5 Steps of Establishing Routine
The "Covid 19 Home Schooling Help in Quarantine" Series…”
After many years of home educating my children, this was the year. They were going to enroll in public school for the first time and I was going to get reintroduced to myself and work from home, all the while helping my children acclimate to the culture of public school. And then March hit. Now they are home again and in fact, everyone is home again (my husband included) thanks to Covid 19. We are navigating working with their teachers online and figuring out what this new “normal” is supposed to look like. The good news is that we have fallen back into some of our tried-and-true routines from our home schooling years.
To be sure, this is not the same as traditional home school, in which the parent selects the curriculum, sets the course, and can devote the time and resources into the subjects being taught. What we have now is people who are trying to work from home, help with school work that is supposed to be completed using new methods (including new math with its promise of solving a simple multiplication problem in 20 easy steps!), and maintain some semblance of sanity throughout the swirling chaos.
In these uncertain times, routine becomes highly important. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way endorsing those cute color coded, rigid, hourly schedules that were all the rage at the beginning of this shelter-in-place order. I do think that for a very select group of people, these schedules might actually work and actually be helpful. For the rest of us however, whereas there does need to be some order to the chaos, these color coded firm schedules only tend to induce more guilt, and do not provide the freedom of well ordered children that they promise….
So the question now becomes-
How should we think about routines?
Children thrive when there is routine to their day. In the regular classroom, this is the reason why the children have subjects presented in the same order every day. There is a sense of security in knowing that some things, like when they will have science, do not change. Let’s face it, right now in this age of coronavirus there is a ton of uncertainty and we could all use some sense of security.
Your child has gone through a period of unprecedented upheaval. His or her schedule and sense of “normal” has changed completely. That is unsettling for us all. Children are also suddenly expected to figure out how to spend extra time that they have not had before in a self-directed way. Up to now, teachers, coaches, and music directors have mostly directed what they are supposed to be doing at most points of their day. Now, so much free time can also be a bit of a surprise to their systems. (Indeed, perhaps not filling your evenings running from one activity to the next has been a shock to your system as well!)
1. Get up around the same time every day.
This time can vary by family. Perhaps your child does his or her best work in the morning, so have him or her rise earlier. If your child does his or her best work in the late afternoon or evening, then you might allow him or her to sleep later. You decide what works best for your situation, then have your child use an alarm to get up at the appointed time daily, allowing (of course) for extenuating circumstances like not resting well the night before, in which do allow him or her the extra sleep!
2. Figure out when your child is at his or her best.
I am guessing that you do not have the time to sit with your child all day and do school work right next to him or her. That being the case, you need your child to work independently for a few stretches throughout the day. Figure out when your child does his or her best work- morning or afternoon? During this segment of the day, have your child work on either reading or math. These are the foundation subjects that need the most attention, try to ensure that your child is at his or her best when they work on them!
(If you would like extra practice or help with teaching reading you can check out our free language arts program at www.homeschoolnavigator.com.) You also at this point need to think about your own schedule and figure out times that work for “check-in” segments. When can you make time during the day to check in with your child and go through their independent work?
3. Start with exercise.
The connection between mind and body is strong. Everyone benefits from movement throughout the day. To get brains ready to learn, start with simple stretching exercises. You might begin with jumping jacks or having your child touch his or her opposing elbow with their opposite knee while standing. Simple stretches are a good way to get the blood pumping and get the day started off well.
4. Offer quiet time to practice self direction.
We have created a reality for our children in this country in which they are used to rushing from one activity to the next. In such carefully curated environments, they are told what to do, where to stand, and the activities that they need to be working on. To help transition from this mindset, take a little time in the day to encourage self-directed activities. This time should be device-free, unless used for research. Basically, this should be time in which the child is left alone to read, create artwork, make music, rest, or enjoy any other creative outlet. The point is that the child chooses what interests him or her and then takes time to practice that interest.
Just remember- this self directed activity is a most likely a new concept for your child and this (like all new concepts) needs to be practiced. Yes, they will balk at first and not know what they want to do, but keep going. Learning what you can do when you are bored is a very important life skill and like anything else, requires practice.
5. Take time to practice life skills.
Older kids need to practice such things as taking out the trash, loading and unloading the dishwasher, cooking meals, and doing laundry. Older children can help out and learn how to take care of themselves. Even younger children can help do this like fold the laundry. (My children helped fold towels starting at age three.) Life skills should be included in the daily activities as well.
This is why routines can be a good thing. By routines, I am not suggesting the color coded rigid schedule divided up into 15 minute increments including bathroom breaks and snack time. No, routines can simply be a loose guideline for your day. Even a loose guideline can help bring some order and peace to your newly- minted home school. Here are five ideas to think about when setting up a routine for your family:
One word of caution as you get ready to roll out your new routine- remember that each day is different. There will be days when nothing gets done. Expect interruptions and the occasional meltdown. They happen, and it’s normal. Life is messy and expect that you will need to modify your routine sometimes. Sometimes your child will have an “off day.” When this happens, redirect and embrace things that bring joy. This time is already stressful enough, there is no need to add more stress to it! It is important to be flexible. Routines are mere frameworks for your day, and fluidity is also a good thing.
This idea of our temporary “new normal” has everyone taking a step back and re-evaluating. There is no such thing as “winning” at quarantine parenting. Join with me and take a deep breath in. Now exhale.
Now, if you’ll excuse me- I have to figure out how to diagram the multiplication of fractions to help with my daughter’s math assignment. Good luck to us all.