Summer is here and while we do homeschool year round, our lesson time is shortened for this season. I like to have a daily rhythm to guide our days which allows us the time for school, read aloud time, playtime, household chores, and more. I function better with routine and I think my kids do too! However, we are flexible and do not adhere to the exact times listed below, rather, follow these actives in the order they are listed. We certainly switch things up sometimes but I'll share a general idea of our daily schedule.
6:00am: I aim to get up at 6am each morning to stretch, read my bible and current book, and begin the day, usually hour or so before the kids are up. I feel better when I wash my face, brush my hair, put on some simple makeup, and get dressed as well.
7:00am: Around 7, the kids will all be up and they can play until breakfast. They usually gather in the living room with toys, or do crafts in the homeschool room.
For breakfast, I usually prepare yogurt & fruit. Some mornings, we enjoy eggs or homemade pancakes.
8:30am: Following breakfast we will do our morning chores. For the kids that includes unloading the dishwasher, feeding the dog, making their beds, brushing their teeth & hair, and getting dressed. When I go upstairs with them to get ready for the day, it goes much smoother so I like to try to join them while they finish up their chores.
9:00am: The kids can play for about an hour before we start school. Usually they go outside, play in their playroom, craft, or look at books. During this time, I usually do more household chores following my Home Management Guide (available through the link in my bio). Some tasks might include doing laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, preparing lessons for the day, yard work, etc.
10:30am: Summer lessons will be from around 10-11:30am each day. I typically begin lessons by offering a snack. We all do our calendar together, sing some songs, read a few books to match our weekly bible, history, or science lesson, and then I spend some time with each of the kids for their own lessons in reading and math.
11:30am: We prepare and eat lunch starting around 11:30. Lunch may be leftovers, pasta, sandwiches, salad, fruit, muffins, etc.
12:00pm: Around 12:00-1:30pm is playtime again and I encourage the kids to go outside. This is another time for me to do housework or work on my businesses.
1:30pm: We will read aloud together. After the kids have played a lot, I loved this time with them for stories & snuggles. Sometimes we will play a board game instead of reading.
2:00pm: Quiet time is from 2:00pm-3:00pm. Each of my children are encouraged to spend some time in their rooms quietly playing or reading. They each have a quiet time basket which include items such as play-doh, a journal, scratch pads, etch-a-sketch, beads & pip cleaners, building blocks, and books. I also give them the option to listen to an audio book. It's tempting for me to clean or work during quiet time but I really try to take my own quiet time and sit and read a book with a cup of tea.
3:00pm: Every afternoon from 3:00-4:00pm is "Blessing Hour". We clean up our home together which blesses us. It's as simple as playing some upbeat music and looking around and seeing a need, filling a need. We try to put things back where they belong, pick things up off the floor, clear countertops, and refresh our living space. It's called Blessing Hour because after our hard work we are blessed with a tidy home. I also use this time to prepare dinner.
4:00pm: I continue preparing for dinner and the kids either help or play, usually outside.
5:00pm: Around 5, we sit down in our dining room and enjoy dinner together. It's an important part of our day to enjoy this time as a family. Some favorite meals include shepherd's pie, spaghetti & meatballs with salad, turkey burgers and pasta salad, grilled chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes, and chili with cornbread. After dinner, the kids play with daddy!
6:30pm: We begin our bedtime routine starting with baths. Everyone gets clean, gets into jammies, brushes their hair and teeth, flosses, and we snuggle up together to read bedtime stories usually by 7/7:30pm.
8:00pm: Our goal is to have lights out by 8:00pm but that is still a goal and the kids usually aren't asleep until closer to 9:00pm but we are working on that. I try to relax or work a bit before getting to bed, usually around 10/10:30pm.
I hope seeing the details of our rhythm is helpful for you and I'm available to answer any questions on my Instagram page anytime! Thanks for reading!
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