As a large homeschooling family, it is imperative that we have a plan for our time. If we don’t then we are not productive which results in a lot of wasted opportunities. With so many people going in so many different directions, having a plan helps us organize all the moving parts.

What is the difference between a family schedule and a routine?

• A schedule is a list of events that have a timeframe assigned for them to be completed within.
• A routine is a set of fixed events or an order of operations that are practiced on a regular basis so that things run smoothly.

Schedule

A schedule is a list of events that have a time assigned to them. For example, we eat our dinner between six-thirty and seven-thirty every evening. This is a scheduled event that occurs on a daily basis.

You see as a large family, we run our day off a timed schedule. The daily schedule varies depending on the day and what we need to accomplish. I sit down every Sunday and make a schedule. I recently started using Google Slides so that my husband and I would both have access to it from our phones and laptops.

Here’s how I do it:

I make a table with enough room for every person in our family to have their own column. Then I add another column for the “Time” column. In our case, we have nine people in our family so we need nine columns plus one for the “Time” column. Our table has a total of ten columns.

I color code the columns based on the child’s assigned color in the family. Each of our children has a certain color that designates the item as theirs. Even Rick and I have a color too.

These are the colors:

• Sam – Orange
• Bella – Yellow
• Andy – Green
• Alex – Blue
• Randa – Purple
• Nikki – Red
• Georgie Lou – Pink
• Mom – Turquoise
• Dad – Grey

At the top of the slide, I add the name of the day of the week and the date with a gentle reminder that this schedule is subject to change.

In the top row, I write “Time” in the first column and then add all the family’s names and colors in the rest of the columns.

Next, I add what everyone will be doing and the specific amount of time they have to get it done. Sometimes, I write it individually in their columns. For example, if Sam is doing some testing while the middles are doing a Math Clinic with Dad then I will note that in each individual’s column.

If we are all doing the same thing then it is time-consuming for me to enter it into every little box for every person. So I just make a big rectangle shape, add a color, and add a text box to it. In it, I write what everyone is doing in one place.

I keep filling in our time until we have our entire day planned.

One of the reasons I do a timed schedule is because we have such a large family. There is always a bunch of chaos everywhere as people are trying to accomplish what they need too. In order to keep everyone on track without having to repeat myself four million times, I do a timed schedule.

This way we can stay on track and breakfast doesn’t last four hours.

Routine

A routine is a fixed program of actions that happens on a regular basis. I like to think of routine as behavior-driven actions. It’s those items that we need to do every day in order to be healthy or live a balanced life.

You know, like brushing your teeth, getting on that treadmill, drinking the right amount of water, making your bed, cleaning your room and doing your chores. It’s the little things we do every day that makes life run smoothly.

Routines are meant to be created so we don’t forget something we need to do. For example, as a part of our children’s meal routine, they need to drink sixteen ounces of water. They are to do this at every meal so we can make sure they are getting enough fluids on a daily basis.

Now, do I have to double-check and make sure they have completed the routine as they should? Yes, but that is quick and easy for me or Rick to do.

Which one is better?

I get asked this question often. Which is better a schedule or routine? Ultimately, it’s your personal preference. However, the answer to that question for us is both. We use both routines and a timed schedule on a daily basis.

How do they work together?

The schedule guides how long they have to complete their routines. For example, every morning our children have two hours to get their morning routine done. Their checklist looks like this:

• Clean their Room
• Chores
• Eat Breakfast
• Drink Water
• Personal Hygiene
• Bible Devotion

Clean Their Room

They are expected to make their beds and clean up their rooms. This means they must put any dirty clothes in the laundry, hang up any other clothes they intend to wear again, put toys in the toy box and clean up any trash off the floor. Their bedroom floor needs to be able to be vacuumed.

Now, learning to make a bed appropriately takes time and depends on the age of the child. I am very patient with them as I let them learn how to do it. Needless to say, I expect Bella’s bed to look better than Nikki’s. Bella has mastered making a bed while Nikki is still learning.

