Final Tips on Independent Work Lists--Especially for Older Students

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Today I would like to leave you some tips for Independent Work Lists--especially for older students (junior high through high school). These will be in no true order--just some things that I want to re-emphasize from the younger ages as well as things that pertain only to olders.

So here we go:

1. Consider the document or chart that works best for your age child now. Most kids in junior high and high school no longer want cutsie charts. Once you decide you want a genuine paper document, then you have to decide how you want it filled in:

a. As he goes, he lists what he does each day, sort of a daily school journal.
b. You write in a planner each week for him for the following week (page number, number of pages, lesso number, etc.).
c. You have a standard daily Independent Work List that you create in your scheduling program or Excel---that you can customize when something changes, etc. You print this off, put it on a clip board, and have him highlight or mark off as he does things each day.


2. Consider if you are going to make his Independent Work List for him completely or if you will have his input. We liked to choose our high schoolers materials, schedules, lists, etc., with them, so that they have some input in the process--and to help model for them/teach them how to organize, prioritize, etc.

3. Still use some of the elements from the earlier suggestions (for younger kids) that are universal, such as:

a. School is your child's occupation. It is what he should be about during the day.
b. Put the daily tasks in sections according to time of day or importance--and also in order according to when they should be done.
c. Do your part to be sure that charts are updated, printed, and ready. I know from personal experience that if we are laxed in this--they become laxed real quick!
d. Have a system that works for you every day. Have his list on a clip board that he carries with him/keeps in his school area. Have him highlight as he does things. Have him leave it on your desk when he is done, etc.
e. Develop a "no exceptions" approach to daily independent work. A student doesn't go to basketball, girls group, youth group, etc., until his daily independent work list is done.


4. Have blanks on the chart to add in any work from outside classes, music lessons, Bible quizzing, etc.


5. Put things that are not dailies where ever they go. This was always a little bit difficult for me. Do twice weeklies go on Tuesday and Thursday (but Thursday is our lesson and errand day...). Do three times weeklies always go M-W-F, even though Wednesday is our "cottage class day" and extras do not get done on that day. This might take a while to get in the groove, but it is worth it to tweak things and make it work.


6. For junior high kids, consider that you might need smaller chunks (maybe two math sessions at 30 minutes a day, etc.). Again, you know your student and  your family situation, so do whatever works best for you.


7. Consider if you want this Independent Work List to be his total chart/list for all aspects of his day at older ages:

a. Do you want to put his devotions, music practice, and outside work on there too?
b. Do you want it to contain meetings/tutoring sessions with you?
c. Do you want it to also be his chore list?

There are some definite advantages to a junior high or high schooler having his day right in front of him in one spread sheet. However, this can also get overwhelming to some kids.


Feel free to ask questions here on FB about the Independent Work Lists--I will try to answer them. I can't imagine not having homeschooled without our three daily task lists: (1) Morning routines; (2) Chore charts; (3) Independent Work Lists!

Independent Work Lists for Elementary Children

I is for INDEPENDENT WORK!

Chart by picstopin.com

If you don't start Independent Work Charts/Lists with your littles, you will definitely want to start it in elementary school after your child learns to read!

 (Some people feel that they have very little to put in an Independent Work Chart for little kids. We always managed to find things as I felt it kept my littles learning and exploring all the time--and it helped my preschoolers to NEVER be bored!)i

Here are some tips for creating Independent Work Lists for elementary children:


1. Either make it on a chart that the child uses wipe and write markers and mount it somewhere--or make it in Excel (or your favorite record keeping program) and place it on a thin clip boards.

Trust me: loose papers never make it back to mom at the end of the day. (Spoken from true experiences--plural--you would think I would have learned this the first time or two! ;) )




2. Put things in the order of importance on the chart--in the order that you want them done.



3. And/or put things in sections.

I used to have mine in order and sections--the first so many items needed done before the child met with Mom or before the child had a morning snack or before lunch chores, or whatever. Never underestimate the value of teaching children time management, prioritizing, etc. via these daily checklists.



