As of writing this, we’re in our 8th year of homeschooling (if you count preschool with my oldest!) I have 5 kids… the oldest four are 6-11, and we also have a 2 year old.

We have used variations of this routine over the years, but we keep coming back to this same basic schedule and it’s what’s working for us right now.

Breakfast ➡️ Morning Time (45-90 minutes)

Breakfast & morning time takes about 45 – 75 min, depending on day, moods, and topics. We start at kitchen table around 8:30 & sometimes migrate to the family room after people are done eating. If kids are up early and want to help themselves to breakfast, that’s fine. But I usually make a simple high-protein breakfast that’s ready around 8:15 or 8:30.

We use morning time for as many subjects as possible. I do family style Bible, Literature, Geography, Language Arts, Poetry, & occasionally Arts, Science & anything else we want to learn about! We don’t do those things all at once or every day.

I mostly read to my oldest kids’ understanding and everyone else “learns up.” I try to throw in some fun picture books geared towards my youngest school age child too, but also, I read to him at other times so it’s not a big deal if he just plays nearby and mentally tunes out a bit.

I like this rhythm with a toddler because I can knock out the first part of our family subjects while he’s contained in a high chair & eating (aka: quiet).

After breakfast, he does well playing nearby if I read from the floor. Sometimes he snuggles by me on the couch. He’s extremely social so he doesn’t usually go off and play. When my 4th was a toddler, he’d wander off and play alone somewhere.

I usually just pull out a couple toys or one toy basket.

Independent School Lists

After Morning Time, kids can choose to take a break or get going on independent lists. For elementary school aged kids, our lists are pretty short. The kids and I all hate busy work, so the things I require the kids to do daily are very intentional and they reflect our educational priorities!

We’re not entirely student led, but I do sit down at the beginning of each season and reevaluate the independent lists with the kids & make sure we’re on the same page.

This may ruffle some feathers, but I’ve grown to believe that self-directed learning, creativity, reading, and free play are legitimately more importantly than some arbitrary workbooks that keep kids occupied and check some sort of curriculum box that makes me (the adult) feel like we “got enough school work done.” 😬

I’m CONSTANTLY making sure that the things that make it on the independent list are chosen purposefully!

For us that’s basically a rotating combination of:

• Math
• Reading
• Writing
• Recitation (Poetry Memorization & Review)
• Music Practice

At age 11, our oldest has added Latin as well.

You can make your own checklists in Canva for free using my templates! I have several choices. My kids each have a checklist that is in a reusable dry erase pocket like this.

Lunch

I hate lunch time. 😂 It’s messy, I’m overstimulated, the toddler is on the verge of naptime. Sometimes my husband, who works from home, is available to chit chat about his morning. Other times, he has to rush through the kitchen & eat on his way to a meeting. Any time he appears, the kids swarm him, which is equal parts adorable and chaotic.

Mostly, I eat a healthy, high-protein, easy-to-make lunch. The kids either help themselves to leftovers, PB & J, or quesadillas. Sometimes there is mac & cheese or hotdogs.

It’s not our best time of day. Oh well, win some, lose some.

Afternoons

The kids are free most afternoons. Sometimes we have music lessons or activities or an afternoon with Grandma. But there is also plenty of time for baking, chess, drawing, coding, composing, art, movie making, crochet, outside adventures & more. Some days or seasons get busy, but generally, I try to leave HOURS of unstructured free time throughout the week for the kids to learn & explore & create & play.

THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS and I prioritize it more and more every year. Let them be bored, give them materials they ask for, get out of the way, and see what happens.

Increasingly, I reserve more of our school budget for materials & tools rather than workbooks. We use less and less curriculum each year (and reuse our favorites) which results in more budget for the fun stuff like second hand costumes, ipads for movie making, outdoor tools, whittling knives, yarn, board games, craft supplies, and absurd amounts of baking ingredients.

Some of our all-time favorite games. Gray bag is Rush Hour; colorful tiles in the ziplock is called Blokus. I’d add chess & Catan to that picture too!! (And Clue & Monopoly for the kids, neither of which I enjoy.)

Where Chores Fit In

Everyone has one cleaning chore per day… these daily cleaning chores get done sometime in the morning, we do all-family tidy up in the afternoons or evening, and I’m forever reminding kids to load their own dishes after every meal.

The kids do their own laundry start to finish, usually whenever they run out of clothes.

Recently, I started having a cleaning lady come clean the whole house once a month. GAME CHANGER. We use this day to do a field trip and spend the 2 days prior purging/ tidying up to the extreme rather than standard daily cleaning chores.

The daily cleaning chore rotates. All kids do the same task in different sections/ locations. I use mostly Norwex and sometimes Young Living Thieves Cleaner Concentrate. Easy, safe, & effective.

