Establish a Successful Home Learning Routine

Routines are crucial for educational success. School days are very structured and teachers create weekly timetables of lessons; children know which lessons they have and when. A routine helps your little learners know what to expect and leaves no room for unwanted surprises and subsequent unhappy faces.

 

Our top tips aim to help you to establish a home learning routine as well as suggestions on how to structure your day, striking the correct balance between learning and free time.

 

 

Top Tips

Tip 1

The first step in successfully building a home schooling routine is to draw up a  timetable. A timetable helps you to organise your day and helps to prepare your kids for the day ahead. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you find the timings don’t quite work out; it is trial and error. Rather than assigning specific times, simply break the timetable up into slots, and aim for around 30 minutes for each slot. You will need to adjust the timetable to suit your lifestyle and your responsibilities. Home schooling can be difficult to fit around daily lives and juggling will be necessary. But, once you are in the swing of things, the timetable will make home learning far easier and your children will likely be more focused and motivated to complete their work. Give kids some autonomy over their timetable and always sit down and share the timetable with them. Try to stay within school hours; for example, do not continue lessons until 6pm. 

Tip 2

When leading lessons set by your child’s teacher, ensure you share the learning objectives first. This will help kids to understand what they are going to be doing. Throughout the lesson, check how your kids are doing, asking questions as necessary to check their understanding. When your child finishes the piece of work make time to discuss it and ask them to rate how challenging they found the task. This could be done using a traffic light system – red for difficult, amber for moderate and green for easy! Most teachers will check and mark work submitted online. However, if you are planning and teaching your own lessons then make sure you check the work to see if your little learner understood the task.

Tip 3

Regular brain breaks are vital! Home learning is a different ballgame to classroom teaching. Ultimately, kids tend to associate home with fun and relaxation after a day at school. Schedule 10 minute brain breaks every hour as well as a half hour ‘break time’ and an hour for lunch. Make sure your kids are eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with healthy snacks in between.

 

Tip 4

Don’t fight a losing battle. If your child is finding the work too challenging or is becoming upset and frustrated, take a break or try a different task. Be sure to inform your kid’s teacher about any topics they find difficult or even too easy! You can always re-visit tasks later.

 

Tip 5

Make time for outdoor play and exercise. It is important for kids to have fresh air and the opportunity to run around, play some games and burn energy. Utilise your garden during lockdown or, if you don’t have one, visit a local green space which is ideally within walking distance of your home. Outdoor play and exploration are perfect for brain breaks!

 

Tip 6

Many companies are providing free resources to support home learning. Use the internet to find a wealth of resources at your finger tips. Check out our Mini Minds Hub for a range of fun and free activities packed full of educational benefits for kids.

 

Tip 7

Ensure lessons, such as art, gardening and cooking, are incorporated into your home-school routine. These activities are fun as well as helping to build essential life skills and are a great outlet for creativity and experimentation.

 

Tip 8

Reward the good! Make sure your kids know that their hard work has been noticed. Positive reinforcement methods, such as reward jars and star charts, are great as kids can physically see their good behaviour being rewarded. When using a marble reward jar, reward your kids once it is full. The reward should be something simple but special, such as allowing them to choose the family board game or choosing an activity, such as a mini beast hunt or cooking a pizza from scratch!

 

Tip 9

Make time for play! Play has numerous benefits for childhood development and should not be underestimated.

 

 

 

Check out our Let’s Learn range of toys and games; perfect for home-schooling!

Kate Luke
Head Of Brand
After graduating with a 2.1 Music degree, Kate pursued a career in the Music Industry, becoming a professional West End vocalist and a fully qualified Music Teacher, School Choir Leader and Songwriter. As one of Jaques of London’s Creative Editors, her specialism surrounds building confidence and expression through music & play—drawing upon her qualifications in Music Psychology & Child Development. As well as this, she is an accomplished blog writer and published journalist who enjoys promoting the importance of Montessori learning for all ages.
Ben Williamson
Creative Writer
Ben is passionate about Montessori learning for children and has written for many parenting publications to bring the magic of real play to families in the UK. After graduating in 2009, his career has enabled him to work in areas such as Child Development and Psychology. As a great believer that learning starts at home, he combines his experience with his own parenting style to help bring other families together.
Jess Casson
Marketing Assistant
Jess graduated from the University of York in 2022 with a degree in Sociology and Criminology; kickstarting her career in the creative marketing industry through content creation and social media management. One of these roles involved creating content for a children's holiday camp, which alongside a knowledge of Montessori Teaching, formed an interest in childhood development. Utilising her expertise in both these fields has allowed her to promote and share her passions with the online community while exploring her talent for writing and establishing collaborations.
Laura Henderson
Interior Designer
Interior Designer, Laura Henderson, lives in Surrey with her husband and two daughters. Taking a timeless approach to her designs and drawing on her love of colour, antiques, art, modernist furniture and photography she delivers luxurious compositions and peaceful sanctuaries within every space. Her previous experience in furniture design plays an integral role in the development of each of her projects, as does the time she spends getting to know her clients. She uses this to achieve beautiful, practical, reimagined layouts, resulting in projects that enhance a client’s lifestyle, reflecting their individual passions. To learn more see her website www.laurahendersoninteriordesign.com.