Break time, like most things in homeschooling, should have “a Plan in Place.”
No matter what your homeschool style, your kids most likely have some time each day that requires seat work. This can be especially trying for younger kids for obvious reasons. Unlike a traditional school setting, homeschool families have a great opportunity to create their own, without the use of a loud bell ringing at scheduled times each day.
I have always been a believer of empowering our kids to make choices for themselves and whenever possible, I like to give them practice.
When my boys were younger, we used a system that worked great for us that I want to share with you! I created and handed out “Break Cards” to each child every morning. I have done a few different sets and simply used an index card and a sharpie to create my own. Here are some examples:
Break-time Cards for Homeschool Students
- 10 min break
- 15 min break
- 30 min break
Event Cards for Homeschool Students
- Nutrition Break
- Free Play Break
- Reading Break
- PE Time (Need to move!)
It was SO much fun watching my boys decide how to “use” their break time each day. They would almost always take them together and make a plan for what they were going to do. It helped them to look forward to it and I believe it helped with many stress free days. They were free to “redeem” a card anytime they wanted, even in the middle of a lesson. I also believe it contributed to a positive attitude on most school days.
Now, my boys are older and are usually pretty good time managers, so they no longer have a need for break cards. Maybe I should create some for me and turn them in when I need a break? :-)
Happy Break Time!
