daily homework routine

6 ways to establish a productive homework routine

Assistant Professor of College Learning Strategies and Instruction, Syracuse University

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Janine L. Nieroda-Madden does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Homework. Whether you’re a fifth-grader or a freshman in college, the mere thought of homework can be overwhelming. And actually doing homework can be quite difficult. But homework doesn’t have to be something a student dreads.

As a former high school English teacher and researcher who specializes in what it takes to make it through college – and a co-author of a forthcoming revised edition of a book about academic success – I’ve studied homework since 2010. Here are six ways I believe homework can be made more manageable and valuable, whether you’re in elementary school, high school or graduate school.

1. Set priorities

Establish a list of priorities based on the class syllabus or assignment list. This can be helpful for tackling difficult tasks, creating motivation and activating your sense of control and independence when it comes to learning. The priority list helps maintain goals and gives you a sense satisfaction to cross things off the list as they are completed.

2. Tackle difficult tasks first

Start with your most difficult assignments first in order to make the most of your energy level and to focus at the beginning of a work session. You can attend to the easier or less time-consuming assignments at the end of a work session.

3. Break tasks down to smaller steps

You may not know how to start a major task, which could trigger procrastination or feelings of defeat. To guard against this, break major tasks into three or four smaller steps. Within one homework session, you can feel a greater sense of accomplishment by completing each small step toward the larger whole. In some cases, you might be able to spread these tasks over the course of a week.

4. Create evidence of learning

You will get more out of the time you spend reading, reviewing notes or otherwise “studying” if you create something in the process. For example, creating flash cards, a graphic organizer, chart, or notes with bullet points can help you become an active learner rather than a passive one. Organize the tools you create with the homework assignment by date and topic so that you can review those items to prepare for quizzes, tests or projects.

5. Build a network of support

If certain homework problems could not be solved and you’re stuck in a rut, figure out what’s confusing you and write or record your thoughts. Jot questions down and be as specific as possible in order to seek out additional support from teachers or tutors. The more you can identify sources of confusion, the more you can proactively reach out to your support network – teachers, tutors and others – in order to get additional help.

6. Revisit goals and set new ones

At the start of each homework session, establish goals for completion of your tasks or assignments. Revisit the goals at the end of the session and acknowledge a sense of completion. This goal-setting process builds confidence over time and helps you realize their potential even when faced with difficulties. A productive homework routine will help you realize that learning is an ongoing journey. The journey may be difficult but getting organized will make it as stress-free as possible.

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How to Plan a Homework Schedule

Last Updated: June 28, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Ronitte Libedinsky, MS . Ronitte Libedinsky is an Academic Tutor and the Founder of Brighter Minds SF, a San Francisco, California based company that provides one-on-one and small group tutoring. Specializing in tutoring mathematics (pre-algebra, algebra I/II, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus) and science (chemistry, biology), Ronitte has over 10 years of experience tutoring to middle school, high school, and college students. She also tutors in SSAT, Terra Nova, HSPT, SAT, and ACT test prep. Ronitte holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MS in Chemistry from Tel Aviv University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 90% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 478,670 times.

It feels like homework never stops getting piled on, and keeping track of it all can feel a little chaotic. That’s where a homework schedule comes in. With a good schedule, you won’t have to worry about missing homework assignments or not having enough time to finish them, and it’s surprisingly easy to put one together. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry—we’ll walk you through what to do step-by-step below!

Setting Up a Homework Schedule

Creating a Homework Space

Understanding What Needs To Get Done

• The subject or course in which the work is assigned (for example, Spanish , algebra , French or English )
• Know what you're expected to hand in or do and ask if you do not understand (for example, turn in an essay , develop a PowerPoint presentation, or take a test.)
• The details of your assignments (for example, double-spaced or single-spaced, blue ink or black).
• Page numbers (which pages you need to read, study, or refer to complete your assignment.)
• Due date of the assignment.

Getting All of Your Homework Done

• To solve this problem, if you cannot meet all the deadlines, use a static priority rate-monotonic policy. Find the course that releases new homework the most frequently, and list it the highest (do the work first), and so forth. This is mathematically optimal among all static-priority scheduling policies. In other words, if ANY static priority scheme can meet all the deadlines, the rate-monotonic static priority scheme will meet all the deadlines, too. When the static priority scheme misses deadlines, it is deterministic - the lowest priority class assignments will be skipped, so it behaves predictably when you are overloaded. If certain assignments have the same due date, then start with the one(s) that are hardest or will take the longest.

• If you have a five-page English paper due on Friday, evenly spread the total amount of hours you believe it is going to take to complete the paper between each day.
• If you have multiple assignments to complete in one night, it may be helpful to start with the most challenging on and leave the easier ones for later.
• Reader Poll: We asked 273 wikiHow readers about how they organize their schoolwork, and 50% of them said that they tackle the most difficult topics first, while they have the most energy . [Take Poll]

Homework Planner Template

Expert Q&A

Reader videos.

• Avoid distractions such as TV, video games, phone conversation, or surfing the internet. You must fully devote your schedule to doing this. That means turning off all electronics except your lamp , clock , and room light, and, if needed, your computer. You may even want to turn off your phone. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Try writing reminders on sticky-notes about your assignment due dates or important information you really need to remember. Put these sticky notes in a place you regularly go to in your house (such as your homework area, bedroom, or closet), so that you'll see them and be reminded.
• If you're having a really hard time concentrating, take a short break (even if it isn't your schedule break time). Even taking a walk outside for ten minutes or grabbing a quick snack from the kitchen can help you reset.
• If music with lyrics distracts you, don't try to listen to it while you do homework. Consider playing white noise or instrumental music instead to help you focus.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.wssd.k12.pa.us/SettingUpaHomeworkSchedule.aspx
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ Ronitte Libedinsky, MS. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 26 May 2020.
• ↑ https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/homework-study-skills/homework-strategies
• ↑ https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/6-proven-ways-to-make-new-habits-stick.html
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-in-world/201203/how-prevent-procrastination

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Strategies to make homework go more smoothly.

Routines and incentive systems to help kids succeed

Writer: Peg Dawson, EdD, NCSP

Clinical Expert: Peg Dawson, EdD, NCSP

Here is the best guide to helping kids do homework successfully that we’ve seen, published by the National Association of School Psychologists on their website, NASPonline.org . Our thanks to NASP for sharing it with us.

