Thirteen years ago, all the kids were 12 and under and I organized EVERYTHING. Now that they are all ten and up I organize very little moment by moment activity, I just make sure the basics are covered. Running a home with 8 kids under 12 was a very different season. Above is our “chore chart” for that season (see others below!). It was a great way to motivate and keep things on somewhat of a schedule. So funny that Esther at age 10 was going to the coffee shop for two hours a day. We lived on Main Street and she loved having her chill time there.
This was my actual Home-Learning Plan five years ago. It is simple for parents and delightful to kids!
Logic Games
Read Favorite Books
YouTube Tutorials
Nature Time
Online Math Games or Serious Stuff
Kitchen Time
Spelling Games
Complete 5 Workbook Pages or 5 Fun-Schooling Journal Pages
Play Outside
Art & Drawing
Just Dance
Chores
Online Games (a reward for chores and school)
Family Time and Board Games
Movie Time
Music Practice
Dyslexia Games You can do these activities in any order, but Movies and Online Games should be close to last.
For chores, we would create new schedule once every 3 or 4 months. Everyone liked knowing exactly what areas of the house they were responsible for.
Chores are largely about teaching life skills and serving others. This journal can help!
I believe it is so important to understand how to nurture a child’s growing mind. I have a passion to teach them to be curious, to love learning, to research wisely and to grow in wisdom, understanding and knowledge. It’s been my lifework to understand why some children struggle to learn, read, and focus, and I dig deep into these matters sorting through vast amounts of research on the human mind to understand how to unlock the potential of each child. I work hard to find the answers and tap into the child’s gifts, no matter what their natural strengths and weaknesses may be. And I test these ideas and solutions and share them with the world, and many thousands of children have been able to overcome struggles related to ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia.
I also believe that it’s vastly important to nurture the child’s growing body, to give the child the best foods, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and the right balance of proteins, fats and carbs. I research and learn what is good and what is poison and ensure the child has sunshine and exercise. Because what good is a strong mind inside a weak and sick body? You can not care for one and neglect the other. Mothers and fathers everywhere make it a priority to care for the mind and body of the child, hoping that the child will grow, thrive and be strong and wise.
But this is not enough. We must also nourish the soul and spirit and character of the child as well–and even more so. How often is the care of the spirit the last thing we even consider at the end of the day? To nourish the spirit of the child is of greater value than all other efforts we could ever make to feed the mind and the body. How many of us have children who are starving spiritually?
Parent, you reap what you sow. If you plant in your child the seeds of the Spirit your child will grow in the Spirit. If you build him up in character, he will become a man of honor. If your daughter is nurtured in the things of the Spirit she will grow in grace, glory and faith. But if a parent neglects the nourishment of the spirit, the soul and the character of the child, the impact in the life of the child will be more devastating than if you failed to nourish the body and the mind. So I ask you, loving mother, faithful father? How will you tend to the garden of your child’s soul today?
A Simple Plan
Here is something simple to begin with. Make each child a cup of tea and make one for yourself and then you all go to your quiet spots with a Bible and Journal. Tell them that when they are done with “Bible Time” it will be “serving time” where each person helps someone else in the family with their chores. Turn on some peaceful music during Quiet Time.
In short, you begin by demonstrating what this looks like.
For younger children, you can have them listen to a Bible audio book. Get a children’s Bible and use Bible coloring pages. We have a number of journals that will help!
Find many more journals for Fun-Schooling moms and kids of all ages here!
(post originally dated 11/19/14–migrated from Sarah’s old blog)
A homeschooling mom of four just wrote to me to ask how to get kids to do chores with a cheerful attitude. (I am a homeschooling mom of ten, ages 2 to 15, and one due in Feb.) I have had a lot of success in raising my kids to be happy helpers with a strong work ethic. So here is my advice.
The best way to get children to do chores with a happy and willing heart is to model for them the behavior you want to see. Sing and smile and dance and be cheerful when doing the housework, turn on the happy music, make it look fun. They will copy you. The most important thing is being a model of the smiles and work ethic you want them to have.
See your own work as a privilege and invite them to be part of doing things that you do. With my young ones I will say “I’m not sure if you are big enough to wash dishes.” And the reply will be “I’m big enough!” And they will set out to prove it, with pride.
I also reward the kids for excellent work, even a smile from mom, or a handful of berries can be a reward. I want to teach them that quality work is rewarded. I don’t have extra money to pay them every time they do an extra job, so instead of buying them everything they need and want, I give them a chance to earn these things. Maybe you plan to buy new bikes for the kids in the future – don’t just buy them the bikes, let them help earn the money you are going to spend on the bikes so they will see the results of their labor. Maybe you are going to yard sales this weekend and expect to spend 3 or 4 dollars on toys, let them earn their garage sale money, even 25 cents can go pretty far at a yard sale! (click here to continue reading)
