Homeschool families have varying circumstances and waiting to the afternoon to homeschool works for some families.
However, instead of adding one more thing to your added responsibilities by telling you that mornings are best, I want to show you how to seize your day by being sure you are getting the best start.
How to Avoid the Stress of Running and Rushing
So today, I want to share how to make yourself a morning person when homeschooling.
I hope too that just because I do my best work at 5:00 a.m. that you won’t hold that against me because my perfect homeschool morning routine bombed when Mr. Awesome 2015, my night owl was added to my day.
So if you’re like me and absolutely love the mornings, but have children who do not share your same “radiance” in the morning, then maybe a tip or two will help them too.
Forget the Complete Breakfast.
Though I am ready to rumble and that means a pretty hardy breakfast right when I get up, my run from the morning son is almost sick to his stomach when he wakes up.
Did I mention that is not the time for explanations about low blood sugar or needing to be refueled?
I learned that while he was hungry, a big breakfast early only seemed to slow him down.
Instead, a light meal like a yogurt, banana and blueberry smoothie (his favorite) was just enough to help him get past the morning sickness.
Because he didn’t want me asking him questions in the morning, I suggested that he dump the ingredients in the blender the night before.
All he had to do was push a button in the morning and he had it ready. No conversation with me was needed.
10:00 or 10:30 a.m. is STILL Morning Time.
Another thing I had to accept was that it was okay for him to start later after I did with the other boys.
Some days we are ready to start by 8:00 a.m., but Mr. Awesome 2015 did not do his best work at that time.
Instead of fighting his natural design to a slower start to the day (wouldn’t want it done to me), I realized that starting even at 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. is still a great start to the day.
So if you have several children that require more time in the morning and your household runs better by a later start, 10:30 a.m. is still a morning routine.
If your child is real young and needs you to start his day, but you know that he is absolutely not a morning person, then plan for a read aloud.
As he grows older, he will appreciate the fact that you allowed learning at his peak time.
Subject Matters.
Another thing I learned about helping homeschoolers who fought to focus in the mornings was to start with lighter homeschooling subjects.
Normally, I suggest tackling the hardest subjects first in the morning when you’re fresh and motivated.
That same advice does not work for night owls.
Even meaningful conversations with your children while you sip your brew, which morning people normally do after school or in the evenings can fill your morning and it still counts as homeschooling.
Too, instead of assigning harder subjects first, which most morning people tackle first, assign subjects that your children can do independently.
This gives you more time to wake up and for the morning time to pass peaceably while your children start their day slowly.
If your child is not a morning person, support them by helping them to organize their subjects by getting a slower start too.
Save the hard subjects to tackle when they come alive like later in the afternoon.
Do You Homeschool When the Sun Rises Sets?
If you do have children that are morning people and can work independently of you, let them start their day. Morning people need their time to start when it’s best for them too.
However, just make a simple rule for you, which is that all questions will have to wait until after lunch or later in the morning.
Find the Sweet Spot – Compromise.
Just be sure to answer the questions of your child that is a early riser right away, like early afternoon. Don’t wait to the evening to help a child who thrives with the morning time because that is akin to you feeling absolutely sick in the morning and not wanting a person to say a peep to you.
Early afternoon to mid-afternoon is the perfect compromise time for both morning and night owl folks to meet half-way.
Homeschoolers homeschool for all sorts of reasons from health related problems, gifted learners, secular homeschoolers to faith based homeschooling. And sometimes that means starting later in the day.
It’s hard to set up hard and fast rules for all circumstances, but you do want to set up a measuring standard for what your family is accomplishing for the day.
How Do You Measure Success?
For example, I encourage you to homeschool as early as you can and make it first in your day, whatever that time is for your family.
Interruptions can happen the longer the day goes on and by starting as soon as you can, distractions can be minimized and time learning maximized.
Many homeschoolers struggle with getting in the basics for the day because they didn’t gauge how much time they actually need in the morning.
Finding the time for your family and sticking to it is key to having a fuller day.
What time do you start your homeschool day?
Hugs and love ya,
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