There are two key strategies parents can draw on to reduce homework hassles. The first is to establish clear routines around homework, including when and where homework gets done and setting up daily schedules for homework. The second is to build in rewards or incentives to use with children for whom “good grades” is not a sufficient reward for doing homework.

Homework Routines

Tasks are easiest to accomplish when tied to specific routines. By establishing daily routines for homework completion, you will not only make homework go more smoothly, but you will also be fostering a sense of order your child can apply to later life, including college and work.

Step 1. Find a location in the house where homework will be done. The right location will depend on your child and the culture of your family. Some children do best at a desk in their bedroom. It is a quiet location, away from the hubbub of family noise. Other children become too distracted by the things they keep in their bedroom and do better at a place removed from those distractions, like the dining room table. Some children need to work by themselves. Others need to have parents nearby to help keep them on task and to answer questions when problems arise. Ask your child where the best place is to work. Both you and your child need to discuss pros and cons of different settings to arrive at a mutually agreed upon location.

Step 2. Set up a homework center. Once you and your child have identified a location, fix it up as a home office/homework center. Make sure there is a clear workspace large enough to set out all the materials necessary for completing assignments. Outfit the homework center with the kinds of supplies your child is most likely to need, such as pencils, pens, colored markers, rulers, scissors, a dictionary and thesaurus, graph paper, construction paper, glue and cellophane tape, lined paper, a calculator, spell checker, and, depending on the age and needs of your child, a computer or laptop. If the homework center is a place that will be used for other things (such as the dining room table), then your child can keep the supplies in a portable crate or bin. If possible, the homework center should include a bulletin board that can hold a monthly calendar on which your child can keep track of longterm assignments. Allowing children some leeway in decorating the homework center can help them feel at home there, but you should be careful that it does not become too cluttered with distracting materials.

Step 3. Establish a homework time. Your child should get in the habit of doing homework at the same time every day. The time may vary depending on the individual child. Some children need a break right after school to get some exercise and have a snack. Others need to start homework while they are still in a school mode (i.e., right after school when there is still some momentum left from getting through the day). In general, it may be best to get homework done either before dinner or as early in the evening as the child can tolerate. The later it gets, the more tired the child becomes and the more slowly the homework gets done.

Step 4. Establish a daily homework schedule. In general, at least into middle school, the homework session should begin with your sitting down with your child and drawing up a homework schedule. You should review all the assignments and make sure your child understands them and has all the necessary materials. Ask your child to estimate how long it will take to complete each assignment. Then ask when each assignment will get started. If your child needs help with any assignment , then this should be determined at the beginning so that the start times can take into account parent availability. A Daily Homework Planner is included at the end of this handout and contains a place for identifying when breaks may be taken and what rewards may be earned.

Incentive Systems

Many children who are not motivated by the enjoyment of doing homework are motivated by the high grade they hope to earn as a result of doing a quality job. Thus, the grade is an incentive, motivating the child to do homework with care and in a timely manner. For children who are not motivated by grades, parents will need to look for other rewards to help them get through their nightly chores. Incentive systems fall into two categories: simple and elaborate.

Simple incentive systems. The simplest incentive system is reminding the child of a fun activity to do when homework is done. It may be a favorite television show, a chance to spend some time with a video or computer game, talking on the telephone or instant messaging, or playing a game with a parent. This system of withholding fun things until the drudgery is over is sometimes called Grandma’s Law because grandmothers often use it quite effectively (“First take out the trash, then you can have chocolate chip cookies.”). Having something to look forward to can be a powerful incentive to get the hard work done. When parents remind children of this as they sit down at their desks they may be able to spark the engine that drives the child to stick with the work until it is done.

Elaborate incentive systems. These involve more planning and more work on the part of parents but in some cases are necessary to address more significant homework problems. More complex incentives systems might include a structure for earning points that could be used to “purchase” privileges or rewards or a system that provides greater reward for accomplishing more difficult homework tasks. These systems work best when parents and children together develop them. Giving children input gives them a sense of control and ownership, making the system more likely to succeed. We have found that children are generally realistic in setting goals and deciding on rewards and penalties when they are involved in the decision-making process.

Building in breaks. These are good for the child who cannot quite make it to the end without a small reward en route. When creating the daily homework schedule, it may be useful with these children to identify when they will take their breaks. Some children prefer to take breaks at specific time intervals (every 15 minutes), while others do better when the breaks occur after they finish an activity. If you use this approach, you should discuss with your child how long the breaks will last and what will be done during the breaks (get a snack, call a friend, play one level on a video game). The Daily Homework Planner includes sections where breaks and end-of-homework rewards can be identified.

Building in choice. This can be an effective strategy for parents to use with children who resist homework. Choice can be incorporated into both the order in which the child agrees to complete assignments and the schedule they will follow to get the work done. Building in choice not only helps motivate children but can also reduce power struggles between parents and children.

Developing Incentive Systems

Step 1. Describe the problem behaviors. Parents and children decide which behaviors are causing problems at homework time. For some children putting homework off to the last minute is the problem; for others, it is forgetting materials or neglecting to write down assignments. Still others rush through their work and make careless mistakes, while others dawdle over assignments, taking hours to complete what should take only a few minutes. It is important to be as specific as possible when describing the problem behaviors. The problem behavior should be described as behaviors that can be seen or heard; for instance, complains about h omework or rushes through homework, making many mistakes are better descriptors than has a bad attitude or is lazy.

Step 2. Set a goal. Usually the goal relates directly to the problem behavior. For instance, if not writing down assignments is the problem, the goal might be: “Joe will write down his assignments in his assignment book for every class.”

Step 3. Decide on possible rewards and penalties. Homework incentive systems work best when children have a menu of rewards to choose from, since no single reward will be attractive for long. We recommend a point system in which points can be earned for the goal behaviors and traded in for the reward the child wants to earn. The bigger the reward, the more points the child will need to earn it. The menu should include both larger, more expensive rewards that may take a week or a month to earn and smaller, inexpensive rewards that can be earned daily. It may also be necessary to build penalties into the system. This is usually the loss of a privilege (such as the chance to watch a favorite TV show or the chance to talk on the telephone to a friend).

Once the system is up and running, and if you find your child is earning more penalties than rewards, then the program needs to be revised so that your child can be more successful. Usually when this kind of system fails, we think of it as a design failure rather than the failure of the child to respond to rewards. It may be a good idea if you are having difficulty designing a system that works to consult a specialist, such as a school psychologist or counselor, for assistance.

