Creating good habits?

[Christi in Ohio]

I struggle with my days - we have large age gaps between the kids and long days with DD rising before 6 most days. We unschooled for a very long time with our 12yo and haven't really started much work with DD(she has down syndrome). DS1 is now doing a boxed curriculum but I struggle to get him on a good schedule of getting his work done. I am tired of nagging him at 3pm to get his work done before he goes to soccer. Pestering him and reminding him all day long that he needs to get his school work done. He is really good with his younger siblings and helps me out with watching them or does things one on one with them.

Anyway...enough rambling on I just wonder how do you start with creating good habits. I know I need to work on this with DD and DS2, I don't want to be in the same boat with them in a couple years. I just want our days to be better and more productive.

Thanks.

Christi

[inHistiming]

Well, since your younger two are still so small it should be fairly easy to get on a schedule. I would say with them just pick a good starting time and get to it each day around the same time, or at least in the same order. It will most likely become something they look forward to and they will likely start telling you when it's time for school!

As for your older son, if you've unschooled for a long time it may take a while for him to realize this is something he truly has to get done. One thing you might do is give him a deadline....finish by noon, or whatever time you want him done each day. Or, if possible with Oak Meadow, you could give him a weekly deadline and make sure he understandshow much has to be completed by the end of each week. Then if it's not done, have a consequence....maybe he can't go to soccer, or piano, or whatever it is that he wants/needs to do. It's possible that missing a soccer practice or two may cause him to realize you're serious and help him to be more diligent with his work. Jut a thought....I'm sure others will be along to give their advice too.

[jjcmehl]

There is a free e-book entitled "Smooth and Easy Days" (talks about creating good habits, why nagging doesn't work, etc...) it is on another Charlotte Mason homeschool website (I'm not certain if I'm allowed to give you the link, but if you do a search on google search for "Smooth and Easy Days," you will find it). Includes practical tips from Charlotte Mason's writings.

“The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days.” - Charlotte Mason

[water2wine]

“The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days.” - Charlotte Mason

Oooh what a good quote. I need to tape that to my computer and then I would not be on it so much, hahaha!

My biggest motivator I have found well really two things. One is if our day is too long I assume they did not get enough sleep the night before. So that means they need more the day that they had dragging on forever. Second no play until school is done. Our break is lunch. I know what about recess. Well if we get done they can play for the rest of the day and sometimes we can really finish before lunch. It is a huge motivator. The way you get out of school is to show me all your work (the independent stuff) and narrate all your reading to me. And this sounds horrible but if I find doing that is a problem then all your oral work becomes written. Writing it out I have to admit it sounds harsh but in reality it is just having good limits that build good habits. I have done schedules with them and we do sort of have one that we follow but really setting these limits that kind of say if you do what you need to then you can have what you feel you ought to have been the most prosperous for us. HTH. Nothing happens over night you just have to stick with it until they just do it.

Also just want to say that before we started this our days lagged sometimes and it was frustrating. Now honestly my kids start school before I am even awake. If anyone ever slows things down it is me. That is another thing to watch make sure they can count on a fair amount of consistancy with starting time as much as possible because otherwise they start to feel like it is a free for all.