7 Small Habits That Build the Most Simplicity into Our Days

How small habits have become an anchor to our homeschooling lifestyle

We’re a family of six who spends the majority of our hours in our home— working, schooling, doing life together. While most of our days look fairly similar, they’ve been shaped by dozens of small decisions we’ve made over the years. These small habits have become the anchor to our days— grounding us in simple routines that work to enhance our enjoyment and peace in the hours we spend together.

As I homeschool our four kids while my husband works from a tiny corner in our bedroom just a few steps away, we’ve learned that a few well-placed rhythms can turn a busy house into one with purpose and intention. These small habits are tiny threads we’ve weaved into our days and have provided us with predictability, organization, and sanity.

Below is a glimpse at a few of our most important habits that we’ve build into our day. These routines have nearly become second nature and allow us to enjoy living, working, and learning together all under the same roof. Just remember, what works well for our family, might not necessarily work for yours— live in the season you’re in and create small habits that best meet your needs!

1. Morning Quiet Time Before the Kids Wake. There’s nothing quite like waking up to a quiet house, opening up the curtains and windows, and sitting with a hot cup of coffee in hand to usher in the day. My husband is absolutely not a morning person, so this might not be your cup of tea either, but it’s the key to a good day for myself.

   Since having babies, this hour of morning quiet time has been essential my days. I pray, journal, read, write, and prepare my mind for what’s ahead. In order to make this early morning time a reality, I have to be disciplined to get to bed early enough the night before. Sometimes habits such a this require thinking in advance and saying no to even good things so you can focus on what matters most.

2. Daily Chores for Everyone. Chores can be a controversial topic, but for our family, they’ve been one of the best ways to teach our kids how to be helpful and develop a strong work ethic. By age three, each of our kids has gained their own daily chore chart with age-appropriate tasks. By age nine, our oldest has become a huge help with our household tasks— she loads and unloads the dishwasher, folds the laundry, cleans the bathroom, vacuums, and makes her siblings lunches.

   The key is training them well so they can do these age-appropriate jobs independently (I’ll write more about our chore routines soon!). When we all contribute, it keeps our home in a state of peace rather than disarray.

3. A Structured (but not rigid) School Schedule. Kids thrive on predictability and structure, which is why we stick to set school-time hours during the week. When our kids understand that between the hours of 9am-2pm is learning time (with a break for lunch and outside play), they’re better able to stay focused and motivated on their work. This schedule also helps me to maintain a sense of structure to our days as I organize all the other household tasks around these set hours.

4. Having a “Closed Kitchen” After Meals. Because we spend many of our hours at home, my kids tend to think the kitchen can be a revolving doors of snacks at any given minute of the day! Having the rule of a “closed kitchen” between meals prevents them from taking constant trips to the fridge or pantry throughout the day. It’s a small but meaningful habit that teaches them to eat complete meals and not take unneeded breaks during our learning.

5. A Simple Meal Rotation. By the end of a busy school day, sometimes I need my dinner plans to be on autopilot. One of my favorite “decide once” rules is to have about a dozen go-to meals that we all enjoy. It makes meal planning really simple and my grocery shopping predictable since we eat similarly from month to month. I save all these go-to meals in a binder found in my kitchen for easy access and quick meal planning.

6. Daily Outdoor Time Instead of Screens. We used to give our kids screen time every day (for about 30-45 minutes) until we made a significant change about 6 months ago. When they knew they were allowed screen time each day, it’s all they wanted to do and asked frequently if it was time for it. My rule of thumb is that when kids beg for something, it usually means they’ve had too much of it.

   Currently, we don’t allow any tv time during the school week, but instead we reserve either a Friday or Saturday night as a Family Movie Night. We select a quality movie everyone will enjoy (I’ll share our list of classics sometime) and it’s become something that we all look forward to. No more mindless consuming of sub-par cartoons. We’ve found a much healthier balance of tv-watching and have gained a predictable pre-dinner routine of playing outdoors instead of sitting around a screen.

7. Family Dinners Every Night. One of the best ways our family stays anchored and connected is by having family dinner every night. With the percentage of American families having fewer family dinners together, it’s a daily habit that we’ve committed to preserving. We’ve limited our evening commitments, have firm rules for when neighbors get sent home from playtime, and teach our kids that conversation around the table is like the thread that knits us together. Our favorite daily tradition is called “One Good Thing”— where everyone takes turns sharing one good thing about the day. This simple habit teaches our kids how to listen and wait for their turn as well as asking thoughtful questions about each other’s lives.

Not everyday is peaceful or seamless, but having these small habits in place as daily anchors has been what’s allowed this homeschooling lifestyle to be enjoyable and sustainable. I’d love to hear any small habits that keep your family grounded! And as always, thanks for being here with me. If you’ve enjoyed this post feel free to share it with a friend who might as well!