Do you and your kids struggle to get started homeschooling in the morning? Is there always a fight to get the kids to start their work? I know I’ve struggled at times to get my son in the learning mood. Below I’m sharing some wonderful tips to make the morning flow more smoothly with some fun ways to transition from morning cartoons to start your homeschool day in a happy mood!
Fun Ways to Start Your Homeschool Day
Stories & Snacks
If your family likes to get started on schoolwork later in the morning, a nice relaxing way to get started is with a healthy snack and a stack of books. We like to cuddle up on the couch while I read a few books aloud and my son eats a little snack. I’ve found that a little blood sugar boost and some mindless snacking helps my son pay attention better and gets his brain ready to focus and learn!
Board Games
Playing board or card games is another fun way to transition from morning cartoons to learning time. Plus many board and card games are educational so you really can count it towards school hours! Here’s a list of games we are incorporating into our homeschool days this year!
Playtime
Screen-free play time is another fantastic way for kids to get ready for seat work. My son loves to play with LEGO, or other blocks and toys in the morning after breakfast. I usually let him play until he is ready for schoolwork, because play is learning and I find he is better able to focus and pay attention when he has had plenty of time to play. Plus playing with LEGO bricks and other building toys is a wonderful way for kids to practice visual-spatial skills, problem solving and more!
Art & Crafts
I’ve recently found that setting up simple art or craft projects is another wonderful way to start the day! As long as your child enjoys arts and crafts, I highly recommend it! We had so much fun with a process art painting activity the other week and my son happily moved onto other homeschool plans once he was finished and cleaned up!
Videos to Introduce the Days Topic
Now I know this isn’t a scree-free tip, but some days you might be easier to switch from cartoons to more educational programs. YouTube is a wonderful resource for finding videos on any topic of interest! A short video on a topic might just be enough to motivate your children to learn more through reading and writing! Studying any topic of interest really can spread throughout your homeschool and lead to all kinds of learning!
Nature Walk or Outdoor Playtime
Most mornings my son is outside playing or going for a walk even before the neighborhood kids are picked up by the school bus! It’s a great way to wake up your body and burn off some excess energy that hinders learning for some kids, especially those with sensory needs!
Yoga or Other Exercise
Exercise is a really great way to start the morning and get the wiggles out before starting schoolwork. And on days when getting outside isn’t possible, it’s really important for sensory kids to have a physical outlet to help them focus. Yoga and other forms of gross motor movement will really help! Here are some fun gross motor ideas to try in your home!
Do you start your homeschool days in any of these ways or in a different way? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear about it!
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Legos are often the activity mine are doing in the morning. Whenever I want to start school they remind me that they are learning then — “Mommy, we are doing STEM!” LOL. But they do have fun and then when the day does start they love to write about what they built.
Writing about what they built is a great idea!