9 Ways to Start Your Homeschool Day on the Right Foot

How we begin our homeschool day can make a big difference in our overall attitude. Here are some ways that have helped get our homeschool day off to a good start. We all want to start the day on a positive note, right?

We all start out with the best of intentions in our homeschool but sometimes as soon as we sit down the bad attitudes begin. Someone doesn’t want to do math, or sit, or do school at all, then the complaining starts. This sets the tone for the rest of the day, and sometimes it’s just not pretty.

I needed to find a way to combat that and what made the most sense was to start every school day off on a positive note — which in turn helps us have better attitudes about things like handwriting. I sat and brainstormed some openers for our day that work and I wanted to share them with you. These are routines you can try and switch out as often as you need to, not a strict schedule that you must follow.

9 Ways to Start Your Homeschool Day the Right Way

Pray —

Pray for your day, not just that your children learn something and behave. Pray that your day will be fun — God wants us to delight in our children the way He delights in us — so it’s perfectly okay to pray for a fun and happy day! Pray on your own before the kids wake up and again as a family when starting your homeschool day. Read more: 5 Practical Tips to Find Daily Time with God

A Good Breakfast––

This doesn’t have to mean a full plate of bacon, eggs, toast, grits, and pancakes (I find a big breakfast on school days leaves us too sluggish). Fresh fruit, oatmeal or even just toast will help keep tummies from growling and minds from wandering.

Get Organized —

Have all your curriculum and activities ready in the morning when you start. This prevents kids from wandering off or getting distracted. Read more: 7 Simple Ways to Become an Organized Homeschool Mom

Dancing —

Some mornings we like to turn on the upbeat worship tunes or fun dance music and shake the morning grumpies out. It gets the blood flowing, and releases endorphins that make you happy. Read more: 11 Brain Breaks For Your Homeschool

Start with a game––

Who wouldn’t rather begin their homeschool day with a game of Uno over learning fractions? Start off with a game that can be played quickly to ease the kids into sitting down and listening. Some other quick and fun options are go fish, and a round of Sorry or Trouble. A promise of a second round when the work is done can be a great motivator too. Read more: Fun Games For Kids {and the Whole Family}

Outdoors––

Morning time is a great time to get in a nature walk or just a brisk walk around the block to get the blood pumping. Let your children start the day by swinging on the backyard swing to get the wiggles out before sitting down to start homeschool. Read more: 11 Ways to Connect Your Child to Nature

Affection––

Starting your day with hugs, kisses, cuddles, and encouragement for the day is a surefire way to start it on the right foot. If your kids are too big for your lap you can still pile up on the couch close by and begin your day with a learning video or a read aloud to ease into it gently. Read more: Relationships are the Heart of our Homeschool

Start with Morning Together Time—
Some call it Morning Time, others might call it Circle Time. This can be Bible time or family read aloud time. Some families prefer to do these in the afternoons or evenings, but I’ve found that when we start the day with all three girls working together on a project or with a fun story we all enjoy, it sets a tone for cooperation for the whole day. When their emotional cups are filled with a positive start to the day together, it makes a huge difference! Read more: How to Use a Morning Basket to Simplify Your Homeschool

Haven’t tried a special morning time yet? You’ll want to read more ideas on how to make it work in these posts:

How to Make Morning Time Memorable

100+ Things to Put in a Morning Basket

Fun Fall Morning Basket Ideas

What are your tips for starting your homeschool day off right?

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