The Importance Of A Schedule And Learning Routines
All of our students are in a new school, with new routines and new ways of “exploring” school.
There are no timetables and bells to keep us to a schedule; your time is flexible and open to change. But with this flexible program comes the possibility for students to become distracted and unproductive. There is no Activator present to remind them to get back on task, and the temptation of doing something other than work is overwhelming.
Everyday activities and routines can provide comfort during challenging and uncertain times. Just like adults, children feel more confident and secure when their daily activities are predictable and familiar. A consistent daily schedule and step-by-step routines give children a predictable day. Schedules and routines at home help children:
- Feel in control of their environment
- Feel safe, secure, and comfortable
- Know what is happening now and what comes next
- Know how to do an activity or task
- Engage in learning
What is the difference between a schedule and a routine?
A schedule represents the big picture and includes the main activities that happen across the day.
Routines are the steps needed to complete each part of the schedule.
One of the most difficult challenges facing many new homeschooling parents is setting a stay-at-home school schedule they can stick to — especially when teenagers are in the mix.
Homeschooling at any age presents its challenges. However, several significant factors can make maintaining a healthy homeschool schedule challenging with a teenager:
- Distractions: Teenagers are self-aware, fledgeling adults that are often easily distracted by an endless myriad of new factors in their rapidly changing lives.
- Technology: Modern teenagers are very comfortable with a slew of different, extremely distracting, technological gadgets that are typically much more appealing than schoolwork.
- Independence: With adulthood right around the corner, teenagers can often struggle with being given boundaries, even when they pertain to their education.
With so many factors working against you, you must take the time to develop a foolproof learning schedule to help both you and your child succeed daily.
While a school schedule is a part of that structure, it can be challenging to create, let alone maintain, an educational plan if a very unstructured lifestyle surrounds it.
Make sure both you and your child establish a straightforward routine to start each school day. A few ideas to help create a good routine include:
- Personalizing the routine to the individual.
- Building your routine around the essential activities, like brushing teeth and eating breakfast.
- Start with a short routine, and then add in additional elements like walking the dog or doing some stretches before you start working.
Staying consistent with your routines is crucial for maintaining a good school schedule over the next few months.
All students should have a timetable for the week – this can change weekly to adapt to the family schedule. This timetable should have all the synchronous lessons scheduled on the plan, and then the asynchronous work needs to be planned in the times in between. To maintain concentration throughout the school day, we encourage the inclusion of break times.
To keep motivation, including some activities that your child loves, like art or playing an instrument, should be part of the daily routine.
Suppose you think your child is not following a timetable and is not having a familiar routine. In that case, this might be your opportunity to sit with them and help them to plan each day of the week to create a timetable so that they can set up routines and good working practices. In doing so, they will focus on their work and complete their work according to the deadlines.
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