Homeschooling is working. We're getting tons of academics done in a remarkable amount of time. But then...for the rest of the day...they're looking to me for something to do. The little ones want to be entertained, the big ones want to play on the computer for hours or watch TV.
Lists & Routines are what help us.
*Routines - little kids eat them up. You could establish set times of the day where they work/play in certain ares of the house at certain times of the day. As much as possible I encourage my young children to dress themselves, make their beds, brush their own teeth, and pick up their own room. (that takes them a little bit of time.) Block Time, puzzle time, or dress-up time is in the morning after school. Lunch, then a task or two for the kids. Afternoon is a CD or book on tape or read aloud from Mom -- whatever you choose. You may want to have a backyard time depending on where you are located. It's a huge hassle, but my kids also clean, fold clothes & cook with me - even the littlest ones. I get less done, but they're right there (sometimes it feels like they're too close) and occupied (meaning they're not messing up something else.)
*Lists. I love lists. At the moment that I'm trying to get something done, I can't think of all my options to keep the kids busy. I have a list of all the things they can do in a certain room so that while I'm straitening that room, they can choose between 2 or 3 activities that I suggest (too many options for little kids can be overwhelming) - or you may want them in a different room than you. I also have lists of things they can do that need little attention from me that we only pull out occasionally (their indoor sandbox or bean box). I also have learning activities they can "play" with when I want to keep them busy.
Then, there's the wise advice of "Don't keep them too busy." Our culture highly promotes keeping kids in tons of activities and entertained (with TV or other things) all the time. The shocking concept is that "This isn't actually good for the kids." Children can be easily overwhelmed and overstimulated to their detriment. Regularity is the mother's milk that our children grow from. Providing children with a fertile environment to explore...and enough unscheduled time to explore it is a tremendous gift we give them. (Pictured at right are Dd#2 & Ds#4 making a 'camp'.) They need time to think their own thoughts and to learn to listen to that little voice inside. I've heard several people say as adults that they don't even know what that voice sounds like. If they're constantly barraged with noise (TV, radio, computer sounds) and visual stimulation or constant activity...when do they have time to just BE? (Pictured below is Ds#3 preparing his garden for his strawberries. I didn't ask him or suggest to him to do this - it was all him left to his own devices on a sunny March day).
We also want them to have enough time to be bored and discover God in the stillness and quiet. They will find Him there. He wants to be found. "Be still and know that I am God." It resonates with truth. Therefore it can sound sharp and painful to our ears when we're not in tune with God's will.
So, I'm saying routines give the child something to rely on. Lists can help you think of things while your brain is otherwise engaged on something else. Then...let go. Let them discover some of themselves...and God...and the world He's created for them.
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