Getting Started in the Morning
Homeschooling can be hard as there is no external schedule, group momentum, or colleagues to get children moving.
I know it can be difficult to find the right pace for your homeschooling schedule, so I wanted to share a few thoughts and tips,
You are not alone in this experience, even though you might be the only adult at home now.
Try starting the day with the real momentum of an active song with movement, free play independent play outdoors, or outdoor chores. When more people lived on farms, children would naturally go outside early to gather eggs, milk goats, or let animals out of the barn. It is hard to replicate this independent experience, however, in a city apartment. Try a combination of indoor free play with an extended outdoor walk.
Include socialization in the schedule, but make sure it is not child-centric. Visit the grandparents to help with chores, work together to make cards for an ailing neighbor, form a small neighborhood cleanup group with rakes and brooms, visit a friend’s new baby, or browse the farmer’s market as your child selects tasty produce.
I see lots of online advice for coaxing their young children to do various larning activities. Most of these tips are quite unfortunate because we have to identify a child’s developmental stage and interests through silent observation. An adult’s desires on a particular day have nothing to do with their child’s developmental stage. Try using the free Montessori journal to make notes on your day. Most of the learning takes place as you review your notes after a short period of time.
A big problem is that many meals contain foods to which a child reacts badly due to the food itself, pesticides, additives, and other issues. I see people stuck in cycles where they consume a problematic food for dinner, suffer at night, wake to eat another problematic meal, and so forth. This is why I add many posts of food. Include foods, doctor visits, and everything else that happens in your journal. For example, if the doctor has prescribed steroid cream and antibiotics, the resulting meltdowns and food aversions reflect damage, not behavioral issues. No one is supposed to be miserable 🌞
Use subtle trial and error to develop a good flow for the day. If no one is hungry in the early morning, for example, the first meal can take place later. Creating a child-sized cooking area will yield many rewards as children’s initial interests in food preparation are encouraged, rather than thwarted. Parents at home feel pressure to move onto “more important work” than cooking, but you need not worry about doing this. Did you see my post about cooking programs at Harvard?
Make sure not to interrupt a child in the midst of concentration. If you observe other adults, you will see how frequently they do just this.
Try including an older child for presentations and work. You can test out your presentations on a topic the child already knows, get feedback, and provide an observational experience.
Find a way for your child to guide a younger child in anything from a game to building the pink tower. This is a valuable classroom experience that we must not miss at home.
Small observations, realizations, and changes help you maintain a good course through your homeschooling journey. I hope my thoughts help. 💕