This year is a HUGE transition for my family! We have been homeschooling since dinosaurs roamed the earth (…well, it feels that way!) since our now 17 1/2 year old was little. This year we enrolled the kiddos in a homeschool / private school hybrid, so for the first time EVER, I am going to have to have a regular morning routine that includes getting all four of them out the door ON TIME in the morning!
Y’all, pray for me! I am not a great morning person to begin with, and as you probably already know if you’re here reading this…its 100x harder when you’re trying to herd a bunch of kids on top of getting your own self into the car caffeinated and alert enough to obey all the traffic laws. Sigh.
So, because I’m a worksheet nerd and a creator, I hopped on my computer and made us some new routine charts for morning, afternoon, and evening. I am hoping and praying that this will help the Littles, at least, to have a smoother day as we make this big adjustment.
I don’t think the teens will want anything to do with these charts… If you have some great tips to helping teenagers learn to manage & regulate their own schedules, PLEASE send them my way!!
Anyway, back to the routine charts! I really want my kiddos to learn to take responsibility for the normal everyday rhythms, routines & tasks that make up our day. I do NOT want to be hollering up the stairs, or nagging them about each little thing – can I get an AMEN?!
I happen to be a pretty visual person and although Ellie is learning to read, Jon is just starting. So I love using pictures to depict all the tasks! (Hmmmm….maybe I will make myself a routine chart too!)
I broke it up into morning (before school), afternoon (after school), and evening (from suppertime until lights’ out), with a page for each – and then put them in wipe-clean pockets! We will hang these on hooks in the kids’ bathroom, and downstairs by my kitchen command center and the kids can check each task off their list as it’s completed.
I know I’m going to have to help them for a little while until this becomes just part of our day, but I’m really hopeful that it will help us out!
Do you use any tools like charts or lists to help your kiddos with daily life? I’d love to know your thoughts!
