Are you suddenly, unexpectedly, homeschooling? My inbox has been flooded this week with emails from parents who have pulled their children from public school amid COVID-19 concerns. Schools across the country are closing temporarily to stop the spread of the coronavirus. If you are scrambling to figure out what on earth to do next week, please know that you are not alone.
And don’t fret because I’ve got you covered. I found myself suddenly, unexpectedly, homeschooling six years ago and I remember how scared I was as I scrambled to find a plan. It was completely overwhelming at the time… and I started homeschooling on a sunny day in May without any health concerns! I can only imagine how you are feeling right now and I want you to know that you’ve got this.
Today, I am sharing a super simple daily homeschool routine that will cover all those academic bases without the overwhelm.
How to Create a Super Simple Daily Homeschool Routine
New to homeschooling?
You are not alone. Check out this resource page for tips, tricks, and resources:
A super simple routine for homeschool families
Before I dive in, I want you to know that children are resilient creatures and they are learning machines. If you spend the next two to three weeks together and you do absolutely nothing that would qualify as educational-with-a-capital-E, your kids will be fine. Better yet? They will still learn new things! Sure, it might not look like something they would learn in school, but they will learn this week. Children are really good at this learning thing!
What I’m saying is, you can hunker down and binge-watch all of the Harry Potter movies and your kids won’t fall behind. Years from now, it won’t matter that your kids missed a few weeks of school. You’ve got this! (And if you’re a family of Potterheads, check out this article on Harry Potter Homeschooling!)
All that said, I love a good routine and I’m getting boatloads of questions about how to create a simple homeschool routine. Let’s get started…
Download your simple homeschool routine here:
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #1: Start each day with a read-aloud.
The single most important thing you can do in your homeschool is read aloud. And, as LeVar Burton always says: you don’t have to take my word for it. There is heaps of research on the academic and non-academic benefits of reading aloud for children and teens. If you’d like to learn more about this, I highly recommend The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.
Here’s why I recommend putting your read-aloud first each day:
- Reading aloud is the most important part of the homeschool day.
- When you read aloud to your children, you level the playing field for readers and nonreaders. All of your children, regardless of age, are consuming the same information.
- You can cover any academic subject during your read-aloud time. Is your child struggling with math? Read a fun math picture book. There’s a book for everything.
I could go on and on and on about reading aloud, but I’ll spare you. If you need booklists, check out the four amazing booklists we created during the winter 2020 Kindred conference.
Need help getting started? Check out our FREE 5-day Coffee and Books email series. This series will walk you through creating a simple morning read-aloud routine.
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #2: Math (because I know you’re worried!)
I’ve read all of your emails and math is a source of stress. Children are little sponges and if you’re stressed, they will pick up on it. And if you try to push math, they might balk.
I have a suggestion and it doesn’t look like the public school of your past, but bear with me. For the next few weeks, I would recommend playing games with your children.
Gameschooling can be magic for reluctant learners or tricky times!
Let me share a favorite crying-over-the-math-book story with you…
Several years ago, my daughter was struggling to understand coin value and identification. When she cried over her math book, we set up a play store. It helped a little bit, but still, she struggled.
I knew that gameschooling would help- it always does!
I went to the game closet and pulled out a game called Money Bags. Its box was well-loved, worn and tattered. We had purchased it second-hand from a local thrift store. I had played it with my older son so many times.
I sat down with my daughter, explained the rules, and we started to play.
And then her younger brother joined in the fun.
Yes, fun. My daughter was no longer frustrated. Her eyes were dry and she was smiling. She was also learning.
Within a week my daughter had not only mastered coin identification and value, but she had also learned how to make change. And do you know what else happened in the process? My youngest son had learned to skip count by 5s and 10s.
All thanks to an old, tattered game.
Now, you might be thinking, “But Cait, I don’t have a ton of math games!” Don’t worry. All you need is a deck of cards.
