Pyrenees/Standard Poodle mix) for a walk. We live around lots of farmland so I find my morning walks to be both scenic and inspiring!
When I get home from my walk, I make my first cup of coffee for the day and settle in with my laptop to try and get some work done. This usually consists of either blog-related work, or video editing for my YouTube channel.
Having this quiet morning time to myself is so important to me. It sets me up for the rest of the day, rejuvenates me and puts me in the proper headspace to handle everything ahead. I don’t typically have too much free time once the day begins, so I claim this early morning time as my own!
Morning Chores
Every morning around 7:00, my youngest wakes up. I can pretty much set my clock to it! He and I always have some special snuggle time together before I wake up my oldest, who likes to sleep in a bit longer. I usually wake her up around 7:30, and then head outside to take care of our chickens! We have a flock of laying hens who provide us with the most delicious and colorful assortment of eggs!
During garden season (which happens to be the time of year it is as I’m writing this), I finish with the chickens and take a walk through my garden. I only spend a little bit of time in the garden during the morning chores, and I like to think of it as having “eyes on things”. I do a quick scan to make sure there are no issues that need immediate attention, such as evidence of overnight pest damage. Usually, I pull a handful of weeds to try and stay somewhat on top of that job – although I’m beginning to believe that weeding is like pulling gray hairs. You pull one and two more grow back in its place!
Once I’m done outside, I come in and clean up the kitchen. I wash any dishes that are in the sink from the previous night and wipe down the counters and kitchen table. We do the majority of our school work at the kitchen table, so it’s important to me that it’s free of any clutter or crumbs.
While I’m cleaning up the kitchen, the kids take care of their chores. My daughter goes outside to take care of her rabbits, and my son feeds the dog and tidies up the mudroom and living room. Once we’re done with our chores it’s time to brush teeth and get ourselves ready for the day. Once we’re ready, we all meet up in the kitchen right around 8:30 for breakfast.
Breakfast/Bible
Our homeschool day in the life consists of a very simple homeschool schedule. In fact, it’s much more of a homeschool routine rather than a true schedule. We don’t aim to do things at specific times, we just work our way through the morning and then do the next thing when we’re ready.
However, we always start our daily routine with what we call Breakfast/Bible time. We sit together at the kitchen table with our breakfast, and I read 2 devotions out of our devotional book. Right now we are reading from “How Great Is Our God” by Loui Giglio. Each of the kids takes a turn picking one for me to read, and we usually end up having a few minutes of discussion centered around what we just read. Starting things off this way always brings us together as a family, and prepares our hearts and minds for the day. It has become a staple in our morning routine.
A Typical Homeschool Day In The Life
Being a homeschool mom is a full-time job! Not only do we have our children’s education to think about, but most of us are full-time homemakers as well. Don’t misunderstand me, I am NOT complaining! I absolutely love my life and cherish the time I get to spend with my family! But what I have learned over my years of wearing these hats, is that it does take a bit of organization.
Our homeschool days have a flow to them that is fairly predictable. This is so the kids know what to expect and also so I have time to get things done around the house. Not every day goes as planned and there are always hiccups – that’s life! But I try to maintain a general routine within our school year, because it makes things easier for everyone!
School Time
Once we finish our devotions we head right into our homeschool day. We usually aim to be done around lunch time, so we try not to waste too much time getting things started.
The first thing the kids do is their morning journals. These have been a game changer in our homeschool! If you don’t know what morning journals are, you can read all about what they are and why they have been so amazing, here.
After morning journals, we head into whatever subject we have decided is next. I created a daily schedule board on our wall where I lay out the order of subjects for the morning. I simply printed out each subject name, laminated them and attached Velcro strips to the back of each one. Each day I move things around depending on what we have on the go, or what we want to accomplish. The kids will often take turns setting the schedule for the day as well! It’s a fun way to get them involved, and we all thrive off of knowing what is coming next!