Step 4. Write a homework contract. The contract should say exactly what the child agrees to do and exactly what the parents’ roles and responsibilities will be. When the contract is in place, it should reduce some of the tension parents and kids often experience around homework. For instance, if part of the contract is that the child will earn a point for not complaining about homework, then if the child does complain, this should not be cause for a battle between parent and child: the child simply does not earn that point. Parents should also be sure to praise their children for following the contract. It will be important for parents to agree to a contract they can live with; that is, avoiding penalties they are either unable or unwilling to impose (e.g., if both parents work and are not at home, they cannot monitor whether a child is beginning homework right after school, so an alternative contract may need to be written).

We have found that it is a rare incentive system that works the first time. Parents should expect to try it out and redesign it to work the kinks out. Eventually, once the child is used to doing the behaviors specified in the contract, the contract can be rewritten to work on another problem behavior. Your child over time may be willing to drop the use of an incentive system altogether. This is often a long-term goal, however, and you should be ready to write a new contract if your child slips back to bad habits once a system is dropped.

Click here to download the homework planner and incentive sheet .

Frequently Asked Questions

To help homework go more smoothly, e stablish a routine that includes a time and place where it will be done, a planner that lists each assignment, scheduled breaks when some of the work is done, and a reward system for kids who are not motivated by good grades alone.  

Set a good homework routine following these steps: Find a location in the house where homework will be done. Set up a homework center stocked with needed materials . Establish a homework time. Use a daily homework planner so that your child has everything in writing.  

One tool that can make homework go more smoothly i s a Daily Homework Planner , which lists each assignment, how long it should take to complete, and what rewards may be earned for completing each assignment.    

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6 ways to establish a productive homework routine

by: Janine L. Nieroda-Madden | Updated: December 9, 2019

Print article

Homework. Whether you’re a fifth grader or a freshman in college, the mere thought of homework can be overwhelming. And actually doing homework can be quite difficult. But homework doesn’t have to be something your child dreads.

As a former high school English teacher and researcher who specializes in what it takes to make it through college — and a co-author of a forthcoming revised edition of a book about academic success — I’ve studied homework since 2010. Here are six ways I believe homework can be made more manageable and valuable, whether your child is in elementary school, middle school, high school, or graduate school.

Set priorities

Tackle difficult tasks first, break tasks down to smaller steps, create evidence of learning, build a network of support, revisit goals and set new ones.

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How to Establish a Great Homework Routine

Are you tired of disorganization when it comes to your child’s homework? Or having to nag your child about when and how they will get their homework done? A great homework routine can put an end to these struggles. Establishing the right homework routine will create good study habits that will help your child from Kindergarten through high school and beyond. Here’s how to set one up!

Establishing a Homework Routine that Works!

1. Schedule Time for Homework

You probably have things in your own life, whether it’s cleaning the house, doing your taxes, or getting together with friends, where if you don’t put it on your schedule it isn’t going to happen.

The same thing is true for homework. If you want to establish a homework routine, you need to plan time for homework on the family calendar.

The ideal situation is for homework to happen at the same time every day. Whether it’s directly after school or after your child has a little time to snack and unwind. It should be part of the daily routine.

If your child has after-school activities that make homework at the same time every day impossible, make sure you still schedule time for homework. And try to at least have a weekly schedule that is consistent regarding homework time.

You’ll want to make sure you allow enough time for homework to be completed. Talk to your child’s teacher about their expectations for time spent on homework to help determine how much time you need.

It’s also a good idea to talk to your child about when they want to do their homework. Discuss with them what they feel is the best time of day for homework. This doesn’t mean they get the final say about timing, but older kids especially may have strong feelings about a time that works for them.

And when you choose a time, consider whether your child needs some food and exercise before they sit down for a long stretch.

2. Choose a Homework Space

Once you have the timing down for your homework routine, you need to consider the location. Do you have a designated homework area with desks and supplies? Or do your kids spread their stuff out on the kitchen table at homework time?

When you decide on the best homework space, you want to consider a few factors. Does your child work better when they are alone and free of distractions? Or do they need you nearby to help them with questions and encourage them to stay on task?

Some kids need background noise, others work best in silence. You may even need to set your kids up in different areas from each other if they have different needs for completing their homework in a stress-free environment.

Try to keep individual needs in mind when you consider the best place in your home for school work. And set your kids up for success.

3. Establish Rules for Homework Time

A great homework routine will include some rules for how that time will be spent. This may include rules about silencing cell phones and putting them away during homework time.

Rules around electronics and other distractions are some of the most important. Sure, your child may need a tablet or computer for their homework sometimes. But other electronics are likely to be an endless source of distraction.

Consider whether you need to set rules and time limits for breaks during homework time. Sure, kids may need to get up and stretch their legs or use the bathroom. But an endless stream of excuses for breaks won’t result in homework being completed.

You may also want to establish some rules around your role in their homework. Will you be checking their work to make sure it’s completed? Or will it be more on the honor system? And your child’s age will be a huge factor here.

A great homework routine should help your child work towards greater independence when it comes to school work as they get older. You can’t go off to college with them. So, as your child gets older, they should become more responsible for completing their homework with minimal reminders and check-ins with mom and dad.

Stick to It!

When you’re trying to establish any new routine, there is going to be some adjustment time. Commit to sticking it out with your homework routine, even if you face some initial resistance. Once the routine becomes a habit, it will be such a part of daily life for your kids that battles over homework will be few and infrequent. And your kids will be on the path to greater self-sufficiency and success with school work.

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Tips for Parents: How to Help Your Student Create Effective Homework Routines

Homework can often be a source of stress and frustration for both students and parents. One key factor that can make homework more manageable and productive is the development of strong executive function strategies. Here are some executive function strategies for creating effective study routines:

• Set clear goals. Before diving into homework, help your child set clear and specific goals for what they want to accomplish during their study session. This could be completing a certain number of math problems or finishing a section of reading. Setting goals gives a sense of purpose and direction, helping students stay focused.
• Create a consistent routine. Establish a daily homework routine with a consistent time and place for studying. Consistency helps build habits and makes it easier for students to transition into homework mode. Having a designated study space can also reduce distractions.
• Break tasks into smaller steps. Large assignments or projects can feel overwhelming. Teach your child to break them down into smaller, manageable tasks. This not only makes the work seem less daunting but also helps with planning and organization.
• Use visual aids.  Visual aids such as calendars, to-do lists , or digital planners can be powerful tools for improving executive function. Encourage your child to use these tools to track assignments, due dates, and daily schedules.
• Use time management tools. Teach time management skills by setting time limits for different tasks. For example, allocate 30 minutes for math homework and 20 minutes for reading. Use timers or alarms to help students stay on track.
• Incorporate breaks. Short breaks during study sessions can help maintain focus and prevent mental fatigue. Encourage your child to take brief breaks to recharge and reflect on their progress.
• Reward effort and progress. Celebrate small victories and efforts. Positive reinforcement can boost motivation and self-regulation skills.
• Reflect and adjust. After each study session, encourage your child to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved. Adjusting the study routine based on these reflections helps refine executive function strategies over time.
• Gradually decrease your involvement. Allow your child to independently execute the above homework strategies over time. This will help increase both your child’s independence and motivation to succeed as they take ownership of their study habits.