If you think outside the box, you’ll see that almost every single game involves some math. And it’s stealth math, so your kiddos won’t realize they are practicing those skills!
Here are some free resources to help you get started:
- Bicycle Cards – Get the instructions for every card game under the sun!
- Gameschool Basics – Tips on getting started
More ideas for simple math practice:
- Cooking and baking together
- Logic games
- Bedtime Math (daily emails)
- Let’s Play Math
- Math Geek Mama
- Prodigy
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #3: Lunchtime Learning!
You can sneak in heaps of learning during lunch with the help of technology. Stream a podcast in your kitchen or play a favorite audiobook. Boom! Your kids are learning… and this will give you a chance to switch the laundry over or read a chapter of whatever you’re reading right now.
Here are just a few of our favorite podcasts right now:
- Language Arts:
- Science:
- Science/Nature:
- Current Events:
- History:
You can read about some of our favorite podcasts here:
Or, download the entire list here:
- Favorite Podcasts for Children and Homeschool Families {FREE DOWNLOAD}
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #4: Get those kids outside (and count it as gym class and science!)
We are all practicing social distancing right now, but that doesn’t mean you can spend time in the backyard or out on your local nature trails. Time spent in nature improves well-being. Try to slow your pace and enjoy this time with your kiddos. Watch them discover the wonder underfoot.
Add a pocket microscope to your next wander in the woods and see what you discover together!
I cannot tell you how many amazing experiences we have had in nature when I’ve followed my kids’ leads. We’ve seen bear prints and moose and owls and porcupines. If you slow down and look at the world with a child’s eye, you are sure to discover wonder in plain sight. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the type of leaf your child found or what type of bug that is- that’s what Google is for! You don’t need to know it all. Learning together is so much fun!
Would you like to learn more about the science behind why kids (and grownups) should spend more time in nature? Check out Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. And want to read a terrific book about the link between exercise and cognition (and so much more)? I highly recommend Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey.
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #5: Afternoon Learning
Our afternoons have changed over the years as my kids have grown. Early on, when the kids were little, we would have an afternoon nap/quiet time.
If you have little ones, or if you need a little afternoon respite (I’m waving to all my fellow introverts!), here are some ideas:
- Send your kiddos up to their bedrooms and tell them they don’t have to nap, but they do need to be quiet. Tell them they can use this time to read silently, listen to an audiobook, or enjoy a one-player game.
If you have older kids, the afternoon can look like this:
- Watch a documentary together. (If you have Disney+, check out these educator guides!)
- Online learning (check out some of our favorite resources here!)
- Silent reading time for everyone
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #6: Witching Hour Wind-Down
The end of the day is a great time for calming activities.
Here are some ideas:
- Build with LEGO
- Tinker
- Art
- Music
- Work on a puzzle while listening to music, a podcast, or an audiobook
- Watch a movie together
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #7: Dinner
So much learning happens through the conversations we have with our children. Sure, it might not look like school learning, but it is important learning nonetheless. Converse with each other over dinner. Talk about your day, what you learned, what you loved, what you loathed. Discuss current events, or the book you’re currently reading, or that movie you just watched. The sky is the limit!
Simple Homeschool Routine Step #8: Bedtime
Before bed, we love to do one of the following:
- Play a game together
- Listen to an audiobook
- Listen to a bedtime sleep story via the Calm app
- Read aloud
Then, I send my kiddos to bed at a reasonable hour and tell them they have to be in their beds and quiet, but they don’t need to go to sleep. I give them a booklight and they read under the covers… and I smile because this is stealth learning at its best!
Here’s another super simple idea…
If your kids are really interested in something right now, create a simple unit study. Last winter, my kids were obsessed with animals. We found two phenomenal reference books and would read about one animal each day. Then, we’d go on CuriosityStream and watch a documentary related to that animal. You can read more here.
Or, click here to grab our FREE Lazy Unit Study Essentials.
