Hi everyone! Times have definitely been interesting. Quarantining at home has been a major game changer. On top of all the hats us moms wear (chef, laundromat operator, house-cleaning service, nurse, schedule coordinator, taxi driver, etc) now we have yet another one – Teacher
I never thought I would be home-schooling but it looks like that’s how things will be for the time being. So, we are trying to take things one day at a time and do our best with the new normal.
The other day while I was talking with my husband, we recognized there are 4 major areas that are critical for our kids in terms of their everyday overall well-being. (These can be quite helpful for us parents too!)
- Mind – (Learning) New skills, studying, reading
- Body – (Healthy) Get outside for exercise and play & eat healthy
- Heart – (Happy) Check in with them emotionally. If there is a problem, talk it out!
- Spirit – (Growing) Serving for spiritual exercise & Studying God’s words
We developed this simple checklist in our home. This allows us to have goals as we start the day and things to reflect on at the end of the day. It has changed the dynamics of our “schedule” by creating a way for our school aged children to be more responsible for fulfilling these during the day. Rather than trying to stick to a rigid academic schedule like they do in school, (which is very difficult to do with 5 children of different ages), it’s a bit more manageable to keep track of. I’m not a trained teacher, but I AM their mom! At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility to make sure my kids are happy, healthy, learning and growing.
For example, the other day, our second son (third child) started his day with the checklist. During the day he had to build in 30 minutes of reading for his mind. He then had to work on his physical aspect, so had to get out of the house and play outside. Then he had to work on his spirit so had to think of how he could help other people in the family. At the end of the day, we asked him how his day was and how he felt about it. We are still figuring this checklist out with our 5 kids of all different ages, but I feel these areas are pretty important to work towards for the long run. Of course each family is different, so I hope you can take this checklist and find a way that works for you.
Enjoy the process! ~Karilee