Homeschool A Day In The Life | Our Daily Rhythm
Before we began to homeschool I had no reference as to what a typical day could look like. I went to public school growing up and I was a public school educator.
My son had been in a public school setting for two years and my daughter was in a preschool. It wasn’t until after reading countless books and chatting with other homeschoolers that I began to get a picture for what our days could look like.
I realized that our homeschool cannot look like what a typical school day would look like. That wouldn’t work for who we were as a family or for the individuals that my children are either. Looking at it from a one thousand foot view, I knew I wanted our homeschool to feel unhurried.
I wanted my children to feel accomplished. I wanted to awake wonder in my kids and to foster a love of learning. And lastly I wanted our homeschool to feel like a refuge for them.
Every homeschool is different. The fun part is finding what rhythms work for you and your individual kids. Family culture really helps you define what would be a natural structure for your day. So please just see this flexible schedule (or rhythm…we don’t really keep a timed schedule) as inspiration for you!
Life Has Its Perks contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these Amazon links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.
Read Aloud Time
To kick off our “school day” we have read aloud time. This is where I read a classic novel to them. We used to do this as the last thing on our to-do list but I found that if you snuggle on the couch with them first thing in the morning while they are still a little sleepy and connect with a good book, the day will flow much easier.
If you are a little iffy on whether or not you should add this to your homeschool rhythm I highly recommend reading The Read Aloud Family. Kids will learn great vocabulary and sentence structure just by listening. They can also gain great practice in comprehension and organizing their thoughts by oral narration after you are done reading. It also supplies endless inside family jokes. (“Don’t be such a Varuka!”)
Morning Meeting
This is crucial for giving kids structure to start their day. My kids do the same thing every single morning and it is a great way to get their brains ready.
It is a simple routine that helps them orient themselves to get ready to learn. We have a menu covers (that I purchased on Amazon) that we use dry erase marker on so we can reuse them every morning. The front cover is our daily rhythm routine that I created in a word document and then printed out.
The inside pages are a calendar of the current month and some writing prompts from a “morning time bundle” that I purchased from Treehouse Schoolhouse. The back cover changes every so often. Sometimes it is other pages from that morning time bundle and sometimes it is just prayers, poems, or songs we are memorizing.
After the menus are completed we practice our memory verse. I use this from amazon. It is so cute and I feel like they chose really great verses that my kids can easily memorize.
Many of them are also songs from Seeds Family Worship, so that is a big plus! Next they do some copy writing. Right now we are going through My Scripture Workbook by the Daily Grace Co.
I really wanted to love it because it is so cute and well made, but I feel like it is a bit advanced for my 5 and 7 year old. They copy a few lines from it each day nonetheless. However, they have so many other resources that I can’t wait to explore.
Physical Activity
After our morning meeting we take a walk around the neighborhood. If it is freezing, we bundle up! If it is really bad weather (thunderstorming) I have them do something inside.
It is so important to prime their bodies to get ready for learning, especially my son. They need to move and get their wiggles out before we do any learning.
I also try to teach my children to recognize what their body needs and if at any point during the day they feel some bent up energy, they are more than welcome to go expel it in a productive way.
This part of the daily rhythm is super important for us.
LA/Math
Next we do the bulk of the learning. We typically do language arts first, then we work on math.
We have tried The Good and the Beautiful as well as My Father’s World. Both have their pros and cons and I believe both curriculums were very well made.
Every Friday we do something a little special and we tie whatever we are learning to something they are passionate about. For example, my son is obsessed with cars and anything with a motor.
So I tie everything that we have been doing in language arts to cars and then we play a review car math game. It isn’t really that much more work on my end while I am planning but it makes a world of difference to him. He looks forward to Fridays so much!
Play Time
After we do some learning, we play! Play time is incredibly important for kids, and they can never have too much of it.
Sometimes we go somewhere to play with other homeschool kids, hike in the woods, or go to the beach.
Most days, however, we are laying low and playing at home.
Lunch/Quiet Time
We eat lunch together and wind down for quiet time.
My 5 year old daughter will pick out an audiobook and head to her room while my son settles in to practice reading his book basket.
Sometimes it is filled with picture books and sometimes it only has a chapter book in it that he has been working on. I only require him to read for 20 minutes, but lately he has been reading for much longer (which is a miracle, he used to despise reading).
After he is finished he also puts on an audiobook and our house is quiet for an hour.
Connect/Special
For some reason, this is one of my children’s favorite parts of the whole day. Perhaps it is because we are usually eating some tasty baked good and drinking something yummy together.
In the winter this could be freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate. As they enjoy their treats most days I will begin a lesson in social studies or science.
After they are finished eating they will demonstrate that they were listening by narration or drawing a picture. Some days my son is practicing typing or coding as well.
Final Tips
A homeschool rhythm is important for a number of reasons. First, it can help to create a sense of structure and routine for both parents and children. This can be especially helpful for children who are used to going to school, as it can help them to feel more comfortable and settled in their new environment.
Second, a homeschool rhythm can help to ensure that all of the important subjects are covered. When there is a regular rhythm to the day, it is easier to make sure that everything gets done.
Finally, a homeschool rhythm can help to make homeschooling more enjoyable for both parents and children. When the day is structured and routine, it is less likely that there will be stress and frustration. Instead, everyone can focus on enjoying the learning experience.
Here are some tips on how to create a homeschool rhythm:
- Start by setting some goals for your homeschool. What do you want your children to learn? What skills do you want them to develop?
- Once you have some goals, you can start to create a schedule. Decide how many hours you want to spend homeschooling each day and what subjects you want to cover.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment! The best homeschool rhythm for you will be the one that works best for your family.
- Be flexible! Things don’t always go according to plan, so be prepared to adjust your schedule as needed.
- Most importantly, enjoy the process! Homeschooling is a great way to bond with your children and to teach them about the world around them.
That’s it! That is the day! It has worked out so well for us. We have tweaked and crafted this rhythm as we went and I suspect you will also. Every family is different and every homeschool day will reflect that. You may have a certain family culture that is different from ours. All in all, I hope that this was helpful for you, to give you inspiration if nothing else.
More Resources:
5 Homeschool Books That Will Shift Your Mindset
