Today’s post is going to be a little different than my norm. I thought that it would be fun to share what a typical day looks like around here during the school year.
I know I’m always curious about how other homeschool moms divide up their day – maybe some of you are the same way. At any rate, I thought it would be fun to write our basic daily routine out here on the blog if for no other reason than for me to be able to look back on later.
As I’ve shared in past posts, we don’t keep a strict schedule for our day or for homeschool specifically, but we do have a routine that we stick to for the most part and three weeks into our homeschool year I feel like we’ve settled into that routine pretty well. Here’s what a typical homeschool day looks like for us right now.
A Typical Homeschool Day for Our Family of Seven
Breakfast
The kids are allowed to come out of their rooms at 7 am (they typically wake around 6:30 am and play in one of their rooms until then.) Ideally we all have breakfast together, but often the kids start before I make it out there. Also, ideally I would be up for awhile getting ready for the day before then (and hopefully that will be the case soon) but with a baby who still wakes in the night I typically just get up the same time as the kids.
Once everyone has finished breakfast Pablo usually reads the Bible there at the table unless he has to rush off to work that morning.
Morning chores
Once Pablo has headed off to work it’s time for morning chores for the kids which are just basic things like getting dressed, brushing teeth, and doing an assigned chore. (Currently Caleb cleans the kids’ bathroom sink and mirror, Sofia empties the dishwasher, and Lucas puts away the silverware.) Depending on the baby’s schedule I might need to nurse him during this time as well.
Math
I love having the kids do math first. It feels great to have that under our belts early in the day. Caleb’s 4th grade math has an 8-10 minute video every day, so he watches that while I get Sofia (2nd grade) and Lucas (K5) started with their math at the table. Usually once Caleb is ready to start his workbook portion I’m ready to help him. We all stay together at the dining room table or at least in that general vicinity, so I just kind of jump around from kid to kid depending on who needs help.
As for the youngest two, Danny usually chills in his baby swing (or is already down for his morning nap depending what time he woke up) and Alex just kind of hangs out with us. (Some days go more smoothly than others in the toddler department, haha!)
History / Group Learning Time
After math we gather in the living room where I read our history curriculum and usually some other book that I’m reading aloud. Some days we’ll also read our Science book together or work on memory work.
Again, Alex kind of just does his own thing and Lucas is also in and out and I’m fine with that. The big kids enjoy this time though and so do I!
Break / Snack Time
Usually by now it’s around 10 am and it’s time for snack and a break for the kids. I often use this time to start a load of laundry, nurse the baby if needed, read a book to Alex, and/or make myself look presentable (again, something that should happen earlier but often doesn’t.)
When it’s nice weather I’ll send the kids outside for their break.
Language Arts
After our break we re-convene at the dining room table for the kids’ language arts. Again, I just sort of hop around from kid to kid depending on who needs help (or who needs reminders to FOCUS haha.) I’m so thankful that both Caleb and Sofia can read now because it makes homeschool so much easier when they can read their workbook instructions on their own!
Reading / Wrapping up before lunch
Once everyone has finished with their language arts I take a little time with Lucas to teach him reading. Right now this only takes us a few minutes since we’re just in the beginning stages (I’ve always used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons to teach my kids to read, but we only go through lesson 60 or so before switching to something else.)
It’s also either during this time or later during naps that Caleb and Sofia do their reading as well.
Lunch
Lunch for us is usually right around noon. Pablo comes home to join us when he can which is always really nice – it just depends on what his work day looks like.
Quiet Time
It’s “quiet time” in the afternoons from around 1 pm to 3 pm. Now don’t be deceived by the word quiet because sometimes it’s anything but, but that’s the goal anyway. Alex and Danny both have afternoon naps and most of the time they happen at the same time which is very helpful.
The other kiddos play (Legos or Magnatiles most often), read, or listen to audiobooks. Lately I’ve also been letting them play some math games on my phone or our Kindle.
Quiet time is my work time, so once I’ve gotten the youngest ones in their beds I usually try to get started with that right away. I’ve done some work online for a local company for about three years now and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work from home. (Once the weather is cooler and I can comfortably use our treadmill in the garage again I’ll walk on there for 15 minutes or so before starting work, but in 100 degree weather it’s a big no from me haha.)
My other part time job is this blog! Sometimes I’ll get a bit of blogging done in the afternoon too, just depending on the day. And I often try to lie down for at least 10 minutes too – it just depends on the day, how much work I have, how the kids are doing, and on how much sleep I got the night before haha!
Late Afternoon
At 3 pm the kids always come asking for a snack. At this time of day sometimes they’re happy to have their snack and continue playing or sometimes they need something else to do. Sometimes I might work a bit more, other times I might be doing stuff with the kids or helping the baby. Oh, or doing laundry/picking up the house, etc. because there’s always something to do haha.
4 pm is clean up time for the kids so they have to start picking up their bedrooms and whatever other messes they’ve made. A lot of times I’ll let them watch a show while I make dinner if they’ve done a good job picking things up.
Dinner / Evening Time
We usually have dinner around 5:30 or whenever Pablo gets home from work. Most evenings he’ll read the Bible at the table after dinner and then I’ll work on kitchen cleanup while he plays with / supervises the kids.
I know I need to eventually get the kids more involved with the kitchen cleanup but honestly it feels like a break for me to be able to pop my ear buds in and listen to music or a podcast while I do the dishes and Pablo handles the kids.
During this super hot Texas summer Pablo has often taken the kids to our local McDonalds or Chickfila play place to get out some energy during this time.
Bedtime for the kids is around 7:30. The baby still goes to bed a bit later than the other kids but here pretty soon he’ll have a similar bedtime.
At least several evenings a week Pablo and I both do more computer work after the kids are down but we also almost always watch a show or even just something funny on YouTube together to chill. Then I usually head to bed somewhere around 10 pm.
So that’s what a typical day in my life looks like right now! Well, at least sort of. Reading back over what I’ve just written makes me chuckle a little bit because somehow it all sounds a bit smoother than it actually is. I guess that’s because the rough moments aren’t scheduled in, they just happen, ha! 😉
But anyway, I know things will change as the kids get older and our schedule gets busier, but I’m enjoying this relatively low-key stage of life right now and am thankful that I get to spend my days with my five kiddos (even on the rougher days.) 🙂
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