• Mondays – scrub kitchen cabinets with the “envirosponge,” from Norwex. We’re busy Mondays, so it’s a good day to have a short chore.
• Tuesdays – clean bedroom well enough to vacuum, vacuum it, clean bathroom. We’re home all day Tuesdays, so it’s a good day to have a lengthier chore.
• Wednesdays – clean a section of windows/ glass door.
• Thursdays – vacuum somewhere (first come first serve situation)
• Fridays – tidy up basement play area

What Do You Do With a Toddler or Baby?

The first several years we homeschooled, I had a baby or toddler in tow. The answer is, you just do less schoolwork. Also, just have them tag along with you… have them play nearby on the floor or sometimes give them their own version of whatever the big kids are doing so they can feel included. Pull out special toys once in a while. Also, snacks, snacks, and more snacks.

And grace. Lots of grace. Whatever annoying, destructive thing they’re currently doing, they’ll grow out of it.

Minimal 1 on 1 Lessons

I have tried a few different things for one-on-one instruction over the years. A beginning reading 5-6 year old needs a lot more independent instruction than an 8 year old who is reading decently well. And at one point, I had 4, 6, and 7 year olds. Plus a toddler. Haha so we tried all the things. Workboxes, rotation stations, timed schedules…

What we always came back to is: independent checklists in whatever order you want; check in and ask mom as needed.

I have realized that to effectively and joyfully homeschool 5 kids, I have to be a minimalist when it comes to 1 on 1 instruction.

One of our major reasons for choosing homeschool is lots of time for passion projects/ free time/ learning through play/ life skills. So, I do not want to be in instruction mode all day long.

Also, I want everyone working deeply at their own pace, unhurried, working carefully. Increasingly, once a child is reading well, I try to stay out of the way and encourage independence as much as possible.

I spend 20 minutes on reading/ writing 2-3x a week with my first grader, who is now reading well enough to read a basic instruction in his handwriting workbook. Prior to taking off in reading, I probably do 15-20 minutes 3-4x/ week.

(We obviously miss days and don’t bat 1,000 on this. With him being our 4th, he had the least direct phonics and reading instruction of anyone. I knew he’d be fine and get there eventually. Sure enough, he’s reading just fine at age 6.)

I also check for writing quality side by side throughout the morning, while the kid is standing right there. This way I can give instant feedback and hold them accountable. In The Four Hour School Day, Durenda Wilson says, “Don’t expect what you’re not willing to inspect.” Good advice from a great little book!! (10/10 recommend if you’re struggling with feeling stressed in your daily homeschooling load.)

I give the other 3 kids independent writing/ spelling lessons once a week & edit with them throughout the week on other things they’re working on.

All kids work through math independently with Beast Academy Online and I am always available to help. I end up helping at least 2-3 kids for a few minutes most days.

When it became obvious that our 3rd kiddo LOVED math & had a natural aptitude, I really felt like I was in the way of him studying math. He could have just gone on and on and on every day, playing the games over and over. He was an early reader and completed the kindergarten math workbook independently (for fun) in a couple months.

So, I did a bunch of research and signed him up for Beast Academy Online, which he also loved and excelled at.

Well all the other kids were jealous that he got to do fun “Beast Math.” As much as I love teaching math and make it very fun, I quickly became chopped liver. Haha!!

The quality of math instruction on Beast is second to none. We experimented for a few months before finding our groove, but holy moly. Game changer.

All 4 of my K-6 kids, with all their various learning styles & math aptitudes, are doing really well with math through this program.

I’m sure it wouldn’t be for everyone but I LOVE that they:

• work at their own pace
• don’t need me 100% of the time
• get instant feedback on whether something is correct or not (this singlehandedly fixed the kid who hurried and didn’t care about sloppy mistakes)
• think through multiple ways to solve a problem
• do a lot of math in their heads, but write down problems on a blank paper (rather than fill in the blanks in worksheets)
• think math is amazing & fun & endlessly interesting (which it is!)

We’re VERY picky about what we learn on screens. It’s not our default, by any means. But truly, the quality of math instruction here is phenomenal.

Here is my video walkthrough of Beast Academy & how we make it work. 👇

Extraordinarily Ordinary

Sometimes we go on nature hikes or follow crazy-cool rabbit trails of curiosity.

Once in a while, a kid produces an independently creative project that seems like masterpiece.

But mostly, day in and day out, our homeschooling is extraordinarily ordinary. We read, learn, and laugh together. We enjoy each other and get on each other’s nerves. The sink is full of dirty dishes and the school room is usually messy.

We do a few things, consistently one day after the next, and 8 years in, I can tell you… it’s enough. If you’re stressed, cut back until there is peace.