Chores

They need to complete all the chores they have been assigned. Each of our children is assigned age-appropriate chores and we expect them to be done to the best of their ability.

They have a list and do the same chores over and over again until they have mastered them. I try to rotate them on a quarterly basis so that they get a variety of experiences.

We put together a post called, Chores: A Handbook for Parents, that offers a video tutorial and a chore list download.

Breakfast

Every child prepares their own breakfast off the Hobbs Crew Menu Board. Our younger children have the help of their meal buddies which are older siblings assigned to help them build their meal.

In a post called, A Large Family Survival Guide: Breakfast and Lunch Ideas, we explain how we use the menu board so our children can independently fix their own healthy, balanced breakfasts and lunches.

Drink Water

We added this to the routine because we realized some of our kiddos weren’t drinking as much as they should. So rather than having me ask them every single day if they had drunk enough, we created a routine that ensured they did.

Working it into their meal routine prevents us from realizing right before they go to bed that they didn’t drink any water that day. We have learned the hard way, that doing this a couple of days in a row gives us rather painful results.

Personal Hygiene

Their personal hygiene list is as follows:

• Wash their face
• Do their hair
• Apply deodorant
• Brush their teeth

I like to start these habits as early as possible so they can get used to making themselves look presentable. Trust me, at a certain age, applying deodorant is a necessity for everyone who is around!

Bible Devotion

Another daily habit that I want to cultivate is a time of personal devotion. This is the opportunity for them to start their day off on the right foot with a short devotional, bible passage, and a time of prayer.

In a post called, It wasn’t like our kids weren’t studying God’s Word, we offer age-appropriate bible devotional recommendations that our children enjoy. We also talk about how we do it in detail.

Family Routine

There are a few routines that I make sure we consistently add to our schedule.

• Excercise
• School
• Meals
• Quiet Time
• Bedtime

Excercise

One of my goals as a mom is to wear my children out so I plan for them to find a way to get their wiggles out. My favorite way is for them to play outside because I think the benefits of fresh air and the great outdoors can’t be beaten.

However, with Missouri weather, we can’t always be outside so I have some indoor alternatives for those days. We have a game room in our basement with games like ping pong and foosball. They also enjoy dancing games like Wii’s Just Dance Kids.

School

Of course, time for school has to be a part of our normal routine. We schedule a time to work on our Monthly Assignments and our Unit Studies. Our school routine can be anywhere from three to six hours daily depending on what’s going on that day.

Meals

We schedule about an hour for every one of our meal routines. This gives us enough time to prepare, eat it at an enjoyable pace, and clean up the mess.

Quiet Time

All of my children have grown out of taking naps which is a little sad. However, that doesn’t mean I give up Quiet Time. I still plan for them to have about an hour of time in their rooms to rest daily. During this time they can read quietly, draw, watch a DVD, or do schoolwork.

Our day runs a whole lot smoother if we take some time to recharge our batteries.

Bedtime

Our bedtime routine is very simple because by eight o’clock all of the grace mom has had allocated for the day has been used up. I am ready for those kiddos to be in bed so I can decompress before I go to bed.

So, they simply brush their teeth, change into pajamas and head to bed. They have DVD players in their room and so they are allowed to watch a DVD for about an hour or so before we call lights out.

The Rotation Principle

The Rotation Principle is something I learned when I served in children’s ministry. I would rotate children through stations that offered different learning experiences about the topic we were discussing that day.

When we started fostering and homeschooling, I implemented the same concept into our schedule. My simple rule of thumb is that we “rotate” activities or routines about every sixty to ninety minutes. I have found after being occupied for that timeframe they become antsy. When they are antsy then mischief is more likely to begin.

As I am adjusting to writing this blog and all that it entails, I have found this rule of thumb works for me too. I am a lot more productive if I rotate myself through my duties.

Consistency is the Key

Whether you prefer a routine or a schedule or you are like me and do both, being consistent is the key to success. Doing these things on a daily basis helps us make sure everyone’s needs are met while reducing the chaos of a big family.