School Morning Day in the Life
Most of my mornings are spent doing school with the kids, outside of the summer months. Our mornings have a certain rhythm to them that I come to look forward to after a relaxing summer. Today, I’m sharing a school morning day in the life.
A few weeks before school starts, I always prepare myself for what’s ahead. When school is underway, it always means earlier mornings for me, which I don’t mind.
My goal is always to be up by 5. It seems like that is the sweet spot where I have time to sit and enjoy my coffee while I read and prepare for the day.
My kids will come down around seven to greet me with rosy cheeks and hungry bellies. Our day has officially begun.
Day in the Life
I love seeing how other people’s days flow, especially other homeschool mamas. It helps me to see where I can tweak my own routine or if our rhythms are similar.
Today, I am going to walk you through what our morning school routine looks like from breakfast time to the end of our school time.
I have shared other Day in the Life posts in other posts. Feel free to check them out, if you are interested:
Early morning hours
Most of you know this already, but I wake and read my bible before the kids arise for the day. Five o’clock is a good goal for me, although I often times with I would get up even earlier.
I sit on my couch with my hot coffee and read a Proverb or Psalm. Prayer follows that and then a little work on my computer.
If I get up by 5am, I have an hour for bible time and an hour for doing some computer work. Lately, it has been blog writing and such. It has been nice sharing more here on the blog.
Breakfast Time
Breakfast time has long been one of my most fond childhood memories. I have visions of my mother preparing my breakfast while I sit at the counter and waiting patiently seared into my memory. They are sweet memories, to be sure.
From the moment I rise in the early morning, to the moment my feet hit the sheets at night, I try to make sure there are calm pockets of time in our day.
Our home is boisterous and busy from time to time, but there are always pockets of peace and quiet woven throughout. I look forward to these times and so do the kids.
Breakfast time is one of those pockets. There isn’t loud banging of cabinet doors or bickering amongst the kids.
Instead, there is breakfast being served, a diffuser blowing something yummy, and music softly playing.
Simple ways to make breakfast peaceful
- Breakfast– Having breakfast ready when the kids rise keeps fussy behavior at bay. They belly up to the table, usually still half asleep, and gobble up whatever is before them.
- Good smells- Besides the smell of fluffy pancakes on the griddle, diffusing a yummy essential oil, like Thieves, is always a good idea. I have been diffusing in the morning for over 6 years and it is a staple part of our morning routine. If you don’t have a diffuser, light a candle.
- Music– This is key, if you have a home that typically has bickering first thing in the morning. Play some soft, instrumental music and create the environment for your kids to be calm.
If you need delicious breakfasts that you can prepare ahead of time, I wrote an entire post on our go-to, make ahead breakfasts. Check that out here: Make ahead Breakfasts.
When do I get ready for the day?
While the kids eat breakfast I go to my room to get ready. I make my bed, brush my teeth, get dressed, and put on my makeup for the day.
This is a short process, but one that I enjoy doing. It makes me feel pulled together and ready for our school day.
I have been asked on Instagram if I shower in the mornings and I prefer showering at night so I’m nice and clean when I go to bed. I also walk in the evenings, so I have to shower after that, anyway.
Prepare for the Day- Before School
Once breakfast is over, the kids get ready for the day. From 7:30 until 8, the kids do their personal chores to make sure they are prepared for school.
Some of those chores are:
- Brush Teeth and Get dressed
- Make their beds
- Tuck away their pajamas
- Tidy bedroom
- Tend to the animals- Ella and Liam alternate who cares for the dogs and who cares for the cats.
There is always time from 8 o’clock until 8:20 for the kids to go outside and burn some energy. This is extremely important for our home.
On the rare occasion where I didn’t have the kids go outside, it has been quite evident by their wiggly behavior during our school time. 😊 Even if it’s ten or fifteen minutes, having your kids get fresh air will serve you all well.
After the kids have played, they come in, take their vitamins, and pull out their school baskets for school.
School Morning Routine
Our school days tend to flow the same from day to day. Having a consistent routine helps us move along with fewer bumps in the road.
As the kids have gotten older and their school work has become more time consuming, I’ve had to be a bit more scheduled with our school day.
When they were younger, it was easier to set our curriculum before us and slowly work through it as we wanted.
Now that we have a lot to get through and there are four kids doing school (and needing my help), I had to create schedule to make sure each child stayed on task and had time to work with me.
