8 CHEAP AND SIMPLE TIPS TO HELP YOUR HOMESCHOOL DAY RUN SMOOTHLY AND KEEP YOUR SANITY

Do you have a pencil eating monster in your home? If you don’t yet, you probably will soon.

Being a homeschool mom is so rewarding, but it also comes with its everyday challenges. I have been homeschooling now for over 4 years. Your homeschool day will not look like mine. Your routine will be different, your curriculum will not be the same. But, as homeschool moms, we will face the same challenges.

Although there are many challenges we will face, I have listed 8 specific ones that we face almost every day, along with tips on how we try to avoid it and keep things running more smoothly.

HERE IT IS 8 SIMPLE PRACTICALLY FREE TIPS TO HELP YOUR HOMESCHOOL DAY RUN SMOOTHLY

1. HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE FOR PENCILS

I feel like my house eats pencils! Do you ever feel like that? I swear every time we go to do work, we can’t find a pencil. There are even times we are in the middle of school work and the pencil just disappears!  Please tell me this isn’t just my house? I now have a separate pencil bin for each child. I picked up these cute little pencil holders at the dollar store and labeled them with their names.

2. KEEP A SECRET STASH OF PENCILS

Yes, even though you have a special bin for your child’s pencils, sometimes the house monster who eats the pencils will sneak them from the bin for a midnight snack.  Its good to have a secret stash on hand just in case you need it. I like to purchase 144 pre sharpened pencils from Amazon.

3.  HAVE A DESIGNATED SPOT FOR SCHOOL BOOKS THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY USING

In homeschool, we tend to do school in random places around the house. One day the kids want to be in the living room the next they wanna be in the kitchen some days we go to the library. This is fantastic and how I believe it should be. However, we always end up running around trying to figure out where their math book went or their spelling book. To help with this I came up with a specific place for them to put their books when they are finished with them. It may take some time to train your kids to put them back, but it makes things go so much smoother when you can find your school books! You can create a bin out of an old basket or you can purchase storage bins at the dollar store that will work perfectly for keeping your school books in one place.

This is the storage system I am currently using for my kids. Each slot is for a different subject and each row is for a different child! This is working out great for us!

4. DON’T BE AFRAID TO USE EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

Mom, listen, you are going to need a break from time to time. It is perfectly ok for you to put on an educational video for your kids and call it history for the day. You will have days when you or the kids just don’t feel well. You will have days when the kids are just not listening and you need a break. If you’re not comfortable just taking the day off, then pop on an educational video and call it a day. It’s ok! You can find FREE educational videos on YouTube. Lots of free educational videos on YouTube.

5. KEEP LOTS OF SNACKS ON HAND

They have taken snack time away in our public schools. I honestly don’t know how kids survive the day. I feel like my boys are constantly hungry! It’s a good idea to keep some snacks on hand. They will nag you for food throughout the day. It helps if I have snacks that they can eat.  The snacks can be anything simple that you are ok with them eating. My boys love applesauce, goldfish and yogurt. Did you know you can purchase just about any kind of snack on Amazon ? Yup, its kind of awesome, if you’re running low on snacks they will just show up at your door!

6. HAVE A CLEAR SET OF RULES

Your homeschool day will go much smoother if your kids know exactly what the rules are. When I say rules, I mean things like, no video games until all school is done or you must eat your breakfast before we start school. Little things like that. You can come up with a few rules and have a conversation with your kids about the rules and what you expect. Getting your children to follow the rules and stick with them may take some time, but it will be so worth it!

7. TRY TO LAY OUT A PLAN FOR YOUR DAY

If your not a planner don’t worry, I don’t mean you have to plan your entire year out day by day. Although if you want to, that is perfectly ok! I personally am not very good at planning. So, when I say “plan” I mean a good idea of what you want your children to accomplish that day. I like to write it down on a piece of paper in the morning. I normally write something like, “kids-Math, Reading, Bible, and Grammer.” And then I’ll have a section for me and what I would like to accomplish that day.  This just gives me an idea of what I would like to see get done and what would make me happy!

8. STAY AWAY FROM UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

I personally believe that the public school system has unrealistic expectations set for young children. Remember that your home is not a public school. Remember that your children are just that, children. Don’t expect your kindergartner to sit still through a 40 min reading about Ancient Egypt. Expecting this from a 5-year-old will only set him and your day up for failure. If you do expect this, it will probably be painful and frustrating for both of you.  Always take your child’s age and personality into account when setting your expectations for their lessons. My 7 year old son, would have a really hard time sitting through a 40 min lesson of any kind. So I normally break is lessons in half and spread each lesson out over two days.

 

Having a special spot for pencils and books we are currently using keeps us from running around crazy. Having a plan and learning not to set my expectations too high, helps things run a little smoother and keeps the frustration level down. I hope you are able to apply some of these tips to your homeschool. Some days are better than others, don’t give up mama, you got this!

What do you do to help your day run more smoothly? Do you have any tips for us homeschool moms that you can share with us? Please leave a comment below we would love to hear about it!