Organization for homeschooling.....It helps!

Good morning!  Want to just give you a few recommendations for time management and schooling.

1. Have a set time to start school.  Kids know what to expect and can be ready.  It take self-discipline but it is a necessary element for success.

2.  Have your kids help you more with keeping up in the house.  Give them chores to do before and after school.  Now they have more time to help, not being at school, and you NEED the help.  They NEED to help you.  It is good for everyone.

3.  It is nice to have a school room but not always possible.  Wherever you have school, try to have a central place to meet.  Not in bedrooms.

4.  Have each child be responsible for keeping their own things organized.  They need to learn responsibility.  Give each one a bag, box, or organizer file.  Organization makes for a more positive learning situation.

5.  Teach responsibility to your children.  Good book about this is How to Have a New Kid by Friday.  We love our children but need to teach them to be responsible and we can't do that by doing everything for them.

6.  Have a chart that shows which children will help cook the meals each day, do the dishes, etc.  We always had fun letting one child a week get the morning snacks organized and planned out when we were schooling.  This lets the rest of you keep working and getting more school accomplished.  Teaches creativity, planning skills, learn some money management.  I always had the child clear the snacks with me ahead of time.  This is good for learning who is the authority too!!

7.  Fun to read aloud to the kids while it is snack time.  It is good to hear something read.  Helps the mind visualize.  Lots of good things out there to read.  It is also a way to capitalize on immersing them more in God's word during this time of you teaching them.  Something that teaches good character qualities is a great idea too.  Can't emphasis enough that this is your opportunity to get God's Word and love and values into their little precious hearts!!

8.  We set one day a week aside for no snacks.  Then we figured out how much money we were saving by not eating and gave that money to missions.  We gave to Compasssion International.  It was good for us and good for them.

9.  During this time of being home-bound think of ways you and your children can reach out to others.  Maybe they need to drop their teachers a card, a call, or send them a picture.  Could they send cards to grandparents or others in their church.  The thing is to get them to think of others and how they can be ministering or serving our Savior at this time.

My love and prayers go out to you all. It is a BLESSING to be able to spend more time with your children!!