By developing and strengthening these executive function strategies, students can approach their homework with greater confidence and effectiveness. Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in supporting this development by providing guidance, structure, and a nurturing environment. As students become more proficient in using executive function strategies, they not only excel in their academic endeavors but also acquire valuable life skills that will serve them well in the future.

•  Taylor McKenna, M.A., M.Ed. ,  SMARTS Associate

SMARTS Executive Function Curriculum:  smarts-ef.org

Research Institute for Learning and Development:  researchild.org

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October 13, 2022

How to Create a Daily Homework Routine

By Adina Levitt, Instructor

Homework. Often a dreaded task students want to get through as quickly as possible. However, with an intentional and executive function focused approach, homework time can be a more effective and manageable process.

Here are 7 tips students can use to create an effective homework routine:

• Get situated in a quiet, distraction-free space.

As much as students may think otherwise, the human brain does not allow us to multitask well. Removing distractions from the environment provides students with an optimal space where they can fully attend to their work. Encourage them to leave their phone in another room, turn desktop notifications off, close extra tabs, and work in a quiet space with minimal visual distractions to set them up for a successful homework environment.

2. Set a timer.

Our attention spans are finite. As much as a student may think working for 4 hours straight is what they need to do to get that assignment done, our brains need breaks in order to function best. The Pomodoro Technique offers a helpful framework that maximizes productivity and supports executive functions of attention, motivation, decision making, and time management (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off). With an end goal in mind, students can engage in more focused work knowing that a respite is coming.

3. Make an agenda.

It’s homework time, but does your student know where to start? Have them consult their school planner or online school calendar and write down a list of the assignments they want to work on during this homework block. After creating the list, they can assign each task an order of operations. Some factors to consider when prioritizing tasks could be: when it’s due, how many points it’s worth, or the difficulty of the task.

4. Read directions.

Now it’s time to jump in! A thorough approach to doing an assignment involves carefully reading directions to understand expectations. But what does that really mean? Try reading directions aloud, underlining important information, and restating them using different wording. Rubrics also provide helpful guidance on assignment directions; Try turning rubrics into simple checklists to follow while working through a task.

5. Take a break.

When that work timer goes off, it’s time for a well-deserved break. Put 5 minutes on the clock and enjoy! Some break options include a movement break, mindfulness, a music break, or a puzzle break. A walk around the house or a snack break work too! When the timer goes off, set it for another work interval and repeat the timer cycle.

6. Review work.

To avoid careless mistakes, students should review their work by checking that all requirements (found in the directions or in a rubric) were completed. They can read their written responses aloud and redo their math computations as a check. Students can also check in with themselves: “Did I do my best work? Do I feel ready to submit this assignment?”

7. Hit submit.

Students have done amazing work up to this point, now let’s help them get to the finish line! Online assignments need to be submitted (hit that submit button!) and paper assignments need to be placed neatly into backpacks so they make it back to school on time.

BONUS TIP: Once a student has determined a homework routine that works for them, they can create a checklist that serves as a visual reminder and holds them accountable for following each step.

These tips will help students develop an effective homework routine that will strengthen their executive function skills and serve them well throughout their academic career.

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Two Ws and an H: Establishing a Homework Routine

Tired of disorganization when it comes to your child’s homework routine learn how answering “when where and how” can help create an after school routine that includes doing homework for the same time each day, steering clear of electronics, and more..

Back to school means back to homework. It may also mean arguments, tears, and frustration, because homework demands more discipline and consistency than many children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (or any kids, for that matter!) can muster. But you can make it easier by creating a homework routine built around three key questions: When? Where? and How?

• Schedule homework for a set time each day. Base this after school routine on your child’s temperament. Perhaps he’s at his best right after school, or maybe after an hour of downtime. Avoid late evening, which for most children is meltdown time.
• Be consistent from day to day. If after-school activities make that impossible, post a daily plan or weekly calendar in your kitchen that includes homework start and finish times each day.
• Schedule enough time to complete assignments without rushing, based on your child’s grade level and history of completing assignments.
• Give advance notice of homework time. This is important, because kids with ADHD/ADD don’t easily shift from one activity to another — especially from fun time to work time. You might say, “You can play for 15 more minutes, then come in for homework.”

[ Free ADHD Resource: Solve Your Child’s Homework Problems ]

• Help your child select a homework place. Try the kitchen table, where she can spread out materials. Or perhaps your child would like to sit at a desk in the quiet den.
• Steer clear of proximity to electronics (TV, CD player). But if your child concentrates best with soft noise, try some gentle background music.
• Stay nearby (if possible).  Kids with ADHD concentrate better when they know you’re close by. If your child needs to use the bathroom, remind him to come right back afterward. After he leaves the bathroom, remind him to return to his work.
• Set up rules. Draft and print a sheet that specifies: homework start and finish times; place; when and how long breaks are; and that you will be nearby to help her understand assignments, get organized, offer support — but not do the homework for her. Avoid arguments — calmly refer her to the Homework Rules.

