Our schedule is constantly changing and improving in little ways. Either I figure out something that would work better or the seasons change requiring different activities – or as the little ones grow older we adjust the schedule accordingly.

A schedule is a very personal thing and will look very different for each family. I have got lots of ideas from looking at other family schedules and I hope to inspire you with ideas too! But don’t be overwhelmed by the parts that don’t fit – they just aren’t right for you.

OUR MORNING SCHEDULE

• After getting dressed and room chores, we have a fruit snack at the table with Dad. (we have our breakfast in 2 or 3 parts)

• Then we have Bible time together in the lounge. We sing some worship songs and Dad reads and teaches us from the Bible.

• Then its chores time – feed the dogs and birds, clean birds cage, dishes, drying rack, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, etc. Mom does most and helps the little ones but they all have their little jobs to do. Chores time is about 30 minutes long so we dont do all of these things everyday. When the little ones are finished their chores, I put on some music in the sunroom and they race around on their little plastic motorbikes while our 7 year old daughter and I work on lunch and supper preparation.

• We eat nuts, seeds, olives, more fruit or a smoothie or strawberry ‘yoghurt’.

• Then older ones do Bible copying and little ones do ‘lines and curves time’ with Mom (a pre-handwriting activity  – I call it that but actually it involves music, playing with sticks, building mat man, etc. – see this post for more detail).

• Twice a week, instead of Bible copying / lines & curves with Mom we have Music time and Exercise time all together.

• Then we have lounge time for an hour where we read missionary stories, literature, talk about history, look at our timeline and world globe, learn about animals, etc. We love learning and listening together. Everyone sits on their blankets and can do a simple colouring or puzzle activity while we read and discuss.

• Then the little ones go to their rooms to listen to their daddy tapes (as inspired by the Maxwell family – I will write a separate post on this soon) while the older ones go to the desk to do their English and Maths activities.This helps me catch up with things after lounge time and to work with the older two on grammar and maths,and also gives me time to prepare for craft time. After daddy tape the little ones run around with a ball or go outside and get soaked (sometimes) or do puzzles at the desk with us while we finish or I put out a tactile activity for them – sometimes related to our craft e.g. playing with oats when we are learning about horses and what they eat.

• Then its craft time. After the brain-taxing activities everyone is ready to be creative. I prefer craft time earlier in the day when I have more energy for being creative and for clean-up, than later in the day when more structured activities seem to work best.

The crafts fit loosely into a schedule ( this is more to help me think of ideas than as a rigid structure)

Monday: Cutting Sticking Drawing Foam art or stickers – puppets, pictures, etc.

Tuesday: Painting or sandart

Wednesday: Work on whatever lapbooks / virtual travel notebooks we are currently working on. e.g. put cottonwool on the sheep

Thursday: Themed craft from our history studies e.g. tower of babel – build the highest tower you can with 5 toilet rolls, some tape, some cardboard, etc

Friday: Clay or playdough

• Once the children get lost in their craft activity and no longer need my help, I finish the lunch preparations. My husband works from home so while I don’t need to do a packed lunch more than once a week, I do need to have a substantial lunch ready.

• We tidy up and settle down for lunch (I often put on a story CD at the dining time while we eat or we chat about what we’ve been learning – often about animals especially dinosaurs!!)

More about what happens after lunch in Our Family Schedule Part 2 – Afternoons (coming soon!)

See also – Creating a Family Schedule

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2 v 8-10

Linked to Works For Me Wednesday and Big Family Fridays and