Do you dread the start of a new day because you know that chaos is going to ensue? That as soon as the alarm clocks go off, the day is going to start with noise and commotion. And then the inevitable uphill battle of motivating your kids to do their schoolwork, while the toddler is walking around in just his underwear that is inside out and on backwards. Does this sound familiar you? There is a cure—plan for the day so your kids know what to do and you keep your sanity!
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It can be so frustrating trying to find the right rhythm for everyone. It can feel like searching for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You hope it’s there, but doubtful that you will ever find it. Trust me mom, you are not alone. We’ve all experienced the pulling out our hair trying to figure out how to plan for the day, so everyone is on the same page.
Plan for the Day: The Benefits
1. Provides Security
Kids, especially young kids, thrive on routine. Developing a plan for the day provides consistency and security in your home. It also builds expectations and sets boundaries. This allows kids to relax and function better in a secure environment.
2. Creates habits
Planning for your day helps your kids create habits and routines. If they know right after breakfast they brush their teeth, then this routine becomes a daily habit. What are some habits you want your kids to create? Start adding them in at specific times throughout the day.
3. You don’t need to keep saying the same things over and over and over
There are certain things that you probably say to your kids every day. If your kids know what to do and what comes next, you will not be repeating the same things over and over every day. Now, full disclosure, this one doesn’t always work perfectly because they will still ask the same questions every day. But to a certain degree, they know the routine, what comes next, and what is expected.
And, if you are tired of hearing the sound of your voice saying the same things everyday, try putting a reminder board next to their desks. These are great to help keep your kids organized and gives them a place to hang their special pictures. Don’t forget the fun dry erase markers!
How to Plan for the Day
There are so many how-to posts about planning your ideal day. But, let’s be honest, it really isn’t possible to plan the ideal day with a houseful of kids and clients to juggle. My ideal day would involve lounging on the couch, scheduling what book to read next (this is the next one The Midnight Library). This is an impossible day to plan, but it is still my ideal day.
It is more honest to say, plan for the day so your kids know what to do and you keep your sanity. If you are struggling to figure out the schedule that works best for you, here are steps to follow so you can be queen of your schedule.
1. Decide on the school week
What do you want your school week to look like? Do you want to do a 4-day school week and leave Friday for co-ops, electives, and field trips? Then schedule your week this way. You can do this. Electives, co-op classes, and field trips are all part of the school day. If you want to do this once a week, then rock this schedule mom.
Or do you want to do 5-days per week and leave the last Friday of the month for field trips. Or do you want to do school year round and do 6-weeks on, one week off. Then do this. Whatever you decide, the most important thing is to make sure it works for you and your family.
2. Plan for time off, but also have a buffer for surprise days off
Look at the year, before you start, and decide what days you want to take off. I usually follow the local school schedule for the major holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. But I also plan special days off as well. Like my birthday, my husband’s birthday, our anniversary, etc.
We are also required to fulfill a certain number of days for school. I make sure all the days are complete before Memorial Day.
3. When do you want your school day to start
Start your school day at the same time every day. This will start building habits in your kids. There are certain things that need to be done every morning, so create the routine of doing these things, so your kids know exactly what to do. For example, get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, start schoolwork. If you do these same steps every day, your kids will get used to the routine, create good habits, and you can stop telling them what to do because they will know.
Our day typically starts around 8am. When I had kids in school it started at 7am because I had to get the child in school to school. Now that everyone is home, we start later. This same schedule may not work for you, so find the start time that works best for everyone.
4. Let your kids take responsibility for their schoolwork
Give your kids the freedom of responsibility. This is age dependent and kid dependent. But, if you can, let your kids take responsibility for their schoolwork. If they want to take multiple breaks between subjects that’s ok. The consequence will be that they finish their work much later, but they are responsible to complete it each day.
Sample Schedule
Here is a sample schedule to help you start to plan for the day. This is what works for us. Remember, find the schedule that works for you and your family.
I decided to switch the majority of our book work to 4 days a week. Leaving Fridays for co-op and electives. On the Fridays that we don’t need to be anywhere we sleep in. I don’t work on Fridays, and I am not a morning person. So I take my time getting up on Fridays and so do the kids.
For the rest of the week this is our typical schedule:
5-5:30am: Mom gets up and starts her work day.
8am: Alarms go off. Kids get up, make their beds, get dressed (this one is fluid), and come downstairs.
Mom wakes baby up and feeds her.
8:10am: Kids eat breakfast and brush their teeth right after.
8:30am: Kids start on their schoolwork. I let them take responsibility for their work. This means they can decide how many breaks they want (within reason), so long as they get their work done. With the first grader, he needs more direction to stay on task. But for the most part it is up to them. Mom gets ready. Kid number 2 feeds baby breakfast.
9am: Mom starts working again and gets the first grader started on subjects. There are some subjects that he does online, so he has usually started on those already.
11am: Baby gets fed and put down for a nap.
12pm: Lunch time. Kids are responsible to get their own lunch and lunch for younger siblings.
1pm: Baby wakes up. Kid number 3 feeds her lunch.
2pm: Everyone is usually done with schoolwork by this time. They usually play games, go to the park, read books, etc.
2:30pm: Mom is done for the day.
Conclusion
This is just to give you an idea of what the typical day looks like. There is always flexibility with the schedule and other things that we may do during the week. Knowing what comes next throughout the day helps the kids stay on task, helps my work schedule, and keeps things on track.
How do you plan for the day so your kids know what to do and you keep your sanity?
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