Asalamu’alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu ladies,

Have you ever had a week, month (or even year) where something keeps slipping off your homeschool routine?

And so things do get done, but a few things also slip through the cracks?

That even after all the condensing, you find things slip off.

That you know something ‘fell off’, but were too busy to pinpoint what.

I’m guessing, you’re probably thinking ‘all the time’.

It happens to so many of us – things don’t get quite done even after the pretty planning and organising.In fact, figuring out how to get it all done is one of the biggest homeschool mother struggles.

But how would you feel if you could track each child’s progress with EASE?

Nothing fancy, just a simple way to make sure all those things that matter get done, in sha Allah.

If you need help sis, read on.

So why is it important to have a good routine?

Well, firstly, because we want to make sure our kids got a great education, of course! But it’s much more than just getting through things right? It’s important for us as parents and educators to make sure that we are filling up our familys time with beneficial things, and then to see that progress. It’s one thing saying we want to do something; it’s another making sure we do it.

Secondly, with multiple kids, it’s easy for things to get overlooked; you aren’t just teaching the kids, you’ve also got laundry to tackle, iftaar to prepare, the toddler to tend to and so on; it isn’t surprising then if the seven-year-old skips spelling or your eldest doesn’t get that extra muraj’a in because it just slipped through the cracks. So a simple system helps you SEE what got done, and what fell through.

Speaking of multiple kids, I think it’s fair to say often it’s the youngest kids, or those transitioning into more formal learning, who tend to get sidelined the most. And that’s usually because the older kids need more help, your little one was happily playing (so no complaints from them!), or you simply got some things done but then forgot about the rest. With a visual planner, you’ll be able to see who or what gets compromised the most.

It gives you the reassurance that things are moving along and that you did get things done (we mothers are pretty hard on ourselves, aren’t we?)

And finally – when you’ve taken the time out to really fill your day with the most important things, it isn’t so easy just to ‘let things go’ because these things matter. And so it isn’t as simple as oh well, we’ll just keep on switching it up; it’s about finding solutions. And because printable, diary-style planners are often tucked away, what gets missed isn’t always caught, so visual routines work in particular, work super well.

By setting up this super simple system, you’ll be able to…

Track what each child got done for the day, in a ‘you can’t miss’ me kinda way!

You can track what seems to keep falling off, or (who!) and then rectify that in sha Allah.

You don’t need to feel so stressed, because you’ve not only condensed, you’ve also created a catch-up window.

And kids can also take ownership of their own schedule as well as be aware of sibling schedules; this comes in handy when kids pair up on certain things etc. They can appreciate and work around each other’s routines, which is a great skill.

So how do you make a visual homeschool schedule?

1. Grab a notepad and write down all the group subjects that you do as a family. Hifdh is something that can be included here because though kids may be memorising different suwar, it’s likely they’ll be memorising at the same time.
   
   
2. The list down all the kids individual subjects; some things may be daily and others may be for certain days (like set online lessons). Either way, write down each child’s complete list of subjects.
   
   
3. Grab a stack of sticky notes and colour code the above by giving group subjects one colour, and then for each child, use a different colour; you aren’t colour coding according to the subject but according to the child. So you might have all your group subjects in purple (write the subject on the sticky note), then all of child A’s individual things in yellow (one for each subject), child B’s in green etc, child Cs in pink etc.
   
   Remember, it’s a weekly schedule, so you’ll need a sticky note for each time you have that lesson. So if a group science subject is three times a week, you’ll need three purple sticky notes that say ‘group science’. If child A has individual spelling four times a week, you’ll need four yellow sticky notes that say, Spelling.
   
   
4. Now arrange these according to your timetable. So, for example, if hifdh is something you do every day, you can place that purple sticky note in every daily column. I like to place mine in order but without time as we pretty much know what to do when, but you could add timings if you wish.
   
   Then add in child A’s individual subjects to the first day, then child B’s etc. For each day, you’ll be left with a column that has the day’s group subjects, as well as each child’s individual subjects. Some kids may have more than others according to age, level etc.
   
   
5. And there you have it – your visual homeschool schedule! Now every time a subject doesn’t get done, you can physically take off the sticky note and reschedule it; either to the next day or, if you homeschool heavy four days like us, use the fifth day to catch up or whatever suits your family best! It doesn’t require you to do anything daily – only if you skip something! Just pin this up somewhere that is easy to access for you and the kids.
   
   To make it even simpler, I’ve created a free guide for you; download it here.