How do you help your kids start their new homeschool year? Adjusting to a new homeschool routine can be tricky, sometimes. Stephanie Iraggi, from Mama Shark, shares some great tips on getting your kids ready for back to homeschool this year.
A Simple Guide to Adjusting to A New Homeschool Routine
With fall approaching, many of us are looking forward to pulling out our new curriculum and getting started on our new school year! But adjusting to a new homeschool routine can be a bit of a bumpy road for both teacher and students! So I’ve written up a few practical pointers that have helped us to smooth things out as we all get into the swing of the new homeschool routine!
Have a Clear Start Date for Your Homeschool Routine
First, choose a clear start date for your new homeschool routine. Very few of us (and kids even less so) love to be surprised by the start of something as big as school. Pick your start date and let your family know it’s coming. Then start adjusting expectations for what that is going to look like.
I highly recommend clearing your calendar of the majority of extra commitments the week you begin your new homeschool routine. Because the reality is that your first couple of weeks of homeschooling each year will be an adjustment for everyone in the home. And overtaxing yourselves with busyness will only add unnecessary stress to your days! Set everyone up for success by lowering your activity level for that week or couple of weeks.
Have Your Ducks in Row BEFORE Starting Your New Routine
No one functions well while frazzled. Trying to start your new homeschool routine and then realizing that you didn’t have things printed, don’t know which lesson to start with, or didn’t prepare for the activity will raise your stress level and wear on the patience of your kids.
I’m not saying you have to be perfectly prepared for every single day. I’m definitely not. But being prepared for that first week or couple of weeks will go a long way in helping to start things off smoothly.
Remember, there’s a LOT more going on than just schoolwork those first few weeks! There’s adjusting to being seated and focused. There’s getting used to completing assignments and finding motivation, as well. And there is the adjustment of relating to mom as teacher. Planning well for the actual schoolwork part will take some of the weight of overwhelm off your students and help them adjust better to your new homeschool routine!
Need some help getting your homeschool year planned out? Download this free DIY Homeschool Planner!
Have a Clear Homeschool Routine Planned
We all know that having a clear start, middle and end makes it easier to get anything done. Even young children can understand (through pictures if need be) what is coming first, second, etc. until they are done!
And if you have a clear outline of what you expect to be accomplished in a day and/or week (depending on the age of your kids!), that will also make it easier. Whether you write it down, print it out, create a fancy board, or just tell them what to expect, do something to communicate what you expect.
Adjust Your Personal Routine to Your New Homeschool Routine
Your new homeschool routine will affect your whole household, not just the kids! To create a smooth transition into your homeschool routine, it’s important to think through what it’s going to take on your part to homeschool.
What do you need help with so you have time to teach? Maybe all the chores should be spread out throughout the day better?
Or do you need to move certain parts of your day around so you can be sitting when your kids need you for a certain subject? And maybe you will have to make other activities available to entertain younger or older children?
What if you meal prep in mornings so you can do school in the afternoons? Or perhaps you take one evening a week to go to the coffee shop and plan out the next week’s lessons?
Thinking through how to balance your other routines with your new homeschool routine will lessen your stress and help everyone to adjust easier!
Adapt to Your Family to Make Adjusting to Your Homeschooling Routine Easier
Here’s an amazing part of homeschooling: you can adjust it to your family’s needs!
You may want to plan to ease into things the first week, only adding in some subjects at first. You may want to plan days that are heavier at the start of the week and get easier as you get toward Friday. Or you may want to only have a couple of days of school the first week and build up from there. After all, you are at the helm!
Adjust as Needed
There’s no one way to homeschool. That’s one of the beautiful parts of homeschooling! Your homeschool is YOURS. That means that it can (will!) be ever-changing and growing with your family, their needs, their interests, and your lives in general.
Be encouraged! If you get through the first week…day…hour…and realize “this isn’t working!” it’s OKAY (or dare I say- normal)! Take a deep breath or ten and readjust.
Change the assignments. Change the pace. Or change the time of day.
You can change the environment. Or change the tone of your homeschool routine, too.
Readjust to make your new homeschool routine YOURS in a way that works for your family!
No one gets it right every time.
I don’t know a single homeschool mom who would say homeschooling is always a breeze. Most would say it’s downright hard a lot of the time- but that’s not a bad thing. Doing hard things develops us and sets an example of perseverance, grace, and patience that we hope our kids will follow. And adjusting to a new homeschool routine is a prime setting to display all of those things.
Do your best to set yourself and your kids up for success with your new homeschool routine. Make it as easy as possible for everyone. And be the first to give grace to yourself and your kids when things need adaptation. You can do this!
Stephanie Iraggi is a Jesus-loving, slightly crunchy, homeschooling mama of a 5 year old future CEO and a 2 year old ninja. She creates articles and courses for moms and homeschoolers at www.MamaShark.blog with a focus on reducing mental load, streamlining day to day life, and working smarter, not harder.
Enjoy Your New Homeschool Routine!
