Morning Homeschool Routine

A morning routine for a happy homeschool and a clean home!

I’ve always been a rebel against routine.

Some call it free spirited, some just think its disorganization. Quite frankly, its a bit of both.

And while there was a time and place for my quirky rejection of routine, homeschooling four kids was not it.

Before I had an easy morning homeschool routine in place, I’d look up from the kitchen table around 10 am and realize we were swimming in a homeschool swamp. Dirty dishes would be piled with books. Glue sticks and craft paper would be mysteriously intermixed with dirty laundry.

It was a mess!

My stress levels were through the roof and I quickly realized that a routine would provide benefits for both myself and my tiny proteges.

Since I was such a rookie to life routines, it took me some trial and error to find a homeschool routine that worked well. But with time, I developed this simple schedule.

This routine will take you from wake up to rest time, with plenty of room for adjustment.

There are sanity saving safety-nets for keeping your house clean, taking breaks and getting some physical activity. See below for the intimate details of how our day unfolds!

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1. Wake Up / Smile / 3 Simple Chores
2. Cook With Kids/Pray+Eat
3. Clean Up Kitchen
4. Bible Study
5. Physical Activity
6. Start School
7. Break / Clean Up
8. Lunch / Clean Up / Quiet Time

Morning Homeschool Routine Details

1. Wake Up / Smile / Chores

Bright light filters through the soft white curtains, and my kiddos climb into my bed one by one. I know this snuggle age won’t last forever, so through bleary eyes I embrace it.

If, unlike me, you are blessed with children who will sleep past six am, you’ll have a leg up on managing your homeschool day.

If your children are still in bed and you can tip toe to the kitchen, you’ll be able to plan, work, pray, or just enjoy a quiet cup of coffee on your own before the day begins.

You can set the whole tone of your just in how you look at your children when they come into your early morning presence.

Smile at Your Kids

No matter where you meet your kids in the morning, be sure to smile at them and tell them you love them, one by one.

Because, no matter how hard the daily grind of homeschooling can be, you do love your children. The day will unfold on the early morning notes, and the music of each hour will reflect it!

So, be intentional about the smiles and words of affirmation you give your kids.

Do 3 simple chores

One of the best things I ever did for my daily schedule was to set a simple morning chore routine that takes five to ten minutes.

After I brush my teeth and get dressed, I quickly make my bed, throw in a load of laundry and do a quick walk through of the main living areas. Sometimes I will do my five minute bathroom routine during this time as well.

This is a great time to put on some gentle, relaxing music and get your diffuser flowing as well. For a good mood vibe add some citrus oils to the diffuser. If you are craving peace, use lavender!

2. Cook / Pray / Eat

When I left home my cooking skills were minuscule. I could bake one thing: chocolate chip cookies. And while cookies seemed to maintain an active 20 year old, my kiddos and husband need more.

To give my kids a bit of a leg up, I’m trying to gently weave cooking skills into the kids education. To my delight, it’s been working! My son started flipping eggs around age 3. Kids are truly as capable as we allow them to be (within reason).

If you have multiples, take turns in who gets to be at the stove with you so you can keep a very close on safety. For age reference, my 5 and 7 year olds can crack and flip eggs, put toast in, cut fruit (with help), make smoothies and scoop yogurt into bowls.

Kids LOVE being involved in the kitchen, so make sure to slow down a little and give them this valuable experience!

Although it can be a challenge for mama to make it to the breakfast table, I try to make it a priority. At the table we can pray, thank God for our day, break bread, and go over the daily schedule.

This is a chance to prep my little ones for the flow of the day.

I have found that certain personalities ride or die on knowing whats coming next. I have a certain child that thrives on it! So after we pray, we talk about our work and play: who will let the chickens free of their coop, what math lesson awaits, and if we have any fun afternoon activity or visitors planned.

3. Clean Up Kitchen and Tidy House

This cleaning step is essential! I learned early on that orderliness was key to having a stress free homeschool routine. So, I structured our time with built in cleaning transitions.