[ Free Sample Schedules for Reliable Family Routines ]

• Help him start. Make sure your child knows what the assignment is and how to proceed. Offer assistance that matches his learning style. For a verbal processor, read directions to him or have him read them out loud; for a visual learner, show him how to use highlighters and colored markers to outline key words and sentences.
• Keep him going. If your child tries to stop before he’s finished, encourage him to go on a bit longer, and remind him there’ll be a break soon.
• Give her a break. Kids with ADHD and LD may become fatigued due to distractibility, challenges to concentrating, frustration, and restlessness. Help your child recharge by scheduling frequent, short breaks.
• Check in at the finish. Review your child’s work to see if it is complete. If your child consistently takes more time than she should, speak to her teacher to see if he’s willing to adjust the amount of homework.
• Offer praise. Compliment your child when he stays on task, works with focus, is creative, and so on. Be specific. Say, for example, “I like the way you concentrated on that problem and stuck with it until you solved it.” Give him an acknowledging pat or a squeeze mid-homework, too.
• Give rewards. It’s OK to offer a “prize” to motivate. For a younger child, try extra playtime, a favorite snack or game, or a special read-aloud; for an older child, a favorite TV program, computer time, or phone time.
• Stick with it. A new homework routine is part of a daily schedule and requires solid commitment. It takes one to three months for a routine to become a habit — even longer for a person with ADHD. But the payoff is discipline, self-control, and success-building skills.

[ Read: 12 Schoolwork Shortcuts for Kids Who Hate Homework ]

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Create Good Homework Habits With This 3-Step Plan

Motivate your child to finish their schoolwork successfully..

If your elementary schooler doesn’t like reading or doing homework without resistance, you’re not alone. 

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to spark your child’s interest in learning outside of the classroom. Creating structure in your child’s day with an after-school schedule will help them stay focused and avoid homework fatigue.

Here are tips to help your child use their after-school time well and ease some of the stress you both may be experiencing.

1. Set Up a Schedule 

Agree on a “lights out” time and work backward. Here's a sample homework schedule to help you with your planning. This schedule is designed for a child who dislikes doing homework, so it allows multiple breaks throughout the evening. (It’s worth noting, however, that some children do their best work right after school, when energy levels are still high.)

• 4:00 p.m.  Rest, relax. Kids need space and downtime in their schedules.
• 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.  Sports, art, and other planned activities.
• 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.  Homework time! Have your child do theirs in the kitchen or somewhere close by while dinner is being prepared, so they don’t feel isolated and can ask questions. If your child has a dedicated “homework nook,” be sure to pop in often to see how they’re doing and offer words of encouragement.
• 6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. Dinner and quality family time.
• 7:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.  Homework wrap-up (if needed).
• 8:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Free time! If your family typically watches TV in the evening, you might consider switching on a streaming series or documentary that complements your child’s classroom instruction.
• 8:30 p.m.– 9:00 p.m. Nightly read-aloud! This is the time to get your 20-30 minutes of daily reading in for stronger literacy skills. (Here’s some benefits of reading to your elementary schooler nightly .)

2. Talk to the Teacher 

Your child’s teacher can tell you how much time students should be spending on homework nightly. Generally, students in elementary school should have between 10 and 15 minutes of homework for each grade year. This means a child in 4th grade may have between 40 and 60 minutes of homework a night; often this includes some reading.

Teachers will also have ideas for motivating students who are disinterested in doing homework. When you speak with your child’s teacher, raise any concerns you have about at-home learning, like if your child struggles to do their homework, since these may be signs of a learning disability .

Your child’s teacher will be able to discuss in-class performance, and together the two of you can create a day-to-night plan that promotes your child’s success.

3. Develop the Homework Habit

Once you establish a schedule that works for you and your child — including any limits on TV and tech time — be sure to stick to it. Consistency is key to developing good homework habits.

These are valuable years for teaching your child how to keep schoolwork, play, fitness, and other activities in balance. You’ll be helping them with an important life lesson — and hopefully establishing a little more harmony at home.

Get ready for your child to go back to school with our guide — it's full of recommended books, teacher tips, homework strategies for parents , and more resources for a successful school year. 

Shop workbooks to support your child’s skills below. You can shop all books and activities at The Scholastic Store .

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You'll also get 10% off your first order at the Scholastic Store Online.

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Get your child speaking the minority language more actively right now!

Secrets of a Successful Homework Routine, Part 1

• February 12, 2013
• 34 Comments

In How Many Hours Per Week Is Your Child Exposed to the Minority Language? , I mentioned how I began the practice of daily homework with my kids from around the age of 3.

Frankly, I would have preferred to wait with written work until they were a bit older—which seems more in line with a child’s natural development. But the hard reality is, I felt it was important to give literacy in the minority language (for us, that’s English) a strong head start before they entered our local elementary school and their literacy in the majority language (Japanese) then quickly took off.

Plus, I figured that if I established a daily “homework habit” from a young age—and made their first experience of this as enjoyable as I could—it would take root more easily and become an expected part of their lives, like brushing their teeth. If I had waited until they were older, not only would it have been harder for their English literacy to develop alongside their Japanese literacy (particularly since the two writing systems are so different), I think it would have proven more difficult to incorporate this routine into the lifestyle they had already grown accustomed to.

This doesn’t mean that, today, they never complain about doing homework! But the fact that the habit is now well established—at this point they can’t even remember a time when they didn’t have daily homework!—makes it a lot easier to manage this resistance and maintain the routine. (And when you start early, you’re able to make this a firmer habit for yourself as well. After all, the routine will only be as successful as the strength of your own commitment to it.)

So around the time they were 3—when they could comfortably grip a pencil—our daily homework habit began. In this post, I’ll share all the “secrets” with you, including links to the materials that have been most useful to me.

Our homework routine

“What sort of homework do you give a 3-year-old?”

This is the natural question asked by a reader the other day.

Of course, the activities and materials will vary, depending on the target language, but I’ll tell you exactly what I’ve been doing at home over the years in my quest to nurture the reading and writing ability of my children. (Lulu is 8 now and Roy is nearly 6.) Even if the materials I mention aren’t relevant to you, the overall structure might serve as a helpful model for your own routine.

Efforts made beforehand

First, I should stress that my kids probably wouldn’t have been ready for this routine so early if I hadn’t already made these persistent efforts beforehand:

• I read aloud to them, every day, from the time they were born. As I’ve discussed in The Secret to Raising a Bilingual Child and other articles on reading , I believe that reading aloud is the number one way to promote a child’s language development. If reading aloud in the minority language isn’t made a regular practice in the home, the bilingual journey will likely be far more difficult.
• As soon as they could sit up and grasp a fat crayon, I had paper and crayons freely available for them to use (and later, other drawing/writing tools like markers, colored pencils, pencils, and pens). Because they began scribbling early, and often, their little hands gained good motor control and this scribbling gradually evolved into drawing and writing.

Reading activities

The heart of our homework time has always involved reading. As Stephen Krashen argues so persuasively in The Power of Reading , the act of reading fuels greater proficiency in all language areas—including writing (good readers grow to be good writers)—so focusing on reading is actually the wisest, most efficient way to promote the whole range of a child’s language skills.

