How to Start Your Morning Homeschooling

Any successful homeschool program requires discipline and planning. Many families report feeling anxious about getting their homeschooling day started.

Whether it is getting ready, sticking to a routine, or getting your child prepared for the day, starting your homeschooling morning can set the tone for the rest of the day.

In this article, you will learn how to create a routine that will help you be successful in starting your homeschooling morning. By following this guide, you will help get your homeschooling day off to a successful start and reduce stress and anxiety for you and your child.

Start Your Homeschooling Morning the Day Before

If you start your day stressing or anxious about planning activities for your children, you will begin to dread starting each homeschooling day. Avoid anxiety about getting your morning started by planning as much as possible the night before.  (Or even the week before.)

1. Plan activities- At the end of your day, take a look at the assignments your child has completed. Assess their performance and determine if they have mastered the concepts and skills. If they have not mastered the concept or need more practice on the skill, you can plan to revisit that assignment or plan another assignment for the following day. Remember, your goal is your child’s mastery, not the competency of a subject. A successful student has fully mastered the material. If you see they have a full grasp on the concept and skills, you can introduce a new topic.

2. Create a Checklist– Determine what classes your student will attend, the videos you want them to watch, the readings you want them to complete, and create a checklist. A checklist helps your student manage their day and take responsibility for their learning. Note: Many online planners will do this for you automatically. Learn more about planners in Anything Academic by setting your resource format to “planners.” [Insert article here on planner reviews]

3. Gather Supplies– Get all reading materials, books, and other supplies together and organize them. Put all materials in order with the first assignment or activity of the day on top. Ideas include getting a clipboard for every student and putting all student needs under the checklist in the clipboard. Older students can participate in this at the end of the school day as well to help. Online planners will corral the information digitally.

4. Send Emails- Create a homeschool email or text group that the entire family uses. Send daily emails to your children with links to videos, online articles, and websites you want them to use for the day. Several online homeschool planner programs will automatically email your child with a daily schedule you have devised. Your child can start their homeschooling day by checking their emails, reading the news articles, watching videos, and visiting their online platforms. Attach all subscriptions or memberships to this email. When you check these emails daily, you can also get updates about events you can take part in and add to your schedule. Don’t forget to include links to any videos you want them to watch or online programs to use as learning resources.

Morning Resources

A predictable morning routine is the best way to start your homeschooling day. Create a schedule. There are many things to consider when creating a morning routine, but there are also many ways to ensure that your homeschooling day is successful.

1. Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day: Predictability is the best way to ensure your child is ready to learn when your homeschooling morning begins. Wake up at the same time every day. Set the alarm for the same wake-up time each day. Get dressed and make sure your student is fully prepared for learning. This can be early, late, or whatever works for your family but be consistent!

2. Exercise: One way to prepare for learning is by following an exercise routine before school each day. Go for a run, take the dogs for a walk, and do household chores. Exercise will help your child be more alert in the mornings, which is optimal for learning. Exercise increases motivation and helps with attention and engagement. Also, consider sports activities scheduled for the morning instead of the afternoon. They are often less expensive, and there is much less competition for times. Tennis, swimming, dance and other activities can be done early.

3. Breakfast: Start your day with a healthy and filling breakfast. Have breakfast before you start your homeschooling routine. If age-appropriate, let the kids take time to make it. Learn life skills such as cooking, cleanliness, and organization. Talk about the day, set expectations, set goals.

4. Morning Meeting: Before you start school, have a morning meeting. Adding a morning meeting to your routine is an excellent time for reflection on the day before.

5. Read Aloud: Start the day with a read-aloud to help transition your child from their relaxing morning routine into their homeschooling day. You can choose reading material about character development or include devotional readings. Older kids? Turn this into a discussion of a group book project on a more difficult topic.

6. Current Events: This is a great time to cover and read appropriate news magazines, digital online newspapers for kids and adults, and review the day’s events in the nation. Consider making one morning a week about financial news as well. Knowledge can be gained here at all ages. Anything Academic has an entire collection of news sites!

7. Relax- You will have bad mornings. There will be days that do not go as planned. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can regroup, make changes, and try the next day again.

Conclusion

Starting your homeschooling morning does not have to be stressful. Preparing materials and planning your day the night before can help reduce your anxiety about the next day. Wake up, get ready, have breakfast, and approach your morning feeling relaxed and ready to learn.