4. Explain to your child that this is his daily accountability list.

He is to get these things done each day. (Hint: We taught our children from their earliest recollection of school that school is their occupation. It was what they were supposed to be about every day. No questions asked. No exceptions (unless we parents wanted an exception for sickness or family trips, etc.--in other words, the child doesn't choose to do school or not do school--ever).



5. For things that you are uncertain of/change-ables, put time or generic wording, such as "30 minutes of uninterrupted CQLA work" or "All CQLA assignments from previous meeting with Mom," etc.



6. Be sure to include drill work, silent reading, etc.--all the extras that you want him to do each day.

 (I even put the things that they would often do as I read aloud on this list in the section marked "During Read-Aloud"--such as coloring in educational coloring book, penmanship page, building something with Legos, etc.)



7. Be sure there is a time in which it is turned in each day.

This is kind of another subject, but it fits here as well: A child should not go to basketball practice, Girl Scouts, youth group, or any other activity if he doesn't do his school. Period. We have so many parents come up to us at conventions and say, "I just can't get my fifteen year old to finish his school each day, and he keeps getting further and further behind." Then we ask, "Does he go to sports practice in the afternoon? Does he go to youth group that night?' etc. etc. None of those things should ever happen if he doesn't do his school. School is non-optional.

If your child's independent list is on a clip board, he can simply put the clip board on your desk at the end of the day--all checked off and ready for the next day.


8. The Independent Work Checklist is, in part, to help keep the child moving as you are working with other kids, walking your college kids through a difficulty on the phone, or helping Grandma with something. In other words, you want to teach your student to get up and start on the list right away--and to go back to the list any time he is not meeting with you or doing chores, etc. (I even put things like "Read to Jonathan for 15 minutes" and "30 minutes of morning devotional book and journaling" on the list--everything the child does (outside of chores) was listed on this chart.


I just can't stress enough the benefits of the Independent Work Lists--for Mom and for the student. It takes away gray areas of parenting (something crucial that we teach in our parenting seminars). It helps the child become an independent learner. It teaches many character qualities--perseverance, prioritizing, resourcefulness, responsibility, diligence, timeliness, and much more. Yeah, I am pretty crazy about my thirty years of Independent Work Lists! ;)

B is for Back to School!

Edudemic (clip art)

B is for BACK-TO-SCHOOL!

Do you start back on the traditional school schedule? Or do you school in the summer to get some days in? Or do you school year round and take breaks throughout the year?

Homeschooling provides flexibility in all areas (not just starting school but literally EVERYTHING) that we don't even begin to appreciate fully. (I didn't until my kids started taking college classes, and they were so locked in to schedules and no time off!!!!)





B is for BACK-TO-SCHOOL!

Do you have a command center? Regardless of whether you use charts, sticker posters, wipe and write, or clip boards for your schedule/chores/organizational systems, I recommend you follow this one tip first:

Get the first hour of the day down pat before you try to "perfect" everything else.

When the first hour of your day is good, the whole day can be good!

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2013/07/family-command-centers





B is for BACK-TO-SCHOOL!

While we are blessed not to have to buy, buy, buy...clothes, supplies, etc., every August just because everybody else is (sometimes I do think it would be fun to go "back to school" clothes shopping with the kids though!), do pay attention to the sales during this time.

For example, we use a lot of three-pronged, two-pocket folders for each monthly unit of work (for storage when the month is done), and those are available now for fifteen cents each vs. up to sixty cents each during the "off season."

Plus, I just have to get some scented markers, cool sticky notes, or other fun thing for the teacher! 

A is for ATTENDANCE!

CLK Clipart

A is for ATTENDANCE!

What does attendance mean in your state?

In our nearly thirty years of homeschooling in Indiana, we have had laws that have read something like this: "A student between the ages of seven and sixteen (not sure what age this is now) must attend public school or have equivalent instruction" and equivalent instruction has usually meant 180 days of "instruction."