Before my kids were able to read, I simply continued reading aloud to them (individually), for 15 to 20 minutes, which formed the first portion of our homework time. As the months passed, and my finger trailed under the text of every book, they began to remember and recognize their first words quite naturally.

Then, when they were about 4 or so, I introduced a series of small books for beginning readers called Now I’m Reading! These fun little books were very effective as a springboard to early independent reading and they both completed the series by around the age of 5.

See Now I’m Reading! for my full review of this series, along with a link to the publisher.

From there, we moved into “shared reading”: starting with simple picture books, we took turns reading together, page by page. And as their reading ability steadily grew stronger, we progressed to harder picture books, then easy chapter books, and finally harder chapter books and children’s literature. Currently, Lulu and I are reading the first Harry Potter book, while Roy and I are reading the longer books in The Magic Treehouse series.

See How to Get Your Child Hooked on Books for more on The Magic Treehouse and other good chapter books that come in a series.

It’s no secret, then, how both children became competent readers: books, via reading aloud and, later, shared reading, have been a big part of their daily lives from the time they were born.

Along with reading aloud, and then, shared reading, a succession of workbooks have also formed part of our homework routine.

Workbooks, of course, often conjure images of children hunched over a desk, bored to tears. But there’s a very good reason, I think, for this ingrained idea: most workbooks are boring. Yes, they may do a decent job of developing certain language targets, but that doesn’t make the content itself any less dry and dull to most kids (and their parents).

As a teacher myself, I know that producing materials which are both effective in their educational aims, and actually fun to use—with some creativity and humor—is a challenging task. I sometimes create my own materials for my kids and my students (like my “captive reading” stories ), but I naturally don’t have time to generate good materials at a daily rate. So I’ve come to accept the fact that most of the materials on the market will be kind of tedious, and I only ask my kids to do a little bit at a time.

The trick is to do a little bit daily , because a little bit daily becomes a lot over time.

When it comes to workbooks, then, here are some of the better materials I’ve come across so far, shared roughly in the sequence that we’ve used them.

1. dot-to-dot books In my experience, dot-to-dot books are the most gentle, most enjoyable way to introduce “written work” to a young child. My use of dot-to-dot books with Lulu and Roy, after the read-aloud time, was a good success: not only did it help nurture their knowledge of the alphabet and numbers, and pave the way for real writing by practicing controlled lines, it set a positive precedent for all the written work that followed.

Just two things to bear in mind: 1) The difficulty of a book must match your child’s level of ability (start with the simplest books, with no more than 10 or 20 letters or numbers per picture, and progress from there); and 2) My kids burned through these books quickly so you’ll probably need to purchase a stack of them!

See Usborne and Balloon Books for many of the dot-to-dot books that we used.

2. phonics workbooks Although I tend to focus primarily on “whole language” activities (through reading aloud and shared reading), I do recognize the value of phonics work as a supplemental activity to strengthen reading skills. Toward that end, once my kids had a good grasp of the alphabet and seemed ready to write letters and short words, we left the dot-to-dot books behind and moved into some phonics material.

The phonics workbooks I used come from the Spectrum series, which offers a wide variety of reasonably-priced workbooks for all sorts of subjects. Some of these books look better than others—so it’s important to study the actual pages at amazon or another online retailer—but their early phonics books served us well. In fact, I believe one reason Roy is now stronger at phonics than Lulu is because I emphasized these workbooks more consistently in Roy’s daily homework routine. (I have some regret that I didn’t do the same with Lulu, because she seems to struggle more when sounding out unfamiliar words.)

See Spectrum Phonics for their whole line-up of phonics workbooks, from kindergarten through grade 6. (I’ve only used, and can personally recommend, the Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 books.)

3. reading workbooks I had been hunting for good reading workbooks for some time, so I was happy when I stumbled upon Evan-Moor’s Daily Reading Comprehension series last year, available for grades 1 to 8. If I had known about the series earlier, I would probably have introduced them right from the Grade 1 book—using this level alongside the early Spectrum phonics books.

Instead, I began with the Grade 3 book for Lulu and the Grade 2 book for Roy, replacing other supplemental reading texts that I had found unsatisfying. (Choosing materials is sometimes a process of trial and error, and I don’t advise pushing ahead with a book that you’re unhappy with. It’s far better, in my opinion—even if a bit of money is squandered—to search again for a more appropriate book.)

See Daily Reading Comprehension for my full review of this series, along with a link to the publisher.

Writing activities

At the same time that we’ve moved through this progression of workbooks—which focus mainly on reading—I’ve tried to maintain regular practice for writing, too, in these three ways. (In fact, I’ve tried a couple of the Spectrum writing workbooks, too, but I wasn’t thrilled with them.)

1. journal writing About once a week I have my kids write and illustrate an entry in a journal, generally describing a recent experience, but occasionally they’ll produce a fictional story of some kind. (And I hope to do more creative writing in the future.) To date, I’ve made use of three ready-made journals from an educational company in the United States, called Lakeshore . (It’s been a long time since I’ve placed an order with them, but they offer a wide variety of good-quality educational products and will ship things internationally.)

The first journal ( My First Writing Prompts Journal ) features simple prompts in which the child simply chooses and copies a word or words to complete a sentence, then illustrates the idea.

The next journal ( My First Draw & Write Journal , currently used by Roy) enables the child to write a sentence of his own, then illustrate it.

And the third journal ( Draw & Write Journal , currently used by Lulu) provides a page and a half for writing, along with space for an illustration.

Ready-made journals aren’t really needed, of course—you could create something similar on your own—but it’s helpful to use writing paper that’s age-appropriate for your child, like these journals provide. Writing paper can easily be found online and printed out for this purpose. The remarkable homeschooling site donnayoung.org has an array of writing paper that can be freely downloaded as PDF files.

2. writing letters We currently maintain a regular correspondence with a number of people, including family members and pen-pals in a few different countries. Lulu is now writing to five people, while Roy is writing to four. Though the work itself is sporadic, they probably write a letter once a week or so.

At a younger age, as with Roy, I’ll transcribe what he wants to say and then have him copy it over onto writing paper. With Lulu, who can now write more freely, I’ll ask her to write the first draft on her own, we’ll edit it together, and then she’ll put the final draft on stationary.

