Preparing Your House For School | mom So Hard

Deciding to put your kids into the school system or into a homeschool program  is a tough choice to make, there are many pros and cons to each. 

Maybe you are doing some “Summer School” projects or studies to keep your child in the school mindset, or to help them get ahead. We have been “playing school” with my babies for months now, and if you know me, we do it right! There is a mini lesson plan that we follow, printouts, projects and organization! (okay, so the organization part is my thing, but it is equally important!) With the girls both, hopefully, starting school (safely) this year, I want to do some extra things with them even when they are home, just to keep them sharp. ​

​Either way, “Summer School”, public school, private school or homeschool, you are being very proactive on your child’s education and I seriously, commend you!

I want to share with you some ways that we prepare for “Summer School”, that you could implement for homeschooling, or even spin to make work for your family with any school setting.

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planning

Planning is crucial to you and your child’s success. I suggest finding a cheaper planner or even printing one and placing the pages into a three ring binder, making it easier for you to keep up with. I am excited to utilize this planner in the Ultimate Homeschool Bundle, for their school and play school projects were going to do! This bundle is packed with resources and books (yes, books) to help you help your child, at home or in school! 

I typically plan a theme for each month, and build from that. With younger children you could plan projects based on the theme, find books based on the theme… the possibilities are endless!

Some sample themes would be August “Ice Cream”, “Back to School”, and so on. This is more so fun for younger children, and well, momma, too! ​

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organizing

I like to use hanging files, in a file basket for printouts or even tear the pages out of the books we are going to be using. I pull from several different resources and books, it just helps to have it all in hand to be able to grab.

I use these hanging files to organize for weeks at a time. Each folder will have pages, crafts, a weekly Bible verse, and more.

I recently purchased a rolling cart from Michael’s, you can find it HERE on Amazon, I plan to utilize this to its fullest potential. The top shelf will have books we can read together, their busy books/binders, basically anything they will need some supervision with; it will also house some items for me and my husband, as the cart itself is going under our dry erase calendar. The other two shelves will be designated for the girls, each getting one on their own. My plan is for them to be able to put their book bags on, and some easy grab and go activities for them to do in the afternoons while I am cooking dinner or cleaning. If their book backs don’t workout in that space, I will be adding hooks to each side for the bags! 

I actually got both of these ideas from a mom (teacher, homeschool mom, etsy seller and blogger) who I absolutely love, Arrows and Applesauce! She posts some of the greatest ideas, and I love pulling them and making them work for us. I also have used a lot of her downloadables for the girls. You can read more about that and other resources in my blog post here. ​

I could honestly do an entire series of posts on organizing alone!! That will come! :)

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If you like this post so far, check out this blog:
How We Preschool at Home!

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Create a Routine

I know my children are not the only ones, but we thrive better on a routine. 

Whether your children are in school or you are homeschooling a routine is great for you and your children.

The routine begins with you. 

When my routine gets off it messes with everything!

Personally, I like to get up way before my girls do, start my coffee or preworkout, workout or do some tidying up. My plan is to use this time to put together the preschooler’s snack for the day, and to make sure we are ready to start the day positively. If I have time I like to go ahead and knock out my daily devotion and prayer time; if not, I plan to do this once the girls are at school.

On days they are out of school, we have a morning bin set up, with books, busy binders, and so on. We typically do these activities around breakfast, before, during or after! (Another great idea from Arrows and Applesauce!)

I know once the girls get into school my routine may alter some, so we will play the first couple of weeks by ear until we find our grove.

My planner comes in handy, big time for this! (Yep, I am the type to write my to-do list out!)

I can’t wait to start my girls on the right foot educationally. No one wants their child to struggle in school, and I definitely want to give my girls a strong foot forward, and set them up for success! ​

What are some things you do
to get your house ready for school?
let us know in the comments below!