Subjects
Most days consist of some language arts, a math lesson for each child, and a lesson from our current unit study. The unit studies change all the time depending on our curriculum choices for the year, but the routine stays relatively the same.
Now that my daughter is 11, most of her school time consists of independent work. I still help her when she needs it, but she’s becoming mostly self lead. This frees me up to sit with my 6 year old and help him with his lessons.
Even though they mostly do their own work, we always do science units that incorporate every grade level. This means that much of the lessons are done together, but with age appropriate assignments. Also, depending on the day there will be a history lesson in the form of reading a book or watching a video, and of course a field trip thrown in here and there!
Lunch Time
Like I said earlier, we aim to finish school around lunch time every day. If you are new to homeschooling and that seems crazy to you….I assure you, it’s not! There is very little wasted time during an average day of homeschooling, so there is no reason for our days to be as long as public school! In fact, really young children only need about an hour each day…broken up. So being done by lunch is very normal in the homeschooling world and provides more than enough time for school work.
Lunch is very casual in our home and I keep it super simple. I always cook a big meal for supper, so lunch usually consists of snack plates that our family calls “Fancy Plates”. They are basically just a plate with a variety of healthy options on it! I get these made up for the kids and they eat while I start a few things around the house.
I like to get a few of my homemaking chores done before I take my lunch break. These include tasks such as making the bed, throwing in a load of laundry, and tidying up the kitchen. I do have the kids put away their school books and supplies, but I always take a minute to wipe the table down again, and do a quick vacuum. There is always eraser dust all over everything!
Everything Time
I call the early afternoon the “everything time” because that’s really what it is! This is the part of the day where everything else that needs attention gets dealt with. And that really varies by the day!
Some days it’s grocery shopping and music lessons. Other days it’s cleaning the bathrooms and tending to the garden. And some days we head out to meet up with some friends at a playground! I always block off our mornings for our school time, so the afternoons are literally where everything else happens!
One thing I don’t do is structure my kid’s time during the afternoons. Unless they have a specific activity going on, the afternoons are all about free play for them. As a homeschool mom, I view free play as a crucial part of their growth and development. This is the time where they explore things they’re interested in, and bring their imaginations to life! It’s also the time that I tackle whatever jobs around the house need my attention.
Supper Time
I usually start preparing our supper around 4:00 in the afternoon. We value family time during supper, and we make it a point to eat together at the table every night. I also really enjoy cooking and have turned this time of day into some “me time”! This is the time of day where I let the kids watch a show on TV if they want to, and I listen to a podcast while I cook. It’s a bit of quiet down time for them, and it’s a time of nourishment for my own mind and soul.
My husband finishes work between 5:00-5:30, so I aim to have supper ready right around 5:30. We eat together, the kids tell their Dad about their day, and then the evening is spent together as a family.
I don’t do a ton of housework in the evening, but will fold laundry or something small if needed. Sometimes, I will go over our lesson plans for the following day if they require some extra materials, but that usually isn’t necessary.
These Are The Good Days
I love being home with my family! Like I said before, this was something we chose to do. Sure we have some rough days, who doesn’t? We’ve had days when someone is crying over their math lesson, or sibling rivalry flares up and creates a bit of tension. Those things are normal and will happen in every homeschool family out there!
But none of those moments ever make me wish we weren’t living the life we’re living. These days with my children are the good days. Someday I will look back on my life as a mother and I know I will never regret spending this time with them.
Being a homeschool mom and homemaker is tiring, but it’s the best kind of tired! If you’re already living a life similar to me, I want to encourage you along your journey! If you aren’t but you’re feeling called to it, my advice is to give it some serious consideration. It IS possible! You may have to make some sacrifices to get there like we did, but it’s worth every single one!
Blessings!
~Maryann
[…] routine stays the same, but what we do within that time may vary from day to day. This post about a day in our life dives deeper into what our daily routine actually looks […]