3. translation practice Recently, about once a week or so, I’ve also added translation practice to Lulu’s homework routine. We’ll each translate the same page from Japanese into English—to start, we’re using the Japanese version of Arnold Lobel’s simple Frog and Toad stories—and then we compare our efforts, explaining why we made certain choices. Translation is a special challenge, demanding a deep sensitivity to both languages, and I believe beginning this practice from a fairly young age (interpretation, too) is a powerful way to advance a child’s bilingual ability.

Other resources

In addition to these activities, some of the other resources I’ve turned to include…

Homework Helpers (from Frank Schaffer Publications), a series of small, inexpensive workbooks of word puzzles, word searches, and other language practice activities.

Picture Clue Crosswords , a fun book of visual crossword puzzles for vocabulary and spelling practice. (I photocopy the necessary pages and give them a nudge by writing in the tricky letters that would probably stump them.)

Games for Reading and Games for Writing , both by master teacher Peggy Kaye, are wonderful books with a range of fun, playful games designed to promote literacy.

Final thoughts

I’m not rigid about the amount of time we spend on homework each day, but I do try to aim for roughly 30 minutes. The content of our routine has naturally evolved over time, but reading books—reading aloud, and now shared reading—has always been at the core of this effort, along with the various other reading and writing activities I’ve described.

While I’m now able to read aloud the same book to both of them at our read-aloud session each morning at breakfast, their homework time—because of their different needs when it comes to reading and writing—remains separate. This means I must squeeze in two 30-minute blocks each day to maintain our routine, though as they grow older, they’ve become capable of doing some of the work on their own.

When they complete their homework for the day, they earn a piece of (sugarless) gum. It sounds silly, I know, but gum became their little reward long ago and it does add to their daily motivation. I also offer them small incentives for finishing a reading book, like little Pokemon figures. (Roy loves them!) I know there are various views when it comes to rewards, but I’ve found that modest incentives can heighten enthusiasm and help sustain effort.

In the end, though, the real key to a successful homework routine is you. How much time and energy are you able, and willing, to give to this ongoing challenge? In my case, as long as my children are attending a Japanese school, I don’t see any alternative but to continue plugging away, day by day, if I wish for them to reach a high level of literacy in English, too.

To continue this look at the “secrets” of our homework routine, don’t miss my follow-up post, written 18 months later:  Secrets of a Successful Homework Routine, Part 2 .

34 Responses

Thank you, Adam! Great summary of what we can do as teachers in the family to support our bilingual children. I would add that even though I agree its ideal to start at a younger age, some children are not ready and need more time in the dominant language before beginning. Otherwise lessons can seem more like World War II, especially if a child has dyslexic issues or auditory processing challenges that won’t be caught as easily at the preschool age. Even teenagers will not complain about reading elementary school age level material if that is the most comfortable reading level for them. That’s been our experience. The other point I would add is about rewards, making the lessons fun. As parents we have to play doubly hard at being our own kids’ teachers and they will send us around the bend unless we set controls and incentives that they can enjoy as part of their lessons.

Liane, thank you for your comment! These are all wise thoughts. As you point out, every parent needs to be sensitive about when and how to begin working with their children at home to nurture literacy in the minority language. Earlier may be better, but it won’t always be better for every child. And, I agree, establishing a structured routine, and reasonable incentives, are important measures for both our success and our sanity!

No routine! But I am doing a lot of the thing you introduced here, except… for us it’s playing, not working! I also have many great iPad apps to encourage writing and reading skills, and I have done some simple DIY reading projects. As for homework, can it be that you’re living in Japan where school is very competitive and a lot is required from the children? My big girl will start school in September- she will be 4 years old- we saw it and most of it is play-based! (we live in the Netherlands)

Olga, I think there are different phases in the bilingual journey, depending on the age of the child and the family’s goals. My children are a bit older now, and developing literacy in the minority language is an important aim. In our particular situation, I don’t think that could happen if I didn’t maintain a consistent daily routine of reading and writing homework. At the same time, I do try to make our activities as enjoyable for them as I can. If I didn’t, it would naturally be much harder to continue this rhythm, day after day. (It sounds like an iPad might help, too!)

Hi. It seems like we are in the same boat! Like the site and the subject and will link here from my blog (also about raising bilingual children in Japan).

Nick, thanks for your kind comment. I visited your site and applaud all the good work you’re doing with your daughter. Let’s keep up our efforts! Cheers from Hiroshima to Nagoya!

I am wanting to teach my child French (english is dominant language). However, I have extremely limited experience in French, so I am essentially learning alongside my child. How exactly would you advise I go about doing this? I have been collecting French picture books, music/songs and French videos and cartoons I’ve found on youtube. I’ve decided to ban all cartoons unless they are in french. lol Since I barely read French myself, I don’t even know what to look up. I’d love to find good french workbooks, but the ones I’ve run across so far aren’t that great, especially compared to the wealth of ones I find in the US. Thanks for the very informative post, btw.

Amanda, it sounds like you’re making some very good efforts to expose your child to French. At the same time, I think you’ll need to create opportunities beyond the “passive” input you’re providing so that the child can engage in interactive experiences in the language, too. You don’t mention where you live, or the age of your child, but I would seek out French lessons, tutors, babysitters, exchange students you might hire to play with the child, etc. Without such interactive experiences (perhaps you could also take part to improve your own French!), it will be hard to progress beyond a point of passive ability. Input is vital, but output is essential, too. Keep at it! You can do it!

Everyday, I make it a habit of reading your posts ! I think your articles are good to make parents like reading too. Just like what is happening to me right now! Isn’t it so obvious to you that you get me hooked on your site!? And thank you for that! I am learning a lot from you and from other parent’s comments too! And I get excited each time I learn new ideas from you.

Great resource and ideas! We also have a daily target language homework. It varies with our schedule since my children are older. We do interactive reading almost daily, I read to them and they read to me in our target language. We play games, yes, that counts as homework on a busy day. We do experiments on the weekend and kids love it, and they expand the vocabulary in science. We have writing as well and I make the worksheet for them so it is not too overwhelming. 🙂

Amanda, thank you for sharing these details of your efforts. You’re clearly doing a terrific job with your kids, and I have no doubt that their progress is strong and steady. I was just thinking this morning that establishing and maintaining good habits and routines is a fundamental part of this long-term challenge.

Just wanted to mention the website for English flashcards and posters SparkleBox for the ones it might interest. This website is used by primary schools so is sorted by topics. And…since I have used jelly beans for rewards…French homeworks are done willingly!