Additional Resources by Academic Subject:
- GEOGRAPHY:
- HISTORY:
- LANGUAGE ARTS:
- MATH:
- NATURE:
- SCIENCE:
- THE ARTS:
Bottom Line: You’ve Got This!
I’ve shared heaps of resources here, but I want you to know that if you do nothing educational this week, you’ll be fine. Spend time with your kids. Have a movie marathon. Eat ice cream sundaes. Bake cookies. Eat popcorn for dinner. I know it’s stressful right now, but I have a feeling our kids are going to look back on this moment with a smile.
For those grappling with the COVID-19/coronavirus situation:
If you have anxious kids, please know you are not alone. Kids are sponges and they pick up on the energy around them. As a school psychologist and mom to a kiddo who has battled anxiety, I have some favorite resources. You can find them here.
This book, in particular, is fantastic. I love Dawn Huebner’s books and this one is no exception. It’s filled with helpful resources and will serve as a springboard for important conversations.
This week, we listened to this episode of the Brains On! podcast. It helped my children to understand COVID-19 and the steps they can take to protect themselves and others in our community. (You know your kids best so pre-listen to see if it will work for you. Just sharing because it helped us.)
We also had a handwashing 101 exercise. It’s something I remember from when I worked at a daycare. I put some lotion on each kiddo’s hands, had them rub it in, and then I sprinkled glitter all over the front and back of their hands and had them rub that in. Then, they tried to wash it off. It was the best handwashing we’ve had in years, you guys!
Often the worst part of anxiety is feeling as if you lack control. It can help immensely to take action in your small patch of the globe. This week, we are making a meal for a local shelter, donating to the food pantry, and buying a gift card for our favorite restaurant (we won’t be eating there this week amid concerns, but we know small businesses are going to be hurting). If you have other ideas, please share them in the comments. We need to be the helpers in times like this!
FREE-FOR-NOW HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES IN LIGHT OF COVID-19:
-
- TeacherFit is an affordable and effective at-home fitness program for educators and it’s free for now. Read my review here! (To view the current deal, click here.)
- Other Goose (for ages 2-7)
RELATED POSTS:
-
- Social Media Overwhelm and Sensitive Souls
- Mothering a Worrier | The Homeschool Sisters
Related Articles:
- 10 Super Easy At-Home Learning Ideas for Parents
- How to Homeschool Little Ones (Without the Overwhelm)
- 75+ Ideas for When You’re Stuck Indoors | Learn In Color
- Social Distancing: A Bonus Episode! | The Homeschool Sisters Podcast
- Gameschool Challenges to Change Your Homeschool!
Download your simple homeschool routine here:
Lots of wonderful ideas, Cait! Even though we are already a homeschooling family, I’m putting your printable up on my wall as a reminder that during this strange and weird time, we really need to focus on just being together and keeping things simple. As an introvert, I don’t mind the time home, but even an introvert can get a little stir crazy and impatient with the kiddos! So we are working on making sure we get outside when we can (it’s currently been rainy here in southern CA, but we’ve managed To get outside two days in the last five or so). I also love to see how often you fit in books and reading. We are exactly the same way. I could start our day with reading aloud, listen to an audio book with lunch, and daddy could read aloud before bed and everyone would be a happy camper. Not to mention all the individual time spent with noses in books. 🙂
Our prayers are going out for everyone impacted by the actual illness, as well as all the families where parents are having to stay home from work (like ours). Blessings!
Thank you, Dorinda! Happy reading to you during this time! Hugs, Cait
Awesome post for newbies and veterans alike! Thank you!
Thank you, Kat! Hoping it’s helpful to others out there during this time of uncertainty! <3
Wonderful post Cait!! I love your blog and the homeschool sisters podcast. Thanks for being continued light during this hard time. This post is great for newbies and for us that have already been homeschooling (This is our third year). Thanks again! Be well ❤️
I’m so happy we could help a little. Be well! <3 Cait