I try to make sure all dishes from breakfast are clean and out of sight, and the kids wipe down the table, sweep, and tidy up their rooms. I clear any random clutter, put the laundry in the dryer, and we get ready to start the day fresh!

This usually takes us about 10-15 minutes. If you build several small cleaning breaks into your schedule your house will stay remarkably clean with seemingly less effort.

4. Bible Study

I used to do a Bible study with the kids over breakfast. But my kids like to scatter as soon as their food disappears, and I found myself scrambling to keep up with them. We now approach reading the Bible as a subject lesson after breakfast and clean up.  I like to read our lesson from the kids Bible, then reread it from the “real” Bible. 

I try to keep this time really flexible and open to the kids questions.

Some days they ask for more and more stories and their little hearts brim with questions.  Other days are simple and quick, and that’s just fine.

A key to holding the attention of little ones during read out loud times is allowing them to play quietly while you read. Sometimes they want to look at the pictures, but depending on personality they may need blocks or crayons to keep busy while you read. 

Rest assured they are listening! 

This is embarrassing to admit, but I used to try to demand the attention of my children.  I felt like a failure if they weren’t sitting quietly and listening intently. 

Take it from me mamas. Don’t demand something of your child he isn’t physically mature enough to do!

The most important part of Bible study is to keep it light hearted and fun.  I realized quickly that the last thing I wanted my children to feel was dread around Bible study. We also incorporate prayer, singing, and sometimes a simple craft into this time.

Some resources we’ve used and loved:

The Bible Made Easy for Kids

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible Atlas

5. Physical Activity

A short session of physical activity can get some of the wiggles out before study time begins.   On rainy days, we will put on music and dance or play a game.  When its sunny a short walk or game in the backyard is great! 

I sometimes incorporate a chore during this time, but make it fun (I’ve got more than one trick up my sleeve!).  We’ve put on music and played the pick-up game, mopped together, or whatever mess catches your eye.  If you make it fun the kids may not even notice they are helping clean.

6. School Rotations

By now its mid-morning and you are hitting your stride.  The rest of the world is just waking up and by this time your little brood has cooked, eaten, taken care of pets, cleaned up, soaked in the Word and exercised!  Think of all the learning they’ve done in just these few hours of living well.  Homeschooling truly is magical!

But now it’s time for “real school”. 

We spend a couple of hours each day rotating through math, reading, science, art and history lessons. 

Our formal time for learning can be anywhere from 90-120 minutes. This may not seem like a lot, but remember you are working one on one with your kids.  

This expedites the learning time and opens up free time throughout the rest of the day for two of the most beneficial activities:  free creative play and reading out loud to your children.

7. Break/Clean Up

Once lessons are wrapped up, the kids put their school supplies away and are free to play and blow off some stream. I clean and tidy whatever is necessary, then we do a simple chore together. Usually, this is folding and putting away the load of laundry that was started earlier that morning! See how well these routines work together? I might be a convert.

8. Lunch + Quiet Time

By now you have some hungry bunnies hopping around the kitchen! This is a great meal, because everyone knows the “work” of the day is done and quiet time and play are coming. Make sure you have your quiet time too, mama, and do something you enjoy!

Again, include the kids in the meal prep, if you can. We typically do a picnic style lunch, so the kids practice chopping (supervised), and enjoy putting their favorite veggies, meats and cheeses on their plates.

We enjoy a living book read out loud during this time.

We all chip in for clean up, and then my kids each choose a quiet activity to pursue alone in their rooms. They nap, look at books, read or play with toys. And I exercise, nap, read a book or write.

This sacred lull in the day calms and restores, and we get to jump into the afternoon with a renewed sense of energy and adventure.

Some of the best quiet time toys that my kids never get tired of playing with:

Magnetic Blocks

STEM Building Kithttps://amzn.to/3rqNfRw

Like an anchor thrown into waves, our homeschool routine has saved us from sinking into daily chaos. My kids love the routine and this free spirited mama has even come to fine it life giving. I hope our simple outline gave you some inspiration for structure in your day… I’d love to hear, what is your daily routine with your kids?