8:30-9:30
We start school at 8:30. I spend the first hour working with Julia and Guinnyth. We all three sit at the dining table and I bounce back and forth between them as the hour passes on.
The older kids begin their school day with math. Most of their math is done independently. If they need help with a new concept, I work with them later.
9:30-10:30
At 9:30, the little girls are finished working with me and they move onto work they can do independently, such as reading science, literature, and history together. They love this time and cuddle up on my bed to read together.
The older kids begin other subjects, besides math. Ella starts her history and science during this time.
Liam works on language with me. This is also the time that Liam gets help with any math questions he might have.
10:30-11:30
We started a new writing curriculum for the older two this year and it has been great. Sometimes, change is good, even if you didn’t know you needed it.
They are doing IEW (Institutes for Excellence in Writing) writing together and it has been so fun to watch the videos and do the assignments with one another.
Each video takes about 30-40 minutes. They usually only have a video on Monday and Tuesday. The other days they work on what they’ve learned and prepare their final papers.
Bible reading comes when they are finished with writing. Each of them reads a book the bible for 15 minutes.
11:30-Noon
Liam reads history at 11:30, while I work with Ella on anything she is needing assistance with. This is a time for me to touch base with her and make sure she is doing well with her studies.
Noon-12:30
I prepare lunch and the kids eat together at the kitchen table. We keep lunch simple here. If there are leftovers, I will try to get that warming up ahead of time so it’s fresh-ish for lunch. Otherwise, we do sandwiches or charcuterie boards.
School is done, for the most part, though Ella and Liam will still have work to finish up after lunch.
School Routine Broken Down
- 8:30- school starts. Mom works with little girls. The big kids do math independently.
- 9:30- The little girls read together for an hour. Mom works with Liam on language and answers any questions he has about other coursework. Ella does her history and science.
- 10:30- Ella and Liam do writing together. They read their bibles once writing is complete.
- 11:30- Mom works with Ella on anything she needs help with or clarification on. Liam reads his history independently.
- 12:00- Lunch gets prepped and served.
- 1:00- The kids go to their rooms for quiet time. The older kids work on their coursework until it’s completed.
School Day in the Life
I hope you enjoyed this simple school morning broken down for you. Our mornings have a definite rhythm to them and it’s nice to have a flow from one thing to another.
As far as school is concerned, it can seem cumbersome to educate four kids at different grade levels, but it really takes teaching them to be independent in small things and helping them to grow in that independence.
It is important to check their understanding of things they do independently by grading their work and asking questions regarding their reading, but it’s amazing how much they can do on their own if we just help them to be self-learners.
I schedule my school day so that I have an hour for each kiddo. The little girls get lumped together in one hour, but otherwise, Liam and Ella both get a hour of help from me, if they need it.
People ask how I get everything done and have time to work in the afternoon and that’s how. They still have some work to do in the afternoon, but I’ve completed my work by the time lunch is over.
Other Homeschool Posts
If you want to peek at other posts I’ve written, I’ve outlined so many areas of our schooling. I will share a few of the most popular posts below.
I love this post!! So great!! We have a similar schedule and it does my heart good to see someone else doing something similar and having the same values when it comes to homeschooling!! I love to keep things as calm as possible!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Keep things calm is my motto. lol Have a wonderful day, Lindsay!
This is so helpful! I also have 4, but they are currently 9,7,5 and an extra spicy 2 year old it’s nice to see a routine that we can aspire to in a few years. Love the idea of outside time before school-so good for everyone! Will you share more at some point about your evening routine? I also love walking but find it difficult to fit it in during the day.
I forgot something! Do you do any kind of morning basket routine? We have since we started homeschooling, but some days I feel like it’s not the best use of our time. It’s when we do our scripture memory review, poetry, art appreciation, and read aloud all on a rotating schedule.
Yes! I plan to share an evening routine soon. 🙂 I also have plans for sharing about a morning basket. It’s like you’re reading my mind. lol
I too would love to hear about your evening routine and walking! Love your blog, you are so inspiring in so many ways! To God be the glory♡
Hello Tracy! I JUST published my evening routine. I hope you enjoy a peek into our nightly routine. 🙂
What time do you go to bed if you wake up at 5? My biggest struggle with getting up early is that I am a night owl and can never get to bed before 1130!
I go to bed, lights out, no later than ten. I prefer to have lights out by 9:30. Not everyone is a morning person, and that is just fine. If you’re more productive at night, just stick with that! 🙂