More on this later--such as attendance keeping AND what constitutes a day of school--if our child is home, isn't he "in school"?







A is for ATTENDANCE!

If you live in a state where you are mandated to keep track of your days (your kids' "attendance"), I recommend keeping it simple!

Even if you use an elaborate lesson plan or other tracking system, I would still get a dollar pocket calendar and write the days on it. It can be as simple as putting in the corner of each school day 4/180 (day four of attendance out of 180 total).

The reason for this is that if all you really HAVE to have is 180 days recorded somewhere, then do that in a simple, non -fussy way so that you can be sure that it gets done. Then if you want to record it i your lesson plan, tracker, etc., as well, that is fine.

However, even if your more elaborate system breaks down somewhere mid-year (or your computer loses it!), you will still have your pocket calendar with the minimum that you are required taken care of.

More on WHAT to count as a homeschool day later!






A is for ATTENDANCE!

How do you know when something should be counted as a full day or half day or no day?

There are plenty of ways to look at this: (1) must complete all regular daily work to be a day; (2) schools take half days all the time for movies, inservice, etc., so it won't make that much difference; (3) a certain number of hours equals a full day; (4) field trips count/field trips don't count; (5) other!

The point of this isn't to solve your "what do I count" dilemma but rather to make us all aware of the need to give our children the best we can and the need to be above reproach at all times.

We personally have decided what to "count" as a day in different ways during different seasons: (1) as long as language arts and math were done, we would count a half day of art and gym or library and cooking along with that for a day; (2) a certain amount of time. We used an hour counting approach (hours worked on academics or training-only non academics (PE, art, home ec, etc.--not daily/routine activities) that went something like this:

a. 2 hours for K-2nd grade
b. 3 hours for 3rd-5th
c. 3.5 hours for 6th-8th
d. 4 to 5 hours for high school

Regardless of how you count your days of ATTENDANCE, please consider the following:

1. Always be above reproach

2. Always do more, not less--and teach your children to go the extra mile while doing this

3. Consider the non-book learning as long as it is true training including audio, video, hands on, etc. (again, not routine, like regular daily chores or skills that are already full developed like making breakfast, etc.)

4. Be consistent. Either count time or count books or count classes, etc. Or count field trips all the time or do not count field trips

5. Keep your system simple--just a simple calendar marking system or tick mark/running day total in your daytimer, etc.

6. Be excited for each day that you complete! 

F is for FUN: Some Fun Things We Have Done

I promised you a list of fun things we have done, so here it comes. It won't be long, but hopefully some of the ideas can prompt more ideas within you. If you have heard me speak of creating a love for learning, you may have already heard of some of them. 

I pray that your family can find that fine balance between fun and just plain hard work. Homeschooling is a long, sometimes lonely, and always challenging endeavor. As I have mentioned before, if we try to make it all fun and games all the time, our children will miss valuable lessons. However, if we omit fun from our homeschool entirely, we risk making everything else look better to our children than home. 

So...F is for FUN!

1. We always started our day with Bible reading/character reading together--and ended that reading with a fun chapter book that we worked through together. (This was after each person's morning routine and chore list, usually, and was sometimes during the kids' breakfast eating.) Everybody looked forward to our continued chapter book readings.

2. While we tried to get curriculum that fit each child's strengths, interests, learning styles, etc., and I (Donna) did the bulk of the choosing, for extra things, we took the kids with us to smaller conventions (or let them look in a catalog to choose), and they picked out their fun "extras"--including chapter books they wanted to read that year, educational coloring books, audios to listen to, etc. (Yes, we spent a lot on our kids' school. We live in a very old, tiny, non-fancy house with used furniture and old vehicles with lots of miles. We financially (and time and energy-wise) prioritized our kids' education and family times over everything else.)

