As seasons change, so do the rhythms of a home. The beauty of a daily rhythm is that you can adjust it to fit the ebbs and flows of the unavoidable, ever-changing needs and desires of family life. For me, I like to tailor our rhythm around babies’ nap times, outside temperatures and sunset time, and when I believe my children are at their best to focus.
I seem to shift our daily rhythm around every few months. To keep things fresh and fun, I like to write out our new rhythm on watercolor paper and paint around it. I usually hang it on our refrigerator. It’s not a strict guideline to adhere to, but a way to help me make the most of our time, even if things get skipped or times don’t line up exactly. Here are some other blog posts about Daily Rhythms that I have shared in the past.
- Our Homeschool Daily Rhythm with a Toddler and a Baby in the Mix
- Homeschooling with A Baby in Tow
- Our Homeschool Preschool Daily Rhythm
Here is our current daily rhythm to fit in all the beauty and festive fun included in A Connected Christmas, as well as an Advent family devotional we’re using over breakfast.
Before our day gets going, I try to get up before the children and spend a little time reading the Bible and in prayer. I start making breakfast around 7am.
7:30-8a Family Devotions: Unwrapping the Greatest Gift & Jesse Tree Ornaments
We are currently using this book for family devotions. My husband leads this time. Read more about how I prepared for it and how we are using it here.
8-9:30a Morning Chores & Free Play
I fill out the kids’ chore charts and send them on their way. Once they are finished with their chores and have gotten dressed, they are free to play until I call them for Morning Time. Read more about their chores here. I spend this time getting dressed, dressing the little ones, and doing laundry and dishes.
9:30-11a Morning Time
I put the baby down for a nap and we gather back at the table for Morning Time. During this time my toddler plays nearby, colors, plays with clay, or gets into mischief! Here is what we cover in Morning Time. The calendar and weather chart is from my shop. The rest of what we cover in Morning Time is from A Connected Christmas. Read more about each section of A Connected Christmas here.
- Calendar and Weather Chart
- Bible
- Carol/ Hymn
- Poetry
- Art Study
11a- 1p Nature Walk, Free Play, Lunch
This is free time for everyone. Sometimes the big kids head outside and I work on more household tasks. Sometimes we all get outside for a nature walk. At some point we work together to prepare and eat a quick and easy lunch.
1p-3p Lessons
I put the baby and toddler down for their naps, and we gather back at the table for lessons. We are currently using A Connected Christmas for the bulk of our lessons and adding in some quick phonics and math. Here is what we do during lessons:
- Phonics/ Reading - Each child reads to me for 15 minutes and they do a few pages in Explode the Code. A Connected Christmas offers quite a bit of writing and reading as well, so some days we skip this.
- Math - We are using The Good and the Beautiful Math 1, so we just move along in our curriculum and complete one lesson a day.
- Finish Morning Time Activities - If my toddler disrupted Morning Time and we had to cut it short, I push any lingering parts to this time when he is napping.
- Read Aloud - A Connected Christmas offers one picture book each day so we cuddle up and I read that day’s book aloud.
- Hands-On Connection - There is a hands-on activity or recipe to connect to the story each day, so we finish our lessons by completing that. See more about A Connected Christmas here.
3-5:30p Play Outside
My older children go outside to play until dinner. We have a large backyard and they have neighborhood friends who usually join them. I either go outside as well to allow my toddler some outside time, or stay in to rest, clean, and prepare dinner.
5:30- 6:30p Dinner & After-Dinner Chores
My husband arrives home and we eat dinner. I keep weekday meals super simple like slow cooker meals or grilling. After dinner, the kids do their after-dinner chores and I do the dishes.
6:30-7:30p Play & Read With Dad
My husband loves to take the kids outside to ride bikes together, wrestle, read to them, or play games.
7:30 Babies’ Bedtimes
My husband and I divide and conquer and get the littles ready for bed. The big kids stay up and read or play until 8:30.
8:30 Big Kids' Bedtime
The older two get ready for bed and head off to sleep.
10 Mama’s bedtime
I spend my evenings blogging, crafting, or spending time with my husband and try to be in bed by 10.
Our daily rhythm gets shifted around on Tuesdays when my nanny joins our family for a portion of the day and on Fridays when we attend Wild + Free. For the most part, though, our days will be flowing in this rhythm for the remainder of the year.
If you create a daily rhythm with a watercolor design, post on instagram and use my hashtag #watercolordailyrhythm. I would love to see and share!
