Nonworking parents, I created a potential daily schedule to help you as you plan your coming days with kids home from school. I don’t know your kids’ styles and interests like you do, but I have planned and practiced many gentle and fruitful days at home with my lower elementary-aged children. So glean what you will- scramble it, add some, omit some and enjoy.
First, set up and strew. Shop the house for toys that encourage creativity then invitingly strew them where your children spend the most time. Plop toy cars on the rug. Set coloring pages on the table. Prop illustrated books on the windowsill. You can rotate in new books and activities daily or weekly.
Second, try to get up earlier than your kids. I do, because I am a far more patient mama when I get time to myself before the demands of the day roll in.
Early risers can cuddle and chat with you or quietly start and strewn activity until breakfast time (keep these sweet and sacred morning moments gadget-free).
Invite them to make breakfast with you. Then, while their hands and mouths are busy eating, read to them.
- Read a Bible verse and discuss it or start memorizing it. The daily verse from a Bible app works well or read a verse per day of Psalm 23.
- Read a poem. Use a collection you have already or pick one online. I recommend poets like Christina Rossetti, Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson. To laugh, read Edward Lear or Shel Silverstein! If your kids are older, try Edgar Allan Poe. Ah!
- Read an Aesop’s Fable. Pause to ponder then ask what they thought about it. You may be surprised at what they say. And you needn’t share your thoughts; if you do share, try not to moralize it since that kills the intrigue and dampens the message.
If your student brought school assignments home, now is a good time to tackle those. Quick clear the table and get it done. If your child is on true staycation, don’t. You can do handwriting practice or some math flashcards if really want to. But if I were you, I would just delve into their interests and enjoy the connection time and save my energy.
Next, team-clean the kitchen. Assign jobs or play paper-scissors-rock and turn on some music. I like to play oldies (Here’s my Spotify playlist) or movie soundtracks by John Williams and Hans Zimmer or the Beethoven’s Wig Albums. Someone may throw a tantrum about now. It’s okay- you’re doing a good job. Keep going.
Now cuddle up with a picture book or two. Even big kids can enjoy a good picture book. I keep a basket by the couch and select books to fill it each week. When we sit down to read, I let the kids pick from it. Since your library is closed, just read what you have. Or use the money you’re saving by staying home on an Amazon purchase. Not all books are created equal, but some savvy mom’s have compiled excellent book lists. Check out Sarah Mackenzie’s famous book list here. I made an Amazon List with some of our favorites here.
If it’s not lunch time yet, they’re ready for a snack. This is an ideal time to listen to an audio book together! Your library may have a free downloadable audio app. If not, read aloud or use Audible. We’ve enjoyed Cherry Jones’s narration of Little House in the Big Woods and Rob Inglis’s narration of The Hobbit and every book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. Also, Charlotte’s Web and this Grimm’s Fairy Tales audio collection are fantastic! Rabbit Ears recordings are pretty affordable on audible (The Velveteen Rabbit is the best). When y’all are done eating, start pencil drawing on printer paper or molding with play-doh or cutting up old magazines for collages or doing a puzzle or water-color painting while you listen on.
Now go outside. Explore your yard or take a walk. Nature is a well-spring for joy and learning. So explore and build and play without time constraints. This marks the beginning of Play Time which can last the rest of the day. During Play Time, I make myself accessible but not central to their activity. There’s so much to see and do even in a small yard or on a neighborhood stroll. So let them catch bugs and turn on the hose and dig a hole and climb. If you leave them alone long enough and pretend not to watch, they may start pretending some fabulous story line. I listed things I have seen my children do during play time here.
It can be good to take a Quiet Time too. Don’t stop them from doing something awesome over it, but if the afternoon is falling flat or people are getting spun up, before you reach for the TV dial, take a pleasant quiet time to look at books and rest or nap. I tell my kids to use the bathroom and gather whatever they need because they wont be allowed to walk around or speak for the next 25 minutes. They scurry to fetch books and drawing supplies or figurines before they settle into their spot of choice whether it be the couch, rug, table or their bed. Quiet Time is not a punishment, so initiate it with a cheery tone. (Sometimes I pass out m&ms as rewards for quietness: 2 if they’re impressively quiet, 1 if they’re somewhat quiet, And none if they aren’t. It works.)
After Quiet Time, Play Time continues. I try to give my kids four hours of unstructured play a day. Someone may start a strewn activities, one may invite you to play a board game, one might go back outside, one may read, one may ask you to cuddle and chat. Two might build a tent in the living room. It’s all good. As long as they clean it up afterward. Or they may tell you they are bored. That’s okay too. Boredom is a launchpad for a host of worthwhile endeavors. They are just adjusting to having more time to themselves. Don’t rescue your child from boredom with another parent-led activity- you will tucker yourself out. Don’t cave in and turn on a screen- they’ll miss the fruit of unstructured play time. Let them be bored. They’ll better for it.
That said, a Humpday Screenplay and a Friday Feature can be fun. This is a good time to fit in golden oldies like The Secret of NIMH and The Never Ending Story or classic musicals like The Wizard of Oz and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers that every kid should have in their repertoire. Pop some popcorn and make a hoopla over it.
I hope my ramble helps you. I’m here for questions. Like I said, You know yourself and you know your people. Formulate a plan that fits your family: Throw a ball to your batter or stretch with your gymnast; bake with your foodie or pull out an instrument; research volcanoes or rain forests or plastic; play a trivia game or do a fashion show; align the lessons or the quiet time with the baby’s nap time. Write out your loose plan for the day in simple checklist form then hold your plan loosely and give yourself grace when things go imperfectly. Because someone may ask an awesome science question- drop everything and follow that rabbit trail! Why not? Maybe your nature walk will last all afternoon. Maybe someone will randomly present a deep philosophical or spiritual idea- drop everything and make tea to talk about it. Maybe someone will have a meltdown because they miss their friends- stop for a cuddly chat and pick up where you left off later.
This transition will not be easy, but it can be really fun and very worthwhile. Try not to look at it as an inconvenience (I know, it’s inconvenient), but see it as an opportunity. Connect with your kids more deeply, let them experiment with solitude and get to know themselves better in the stillness. Try to be low-tech and engage your senses with simple joys. It can be a sort of sabbatical for your soul. And when you feel stressed, pray. God will will equip you with the peace and strength you need. Enjoy it.
-Heather
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