I know that in order to homeschool, you NEED children to homeschool, right? So it’s safe to say they’re pretty indispensable, yes? Well, what about homeschooling moms? In this post, we will talk about 5 things that moms can do to start their homeschool day right.
Moms are the teachers, assistants, principals, disciplinarians, lunch ladies, nurses, playground/recess monitors and they wear many more hats than the ones mentioned. It is important that moms take good care of themselves and make their well-being a priority.
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Start Your Homeschool Day Off Right
Take a look at these 5 bits of advice that have helped me and many other homeschooling moms start our days off on the right foot.
1. Don’t jump out of bed right away.
Take a minute to stretch and come up with a visual of what you have on your schedule that day. I personally like to take a few minutes to envision my day, run through that day’s schedule and say a prayer over my day.
It really does give me a sense of direction and I place my goals up front and center. It also helps me to communicate them to my husband so he’s on the same page as me and I can recruit his help, if I need it.
2. Drink a full glass of water as you get ready.
And while you’re at it, why not go a step further and take a vitamin supplement? It can give your body an added boost to better your wellbeing overall.
Water is one of your best allies, believe it or not. I love how drinking water in the morning helps me to feel more fit (in my body) and it helps me to think more clearly.
It also helps me avoid getting dehydration headaches, it keeps my body more ready when I work out, but more importantly, it helps me offset my coffee drinking.
3. Keep talking to a minimum and your positive attitude to the maximum.
Starting the day by giving the kids too many instructions will take you nowhere fast. You will find that you are repeating yourself to no end and it will frustrate everyone involved. Trust me, it’s not fun having to repeat ourselves over and over!
Instead, take the time to laminate a sheet of paper for all the kids or one for each individual kid. Use dry erase markers to write down morning routines that kids can follow on their own when they wake up.
4. Communicate (in writing) with your children.
Communicate your expectations, slowly, calmly and at close proximity (avoid yelling from one room to the other). Again, this is where lists for kids (or even chore charts) can be really handy.
Don’t feel bad for looking too strict! It is so important to streamline your mornings as much as possible because it will really make or break the rest of your day. Now, if things start off wrong, there is room to rectify, but why fix something that can be prevented in the first place.
Our goal as moms is not just to educate our kids, but it’s also to teach them how to encourage and foster a sense of peace. Communication is key to peace. It avoids misunderstandings, assumptions and more opportunities of “forgetful disobedience” (this is when kids disobey due to not remembering everything they’re supposed to do).
5. Treat yourself today with something that makes you smile.
It doesn’t have to be something expensive or time-consuming. Make yourself a cup of coffee, tea, or any drink that is comforting to you to sip throughout your homeschool day. I recommend using a mug with a lid that will keep your hot drink hot for hours.
As your children are older, they will be more independent in their homeschooling. You still need to be there, in case they need you, but you can do something for yourself. You can also have a book that you’ve been wanting to read or if you’ve been wanting to take an online course, this would be a good time to do something for yourself.
Since I’m a blogger, I take the time for 30 minutes while my kids are doing their independent courses, I put on my earphones and listen to an online blogging course. I also take my pile of magazines and take a few minutes a day to flip through them. I actually find good tips and recipes for dinner.
I hope you found these as helpful as they have been to us in our homeschool! These tips have made our mornings a lot calmer and easier, once they have become a routine for us. Give them a try! I think you’ll be glad you did!
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Laura Bennett says
Thank you for the reminder to do things for MYSELF!
Erin says
Good tips! I need to streamline my mornings more. Once we get into schoolwork, we are good, but getting there sometimes is way to chaotic or late in the day.
oahoah says
Great tips! I tend to do too much talking first thing and not enough hand-written communication.
Mandie says
Great tips! I am in the process kf the charts but it doesnt seem to connect with my 2 kids. 🤦♀️ Hoping to get on track soon!
MamaK26 says
I love the water advice! These simple steps are really helpful reminders.
Rachel S. says
One I do to start the day off right is to get in my workout first thing (even if I get up late and don’t wind up eating breakfast until 10 – the kids eat while I workout if Im up that late). I get that in first thing and don’t have to figure out where I am going to squeeze it in later in the day. And I even do another one if the kids want to do a workout too 🙂 Working out first thing also helps me get my water in for the day and my steps too 🙂
Brooke Zimmerman says
Wonderful tips! Thank you! It’s amazing how hard it is to remember to drink enough water every day. I also really appreciate the idea about communicating in writing to your children. I love this and hope to institute it soon.
Heather says
Good ideas!
Joy H says
I have steps 1 & 2 down, and step 5 = chocolate! I would love lists to work for my children. Maybe one day.
Caryn says
Love the suggestions! It’s all so simple but often overlooked! Thank you.
Sara says
Yes! A simple morning list goes a long way in communicating expectations for the day!
Dandi D says
It’s so hard to get started in the morning, so this is so helpful to read!
Christine Mast says
I like to have at least 30 -45 minutes of quiet before my children come down in the morning. I try to drink my lemon water, have some quiet time, and gather my brains/plans for the day. We start the day together with our Bible and then our read aloud. Routine is important for us, as it helps us to slowly start our day.
Angela Doty says
Yes, starting the morning with prayer is vital!
Mindy says
I needed this post! Our mornings have been a struggle for the past few months and I wasn’t really sure what to do about it. I feel like I’m continuously repeating myself and we still are not getting things done that need to be done! I will be implementing these tips tomorrow and praying for the change we need.
Jenny Ham says
Thanks for the information very helpful for a great start
Toni Sprouse says
I am not typically a morning person, so I greatly appreciate these very helpful suggestions to get our day started off right!
Lisa Clark says
I never would have thought of drinking a full glass of water to start the day! I do drink a little water every morning to take my medicine and vitamins, but am going to try to remember to increase this amount!
Sherry B says
Thank you for the reminders! They are much needed.
Ginette M. says
Good advice and thank you for the giveaway!
Lindsay Freyer says
I need to do this. I have a hard time feeling like homeschooling is a “job” that I need to prepare and get ready for every morning which leads to slow mornings and frustration. (Luckily I only have one 1st grader and a pre-k as my students so we can get done, but would be so much better if we could do it all in the morning and have afternoons free instead of the opposite 🤷🏼♀️)
Jasmin says
I love # 3 – KEEP TALKING TO A MINIMUM AND YOUR POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO THE MAXIMUM. That is so good. I can’t wait until my youngest two are readers so that I can communicate with them in writing. I have been meaning to make charts with symbols and pictures to help them get through the day but haven’t yet. Thanks for the motivation.
Brenda says
Great ideas! Thank you.