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There are, of course, challenges that you need to consider when you first start home educating, But one thing that people don’t think about is how they are going to juggle the housework with their educational time.
If your kids attend school, you have all day to get on top of the housework while they are out, but you don’t have that luxury when you take on the role of a teacher as well. So how are you supposed to juggle your housework and your education responsibilities at the same time?
Factor Cleaning Into The Schedule
When you are planning your homeschool lessons, you should always factor small cleaning jobs into the day. That way, you can get the kids involved and stay on top of the majority of the cleaning. For example, in the morning, get the kids to tidy up their room a bit before your first lesson and while they are doing that, you can run the vacuum around or put a load of washing on. After lunch, tidy up any mess from the morning before you start your afternoon lessons.
Invest In The Right Cleaning Equipment
If you upgrade your cleaning equipment, you can make life so much easier for yourself and fit cleaning jobs into the small breaks during the day. Getting a robot vacuum cleaner, for example, means that you don’t need to worry about it because it’s all done for you automatically. If you have hardwood floors, you can get some great models that clean those as well. Alternatively, invest in a steamer because it’s much quicker than a mop. When you are equipped with the right tools, you cut your cleaning time in half and that makes it a lot easier to fit around your homeschool schedule.
Improve Your Organisation
Cleaning takes a lot longer if the house is littered with toys and homeschool supplies. But if you can improve your organisation and put things away as soon as you have used them, it will be a lot easier to stay on top of things. So, make sure that you have a good filing system for all of your worksheets and workbooks etc. Get some big plastic storage bins to organise toys as well, and encourage the kids to get into the habit of picking up after themselves. Often, you waste a lot of time clearing up before you can actually get on with the cleaning, so good organisation is vital.
Give The Kids More Responsibility
Getting your kids to help out with the cleaning not only makes life easier for you, but it also teaches them to be responsible from a young age. You’ll find that you have a much easier time getting them to clean their room as a teenager if they get into the habit when they are still young. Creating a chore chart is a simple but effective way to divide up jobs and make sure that all of the cleaning gets done.
Finding a balance between homeschool and housework can be tough, but if you follow these tips and be patient, you will get there in the end.