3. While we did many weekday field trips, we didn't limit our field trips to school days. It wasn't uncommon at all for us to take a Saturday to go to museums and zoos with Dad or to plan a long weekend vacation museum-hopping in Chicago. The kids knew that their education was important to both Dad and Mom--and wasn't just something that Mom did, thought about, planned, and carried out.

4. In addition to our morning chapter book, I usually had chapter books going with various kids. I would have one that I read aloud to each of the three olders--plus another that we did as a family with Dad. Everybody worked hard so we could do our reading. 

5. I should say after the #4 reading one that we did not have access to television stations or even computers with our olders. We had a big old television hooked up to a vcr--and we limited everybody's watching to five hours per week (usually together). I need to include that here because when  you don't have television or computers, reading aloud together becomes a fun activity. While I don't think we should run away from our society (not have a computer, act like technology doesn't exist, etc.), we recommend highly limiting and controlling it so that the little things in life become sweeter. (See The Fun Factor in Homeschooling.)


6. Read the book/watch the movie. We didn't do this formally, but we did it quite often. With so many book/movie combos out today, I would make this a homeschool tradition!

7. Add fun subjects. Our kids always got to do extra things they enjoyed like art, music, pottery, sewing, science kits, etc. We tried to expose them to different fun things to see what they were good at and where there interests took them.

8. Make PE a family affair. We tried to do a lot of our kids' PE at home together. We had other families over to play. But we also just played as a family. We loved making up new games with various sizes and styles of balls!

9. Get cool school supplies. We didn't do back-to-school clothes shopping, but we did let them pick out their binders, pens, crayons, etc. They weren't limited to a list from a school with boring "16 Crayola crayons--no more, no fewer"---any style or color or pattern of school supply works at home! ;)

10. As our kids got older, we let them plan their subjects for the next year--and sometimes even choose the books.

11. Also, as our kids got older, we let them plan their school schedule/order with us for the year. As long as it worked and they completed their lists, they could continue to make choices about these things.

12. School with another family. We often did field trips, activities, unit studies, days away, etc. with another family or two of kids. We got together to do gingerbread houses and crafts, etc., every Christmas. 

13. Do anything different than what kids around you are doing! Our kids loved the fact that they didn't have to get on a bus early or they didn't have to stay inside at a desk if it was nice out. Or we could go to the park for lunch and some PE on any given day. Point out the fact that homeschooling affords us so many activities and opportunities that those in school can't do or enjoy.

14. Take fun field trips! If you have heard us speak or read our newsletter, you know that our older kids are extremely proud of the fact that they (along with Mom and Dad) slept at the top of the jungle gym at Science Central, in the snake room at the zoo, and on the soldiers' "cots" at the fort. Go for the unusual, and they will remember them and love homeschooling because of them.

15. Do storytime from birth. There is nothing like shared picture books with little kids. And there is definitely nothing like the memories of reading picture books every afternoon with momma for ten years. I'm telling you--this is what memories are made of.


I could go on forever and ever about how much we love homeschooling; how we tried to make it fun (but not so fun that normal wasn't enjoyed!); how we put our time, money, strength, and energy into raising our children in this homeschooling lifestyle--and how much they, as adults, are grateful to us for it. 

The Fun Factor in Homeschooling

Before I give a list of tips for making homeschooling fun (in another post), I want to address something that definitely keeps homeschooling from being fun--for parents--but even for the kids too (eventually!). This concept is one of indulgent homeschooling vs fun homeschooling.

Just like our children "don't like" this or "don't want" that or "have to have" this or "can't be happy without" this--and thus, are often not happy with the "normal" things of life--so it is with our children in homeschooling.

Before I come off sounding like an ogre, I want to assure you that we had a fun homeschool. If you were to ask our children (seven of them ages fifteen through thirty) if our homeschool was fun, you would hear answers like the following:

"Oh yeah! Dad used to use these huge red pressboard bricks to teach Bible stories. We would build the temple, Zacheus' tree, and even Jesus' boat!"

