It is not a secret that child needs stability in life in order to feel secure. Order in life creates inner order and peace, something that lays the foundation for successful learning, smooth transitions and happy kid. One of the first tasks for homeschoolers is to establish their own rhythm, set up a daily schedule that is the backbone of the whole process. Establishing a routine for our Montessori homeschooling days was the best thing I could have done for my young Montessori preschooler.
I cannot stress hard enough how life-changing it was to set up a daily and weekly schedule. It may be obvious for some, but I did not expect it to have such dramatic impact on our lives. Parenting, house chores, preparation, planning, homeschooling, doing family, etc. The list just never stops growing. However, finding our own rhythm made it all much more fulfilling. I had an inner battle for a while thinking that routine might do more harm than good. I thought that it will somehow limit and restrict my child and confine her play into a box. We all know how essential play for whole child’s development is. Boy, was I wrong? Creativity and imaginative play simply exploded!
Here is what I did:
Set up priorities..
spiritual life
physical well-being
learning/exploring/discovery time
nature
playtime
nutrition
household
Restricted Screen time to weekends and holidays only
Here is what I did NOT do:
pack my child’s life with extracurricular activities. A funny story: we were very fortunate to attend one of the drama classes for preschool children which my kid truly enjoyed. She was singing all the way home songs they learnt there. However, when I asked her if she would like to go back, she replied in her direct honest style: “ I want to play, mama“.. Sure, my darling, you are free to do just that..
Our Montessori Homeschool Daily Schedule:
Exercise – “Brain Gym” ~ 10 min
Prayer – Quiet time ~ 15 min
Montessori Work cycle ~ 3 hours
Lunch
Rest time
Outdoor/ Free Play
Once a week we take our Montessori classroom outdoors. I plan a couple Montessori learning activities to do in nature which are relevant to child’s interests and our program.
We dedicate one day a week to meetups and playdates with dear friends and do social activities, like group music session. This is when being a part of a local church community is so valuable.
Our Montessori Work Cycle consists of:
work that is chosen by my young student
new presentations
story time
calendar
rhyme/ singing
art activities
At the end of the week, we take time to tidy up our shelves, miss A does dusting, we swap books, plan new activities together for the next week.
Everywhere we go, we make it our learning playground..
Have you found your homeschooling rhythm?
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This sounds absolutely fabulous! I'm so glad you found your groove! Routines help us so much in our house. We actually have one quite similar to yours. I LOVE the idea of spending one day in an outdoor Montessori setting. What fun!
Thank you! Outdoor learning enriched our homeschooling journey a lot!
This is exactly what I am struggling with right now. We usually do 3-4 playdates a week and do a mom and tot preschool class at another moms house. I am trying to make the transition to a homeschooling routine and am so unsure of how many playdates to continue to have. I am realizing that the more we are out of the house the less time my daughter is spending in her prepared environment. She is an only child right now so I worry about creating those social interaction moments, but I also am learning the hard way that time at home in her environment is so important as well. Thank you!
I totally can understand your dilemma, Nicole! I have to make those choices every day. I think there is no right or wrong answer for that. I personally believe that our Montessori work comes first. We are getting a Montessori buddy, a friend who is going to join us during work cycle. If we can organise additional meetups in the afternoon I do, if not, I don’t stress. Eventually she will start attending music lessons, homeschooling coops, etc. She will get plenty of social interaction than. Wishing you all the best in your journey!
I have 18 month old twins. Could you explain more about your Brain gym time and what that includes? Thank you so much.
hello Jennifer, you can read more about it in my post.