Do These 9 Things for a More Successful Homeschool Day

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Homeschooling is easy…said no one ever. Although it is rewarding, it’s super hard and brings challenges all the time.

There are few tricks I’ve learned along the way so far, though, to make each day a bit easier. Here are 9 things you can do for a more successful and smooth-running homeschool day!

1. Take time each night to prepare for the next day.

There are so many benefits to doing this! I find that my productivity is best when I take time to plan and get organized the night before. Having to make less decisions about simple things when I am already in the thick of the homeschool day makes such a difference in my mood and effectiveness.

Here are some of the things that I like to do each night:

• Plan/prep meals. I make sure the kids have options ready for breakfast, know what we will have on hand for lunch (and pack lunches if we will be out the next day), and thaw any meat we might need for dinner. I LOVE these little magnetic notepads for my meal planning; they stick right on my fridge and make it super easy to make my shopping list and plan what we will be eating all week.

• Set out clothes. I always know what I will be wearing the next day and have it set out. My kids are old enough to pick out their own clothes each day, but I do make sure I have clothes set out for our toddler so I can get him ready easily in the morning – one less decision to make!

• Organize school supplies. It’s helpful for me to look at what we’ll be doing in school the next day and make sure any needed supplies are gathered and ready to grab and go.

• Clean the kitchen. It’s not easy for me to walk into a messy kitchen in the morning. I try to make sure the dishes are loaded in the dishwasher and the counters are tidy before we head to bed in the evening.

• Brain dump everything else. I use the Home Routines app for pretty much all of my daily task lists. I have a general to-do list I use to jot down everything I need to accomplish the next day and get it out of my head.

Think about what might typically stress you out in the morning, or what you might be rushed to do, and use that as a starting point for your organization.

2. Sleep enough (you AND the kids!)

Sleep is so important for your health, and it’s something I know that I don’t prioritize enough! When I am well-rested, I can focus better and am much more productive.

How much sleep do we need?

Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night to function at their very best, although this can definitely vary from person to person.

One of my biggest struggles is getting to bed at a decent hour. I love the quiet of the night after the kids go to bed; that’s when I typically can refocus, plan, and most often, get work done! But I do have to prioritize getting those sleep hours in.

Going to bed a little earlier allows me to get up a little earlier. When I am able to wake up before our “school day” begins, I find that having my own time in the morning to exercise, drink coffee in peace, and do my bible study/devotion can set the tone to a much more successful homeschool day.

Don’t forget about the kids!

And don’t forget, kids need enough sleep too (around 8-10 hours depending on their age)! So set a good example for them in this area. With enough sleep, your kids may have an easier time focusing, better behavior and better performance in their school work.

3. Have a do-able plan for school expectations

Each day, my kids (my older kids are in 2nd and 3rd grade right now) know what is expected of them, and we have a clear guide to make sure we accomplish all of our tasks. We use the Printable Homeschool Tracker I created to help us do this.

These are the tracking sheets I have hanging up in our schoolroom. I laminated one for each kid, so we can write on them with a dry erase marker and erase it each week.

I wrote their subjects down the side in the order I prefer that they would do them in; as they finish and I check their work, we simply mark it off on the chart. It provides such a clear visual for what they have finished and what they still need to do by the end of each week to stay on track.

Whatever you decide to use, make sure it is visible and do-able so you (and your kids!) have that sense of accomplishment after a long day of school.

4. Stick to a routine.

While we do have a rhythm to our days, we don’t necessarily have a strict schedule we stick to. It took a while for me to become better at this, to be honest! But once I learned to go-with-the-flow a bit more, we settled into a nice routine and our days went much more smoothly.

Our typical day might look something like this:

• Morning routine: My kids know that we will start school at 8am. They are early risers (I don’t know where they get this from), and know that if they have breakfast finished, chores done, and are dressed for the day, they can have a little time on their electronics before school. This might not work for everyone, but it is VERY motivating for them!

I really recommend a great chore system like this one to implement and help your kids form some good habits!

• School work: We get started on our school work for the day using the charts above as a general guideline. Many mornings we will try to pray and do a short devotional or just have some time together to go over anything special going on that day before we get to work. We’ll do a couple of subjects, break for snacks and playing with the little one, then work again until lunchtime.

• Lunch break/Afternoon routine: After lunch, it really will depend on the day…we’ll finish up our school work, often have some sort of practice to go to, and finish our afternoon chores.

Find what works for you, be as consistent as possible, and learn to give yourself and your kids lots of grace in the process.

5. Stock up on snacks.

If you DO have early risers like me, they’ll be ready for second breakfast by 8am. It relieves a lot of stress for me to know that I have multiple snack options available that are easy to grab when they get hungry.

Yes, it would be great if all of the snacks were perfectly healthy. Many times they are. But many times my kids love to grab a handful of sugary, dry cereal out of the box and munch on it – that’s real life.

Have lot of fruit, cheese, hard-boiled eggs or cut-up veggies on hand, but also things like granola bars, cereal, goldfish crackers or whatever your kids like to snack on. I also LOVE making homemade muffins which the kids like and make super-easy grab-and-go snacks.

Help your day run smoothly by having clear expectations set for snacking ahead of time. My kiddos would snack all day long if they could! So they know that they have one snack time during our morning break, and one in the afternoon. This works well for us, keeps them happy and satisfied between regular meals.

6. Take time to connect.

Connecting with your kids is such a big benefit of homeschooling; it can help your kids be more engaged in their work, and more motivated to cooperate. When you’re all having one of those days, take a step back to re-connect.

I know that on many days, as a homeschool mom I spend a lot of time correcting my kiddos, reminding them of things, reproving them and (maybe) even nagging them. It’s so important that we put just as much effort – and probably so much more – into building those positive connections.

What are some easy ways we can build these connections?

Hugs & cuddles, daily laughter, and moments where you put technology down and just get in the moment with your kiddos. Make a habit of daily one-on-one time with each kid. Spend some time before bed each day just listening to them as they wind down. And if you don’t have a family fun night penciled in weekly…try one this week!

7. Do YOUR thing.

What is your thing that you love to do? That helps you clear your mind and stay a little bit more sane during the day? You can (and should) be making time for this each day!

For me, it’s exercise and bible study. And just like you, my days are already extremely crazy jam-packed…but I know if I make excuses and don’t make time for myself, I’ll be more stressed out and more quick-tempered during the school day. It’s not good for anyone around me.

Try to carve out 30 minutes each day to do what helps you recharge.

Exercise, shopping, coffee with a friend while the kids have a play-date…you get the idea. For me, my time usually happens in the evening after dinner, or during “recess” or my toddler’s nap time. You can more successfully take care of your family when your own needs are met – so make it happen!

8. Watch the time-suckers.

It’s so easy to make excuses as to why we don’t have time for ourselves; but when we DO have time, it’s so easy to get lost in the endless scrolling of social media or another time-sucking activity.

Set timers to help you manage things like your social media and checking email. And whatever the time-sucking activity may be, be mindful of how much you are devoting to something that may not fulfill you and takes away from you having a successful homeschool day.

9. Shower each day.

Ok, this one might be kind of silly, but honestly…sometimes a simple shower makes all the difference in how I feel during the day! It helps me wake up and feel a bit more energized, put-together and ready to start the day. So shower, get dressed, and get ready and motivated to have your best homeschool day!

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Besides the obvious fresh pot of coffee not listed, these are some of the things that have worked for me to set us up for success! What are your best tips for a successful homeschool day? Comment below!