For a successful homeschool year, consider your daily routine. Does it work for you and your children? In addition to school-aged children, we have to consider any babies or toddlers in the home. How is the daily routine working for them? Are we able to meet the demands of our vocation beyond the homeschool routines we have set?

Pausing throughout the year to assess what is and is not working for you and your family can provide an opportunity for course correction. Better to take a day or a week off to regroup and plan than to continue with a lifestyle in which you are not thriving.
Homeschool parents sometimes forget that brick-and-mortar schools have long weekends, holidays, and days of activity throughout the year that break up the academic routine. As a homeschool family, you get to decide which will be your days off. Maybe you want them to be the same as your friends who are in traditional school. But if you are struggling to maintain your footing in day-to-day homeschool life, it might be time to pencil in a day off for fun, bonding, and planning.

Wherever you are in your homeschool year, here are a few tips, gleaned from many experienced homeschool families, to keep in mind:
 
Map Out a Routine, Not a Schedule

Countless homeschool parents have shared the experience that a routine is a better fit for most homeschoolers than a strict schedule. You know your kids best, and you may be the family that likes a to-the-minute schedule posted and adhered to. For most of us, however, having a rhythm to the day with patterns of activity and subject work will yield better results.

Starting and ending the day with prayer can be a great way to set your intentions for the day, refocus all members of the family, and bring your faith to life in the home. Beyond this important priority, routines can help set expectations.

If you know that breakfast will be followed by time outside, a morning basket routine, and then handwriting and math, you can feel confident that required subject material will be addressed and your kids can enjoy a few minutes of fresh air with the expectation that work comes next. Of course, time outside is part of a full and excellent education, but sit-down work is an essential piece of skill development for most homeschoolers. When you and your children know what needs to happen and when in the flow of the day it will occur, it is much easier to be on the same page.
What goes in the routine? Caring for people and the home is part of the homeschool day. Meals, dishes, and laundry need to be part of the routine for success. Beyond the necessities, we get to decide what are the most important subjects and skills our family is working on. Some homeschoolers refer to the elements of a routine as “anchors,” the daily essentials that ensure we address the most important needs of our mind, body, and soul.
 
What About Co-op? 
The one exception to having a flowing routine is, of course, if you are incorporating a co-op, online lessons, or in-person classes at a community college or other school. These will likely occur at a scheduled hour. But that does not mean that the time at home outside of those times needs to be strictly delineated. Allowing some days to be a loosely held routine and others to be scheduled due to outside activities can be a nice balance.
In addition to the daily routine, many homeschoolers have found success with a clear routine for the week. Veteran homeschooler and author Leila Lawler suggests having a four-day school week. This provides margin for the unexpected events that come up during the week and provides a day to catch up on all the household chores.
If your children are in an all-day homeschool co-op during the week, you may not be able to block off another day of the week and still fit in all the material you would like to cover for the year. How a co-op affects the weekly routine is an important consideration.
 
Have a Plan for Everyone in the House
If you have little ones in the home while teaching older children, what will they be doing? Realizing that the curious two-year-old has been quiet in the other room for an unusually long time might mean you will have a mess on your hands. Proactively planning an activity for busy toddlers can be hugely beneficial (and cut down significantly on clean up time). Some families reserve certain toys exclusively for homeschool lesson time so that the younger kids are excited and engaged. Preparing play dough or another sensory activity might be a way to satisfy younger siblings while more focused work occurs.

Asking older siblings to take turns playing with the younger siblings outside can be a good way to foster bonding and have a break between academic subjects. Thinking of a way to set up everyone for success will remove a lot of daily headaches.
Beyond activities, there is often a nap time in the day for babies and young children. This can be a designated time for sit-down subjects that require more focus. Independent older children might complete work throughout the morning, and nap time can be when parents to review the work and make corrections.
 
Prepare the Night Before
Whether you are headed out the door for co-op the next day or cultivating a routine around the house, there is a timeless, tried-and-true parenting principle that applies: prepare as much as you can the night before. A simple decision like what will be for breakfast allows you to start the day with one less item on the to-do list. You might even lay out the ingredients and have older children take over the preparation and clean up.
Setting up schoolwork and making sure you’ve made all the necessary copies and gathered needed materials reduces the friction involved with getting schoolwork started. Having a planned set of coloring sheets or activities for younger children can mean fewer interruptions when it’s time to sit down and learn new material.

There is no perfect plan, especially when it comes to life with the many and varied demands of homeschooling. Crafting a routine that incorporates the physical, academic, and spiritual needs of all your family members can ensure your homeschool is life-giving and goal-oriented. Don’t be afraid to change the routine as children grow and life circumstances change. While homeschooling, you are in the driver’s seat!

What’s the best advice for homeschool routine you have received?