"Fun? How many kids do  you know who got to sleep at the top of the jungle gym at Science Central overnight---WITH their parents!"

"I can't imagine more fun than having your mom read to you for two hours every morning and two hours every afternoon. School was definitely fun at our house!"

"It was a blast! When Mom and Dad got us new books and other fun things from the homeschool convention, they would wake us up at midnight when they got home and show us everything and start reading them to us!"

However, one reason that our children found homeschooling fun was because everything didn't always have to be fun. Just like an indulgent child can't be happy unless she gets to have a friend overnight, order pizza, and buy new make up to do make-overs often, a homeschooled child will not think school is fun if he has to have fun all the time. I call this the fun factor in homeschooling.

So, strange as it may seem, my first suggestion to making school fun and helping your kids love learning and love homeschooling is to not try to make everything fun.

Our kids knew fun times were coming. They knew that Mom and Dad loved learning and loved homeschooling and would make things fun at times. They knew that we had something fun up our sleeves to pull out any time.

But they also knew that school was their occupation--and it was often just plain hard work sometimes. And it needed to be done. Day in and day out. Just like Dad went to his job and worked his tail off--so Mom and the kids do the same at home.

We didn't need to have bells and whistles all the time because they began to love normal (just like their parents did---hint hint--modeling!). They always knew the expectations, and they knew that every day they had to get up and follow a routine for learning, growing, becoming, and maturing.

They learned the joy of following a routine, setting goals and meeting them, completing tasks, and of gaining knowledge.

They knew that there were many things we do just because they are the right things to do. Every subject, every day doesn't have to be fun. Chores don't always have to be games and contests--or rewarded (though sometimes they were!).

We taught them a contentment in homeschooling--in our way of life---that made the fun even more fun, the special even more special, and the extraordinary even more extraordinary.

The Fun Factor in Homeschooling--the fun begins when the normal is good too.

What Would You Do With a Five Year Old?

I was recently asked what my "educational expectations" would be with a five year old. Now, this fall marks our thirtieth year of homeschooling. Through the years, we have ebbed and flowed with the trends of homeschooling just like all other long-term homeschoolers. However, there are some things that have always stayed the same for us:

(1) Teach obedience before starting school

(2) Put relationships above academics

(3) Put God first, then marriage, then children, then others

And many more!

My expectations for five year olds still haven't changed! If I had a sweet, wonderful, amazing five year old, this is what I would do! (Btw, four to six year olds are the greatest kids ever!)

1. Obedience. We can't expect children to do school work if they will not make their beds, brush their teeth, come when called, etc. Obedience is a pre-requisite to bookwork--always has been in our homeschool. Take it from an old mama---school is so much better with a six year old in kindergarten who obeys than it is with a five year old in kindergarten who doesn't obey.

2.  Morning routine. If our kids couldn't do a simple morning routine chart of making their beds, grooming, putting away their own toys and books, "reading" a picture Bible (or doing a Bible book and audio set), and getting completely ready for the day without a big fuss, I didn't do bookwork with them. (See number one!) I talk about morning routine charts in Raising Kids With Character (formerly Positive Parenting) here and here and here and here .

3. Chores. Once a five year old is known for first time obedience and following through on his morning routine, I add chores to his schedule. You can read more about developing chores for this age group here and here and here  and here and here .

