Sometimes my children get annoyed when we go over the same concept in math, or science, or any subject really. “We already know this!” they protest. Yet, do they really? It’s amusing to me how a child thinks they know everything about a certain subject because you may have briefly covered it. Once. Drilling is usually not a homeschool parents favorite thing to do. Most of us dread it, but in many cases it is the key to success. Have you ever seen those an internet video of a three-year-old reciting all of the the U.S. presidents to date or a four-year-old singing a song that names all the states and their capitals? Well, as amazing as it is, if those children don’t keep practicing those facts throughout their lives, they might not be able to quote those facts again in twenty or thirty years. But, if you know someone who can quote the Bible inside and out, most likely it is because they have read those verses over, and over and over again. They have meditated on them. They have lived them out, thought about them and simply know them. This is how we need to approach our homeschooling. We need to pick out those few things that are extremely important to us and be sure to drill them into our children’s minds and hearts. The following are the activities that we do daily in our homeschool routine because they are important to us. What is important to you might be different. For example, maybe your child is learning a musical instrument and a foreign language isn’t a priority right now as it is for us.

Prayer

People ask me all the time, “what time do you start school?” I used to have a set answer for this when I had a set routine for my older three but once I started having more kids, mornings have been more challenging. The key for me is not to start bright and early at 7:30 ( I seriously can’t believe I did that!) but the key is to start in prayer. No matter what time we get around to starting, I will tell you this, my kids aren’t concerned about the time but the fact that it was started right, in prayer.

Bible

Considering the fact I teach my kids the children’s song, “Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday,” I better be a good example of that. Not just in my own quiet time but in front of them, with them. We read a chapter a day and go through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Does that take forever? Ye,s but I am not trying to rush through the Bible but I am determined to get it into their hearts. Slow and steady wins the race.

Worship

I used to want to spend an hour a day doing this but with little ones this just is not practical, and that is okay. We are down to one kid’s song and one worship song that we sing together. Sometimes with a guitar and sometimes acapella.

Reading Aloud

Even my middle schoolers enjoy this time of day. I choose a book and read a chapter a day, aloud to all of my kids. We have done the entire Little House on the Prairie series, many classics such as Black Beauty and Treasure Island and missionary biographies. This is a wonderful bonding experience.

Foreign Language Study

We currently use Duolingo. I require about twenty minutes a day for my older kids. We are in a Spanish speaking country and they need to learn the language.

Journaling

Since we are on the mission field, it is important to me that they journal their experiences. I don’t require perfect spelling or grammar but I do require them to write a certain amount per day. Depending on their age, that is how many sentences they have to write. So my eight-year-old only has to write eight sentences while my twelve-year-old has to write twelve.

Reading Alone

Fortunately this isn’t hard to my kids. They all love to read so this requirement is an easy task to complete.

Of course we have other subjects throughout the day, these are just the bare bones that I absolutely require each and every day.