4. Room time. I used room time from ten to fourteen months (playpen time) up through age six or seven, depending on how much the child could join us for older kids' school. The reason I list it here as an expectation for a five year old is that I believe room time has so many educational benefits, namely those of increasing a child's concentration, creativity, independence, and risk taking (all found to be important factors in studies about children who were "natural readers"--that is, they learned to read without instruction--this is important because if it helps a child become a natural reader, it can also help a child become a good reader in general). You can find out more about room time here and here and here and here,

5. Bible time. I would have the kindergarten join us for Bible time as well as having a "little kids" Bible time during the morning. I liked to put this after morning routine and chores, so we had an order that put character and faith before academics. It might work better for some to do it during story time. (I used what I called "interval Bible training," meaning that we did various Bible teachings from sun up until sun down, so that they were always being trained in Bible stories, character, doctrine, hymns, songs, etc. all the time. For instance, we would use Bible on audio during morning chores, hymns and praise music during breakfast, Bible story read alouds in the morning, more in depth Bible studies with the olders during "unit studies," Bible audios and/or videos during room time (almost always audios; I wasn't big on videos as I wanted them to "make the pictures in their minds"); Bible stories and character stories during story time, audios as they were falling asleep; Bible reading and singing at dinner; Bible stories at bedtime, etc. Find out more about what we used during this age here and here and here

6. Informal learning time. We had an adage that "we would never teach a young child anything formally that could be taught informally." Therefore, when it came to pre-reading and pre-math skills, we were extremely diligent to "teach while we are in the way with them." In other words, rhyming words, initial consonant sounds, ending consonant sounds, letter recognition, beginning math concepts (counting, recognizing numbers, less than/greater than, and much more) can all be taught informally, and we did. We also used picture books, puzzles, games, manipulatives, audios, videos, computer games, felt activities, toys, blocks....anything! I recommend building this time into a kindergarteners day--either through room time or through a learning center or table time where activities are set up for him, etc. 

7. Formal learning. We only used workbooks with our five, six, and seven year old (non-readers) when they were set on numbers one through six above--and only if the child wanted them and enjoyed them. There are colorful, wonderful kindergarten workbooks available through Timberdoodle. Here are some other formal learning tips for this age:

a. If your kindergarten student is ready to learn to read, I don't recommend using a complete kindergarten/first grade curriculum to do this. Learning to read doesn't need to take three to five years. If you get a good program, a child can learn to read in three to six months if readiness is in place. (Call to order my audio on Teaching Reading in the Homeschool for more information on reading readiness, choosing readers, and choosing a phonics program.) I recommend a couple that I have used or had friends use, but there are many good ones out there that teach reading only (i.e. not complete language arts at this level) and use a word family phonics approach combined with readers. Some of my reading program reviews are found at Raising Kids With Character for Phonics Tutor and Saxon Reading.

b. If you do want to get an entire kindergarten program, do not get a textbook-driven approach. Again, Timberdoodle has wonderful preschool and kindergarten programs with many hands on and fun activities included. 

c. Make kindergarten fun. If I had kindergarten to do over again, I would do all of the tips above and get Timberdoodle's kindergarten fun things, a colorful math program that has manipulatives (Math-U-See and/or Saxon kindergarten math are very hands on!), and Five in a Row (and choose the activities that you want to do and leave the rest). But again, I would only do that after the first six things above are met!


As for general expectations, here are some other tips:

(1) Morning routines, morning chores, sitting during reading, room time, etc., first (have I mentioned this yet?)

(2) An hour or so of time with you either in fun learning (see c. above) and/or in learning to read, preferably in the morning.

(3) Story time, room time, quiet time, book and audio sets, etc. for independent learning all built into the schedule.

(4) Interweave free time with all of the above. It is my experience that four to six year olds who are not doing "formal" more all day type of school end up being bored and restless when their days are not predictable. 

Hope this helps you with your five year old! Most of all, enjoy them! These should be some of the sweetest days of parenting! I know they were for me, and I want that for every mama out there! :)


P.S. If you have not been a reader of Positive Parenting/Character Training From the Heart, I hope you will join us over there. It is Character Training From the Heart for the blog and the FB page is still Positive Parenting 365. I talk about all aspects of Christian parenting from infancy through young adults/college age. I love parenting. Here are some general RKWC links that might pertain to your questions:

A. Toddlers and Preschoolers 
B. Reading Instruction 
C. Reviews of Materials
D. Schedules 
E. Chores