Nathalie, thank you for mentioning this website—it looks useful. And I’m glad to hear you’re having some success getting your kids to do their homework! Hooray for jelly beans!

I am quite impressed with the things you do with your children. I have taught my elder two to read in English – we use the Oxford reading tree https://global.oup.com/education/content/primary/series/oxford-reading-tree/?region=international

I had never heard of The Magic Tree House, but it looks great.

I usually try to get my children to talk to me about the homework they have from school – the homework itself is in Greek, their majority language, but we discuss it in English. This is easy when it comes to maths, of course, but things get a bit more complicated with language. Generally, I let their father go through Greek grammar exercises or whatever language activities they have with them in Greek, and then we do some English languages activities together. Mostly I invent my own exercises, although I do have a few ready-made books. I like your translating idea, and I plan to take that up!

I also make a point of reading to them and with them every day, although I had never thought of it as homework!

Alex, thank you for sharing your homework activities with your children. Our materials and methods will naturally change over time (as mine have somewhat since this post was made), but a persistent daily routine, with books and reading at the heart of our efforts, pays off significantly over time. In my case, it’s getting more difficult to maintain this routine as the children grow older—their school day is longer and they have heavier loads of homework in Japanese—but I still make homework in English a very high priority and it’s a rare day that our reading and writing activities are skipped entirely.

Wow! What a great idea to use translation practice! Somehow never occurred to me although I am a professional translator myself. This could be turned into a whole language arts program for both languages simultaneously. But would only work with a child who is very able linguistically, I think. Would love to learn more about your experience with this if you continue this practice. Thanks for a very interesting blog with tons of useful materials.

Lina, I’m glad the idea of using translation practice appeals to you! At some point, once I have more experience at this with my kids, perhaps I can devote a post to it. (One thing I hope to do, eventually, is implement “daily translation practice” where my kids are given a single “silly sentence” appropriate to their level—like, for my son, “I saw Daddy kissing a pig”—and must translate it from the majority language to the minority language (or vice versa). A single sentence wouldn’t take long to translate, but doing this daily would have a powerful impact over time.)

Incidentally, I touched on translation the other day in this post, which describes an essay my daughter wrote for school about her grandmother…

It’s Not About How Hard It Is, It’s About How Hard You Try

Adam, Maybe you’ve already delved into this in another post, but could you expand on the penpal aspect? Where did they find penpals? How long are the letters? What do they write about? Do you ever send penpal care packages? Seems like this would be a great way to engage their social as well as linguistic side for kids who are a bit more shy.

Celine, maintaining a pen-pal exchange definitely takes effort, from both parents and children, but it’s a great way to promote both the target language, and as you suggest, create broader connections in the world. I can’t say that my kids actually enjoy writing the letters—so my support and persistence is key—but they do like receiving them and they seem to accept that this won’t happen if they don’t continue writing! (The letters aren’t terribly long, and they generally just include recent news and responses to questions, as well as questions for the other person.)

Currently, our most active exchanges are with family members: my father, my mother, and my nephew (their cousin, who’s the same age as Lulu). So, even if you communicate with family members through other means, such as Skype, I would still recommend pursuing a regular letter-writing exchange, too. My parents, especially, are good about writing back promptly, and I try to stay pretty timely on this end, too, which means that my kids are writing letters to them (separately, since they live in different locations) about once every 4-6 weeks.

When children write to grandparents, they can also discuss rich topics that normally don’t arise in conversation, such as the grandparents’ memories of their own childhood. (I sent letters the other day to my mother where my kids are asking about her interest in drawing as a child, and also want her to draw some pictures of her cats for them!) And, of course, these letters from grandparents will one day be valuable keepsakes.

At the same time, we’ve managed to maintain, with less regularity, exchanges with three other families: two of these families are friends with children of similar ages, and the other—actually, our very first exchange, with Lulu—was born when I saw a family’s appeal for a pen-pal for their daughter in a Yahoo list that I subscribe to (see The Lively Virtual Community of “Education in Japan” ). They live in the United States, but they were looking for an English-speaking pen-pal who lives in Japan.

And, yes, particularly in our exchanges with other children, we do send little packages of gifts from time to time, like at birthdays and at Christmas. Even more than the letters, the packages always provide a boost of motivation for them to pick up their pencils and continue writing!

I have no idea how I missed this post before! Adam, you’ll never cease to amaze me with your creative ideas. A shame I can’t copy them easily since we don’t have the same minority language.

I’d like to establish a homework routine with my daughter (now 4) too, but I wouldn’t know when. She gets home from after-school day-care a bit before 6pm (Daddy picks her up), and I get home almost an hour after that. By then, she’s had her supper and is sometimes already in her pyjamas. Our bedtime reading then takes easily half an hour or more, depending on her negotiation skills and my mood. On days when I have training I get in one story before I leave and then another one or two (see above) when I get back at 9.30. (She never sleeps before 10pm, we’ve tried just about everything, and of course when I’m away she wants to wait for Mommy to come home.)

I don’t see her doing her “homework” in bed, and I don’t think that’s a good idea.

Actually I wrote my message about this yesterday when an Internet glitch ate it, and today I bought a special workbook in the back-to-school section of the supermarket that is for practising individual letters. That could be the start of her homework, she can already write the letters of her name (3 different ones) and a few more besides in print capitals. And she wants to learn to read. And she does sometimes draw in bed while listening to stories, so maybe that’s a place to start? But is it a good idea to do that in bed? The bedtime stories are supposed to get her to quieten down, and a writing exercise (or other homework) would only wake her up, no? (Not that the current quietening strategy is working…)

Mayken, yes, it sounds like time is tight. Not knowing the full details of your lifestyle, I can’t really judge what would be best, but I’m wondering if you could possibly squeeze in even five or ten minutes in the morning, instead of trying to establish a homework routine at night. Maybe it would work, but I could see it being tough to maintain, night after night. And that’s the thing, a homework routine, to be sustainable and effective, really needs to be a persistent practice, and this naturally becomes easier when there’s a regular rhythm of activity at roughly the same time each day.

Most useful post for me. I am doing with my older son some of these things. He has got a knack for puzzles!!! He loves trains. I always try to prepare homework connected with his interests. I am teaching phonics with “progressive phonics”, a free programme. We also begin to read three letter words families… During the last advent he did “dot to dot” worksheets every day. Anyway your posts support all that I am trying to do with my little ones!!!

Now I have a question for you!!! Some people around me says that I don’t have to teach English to my children, especially to read. According to them my kids can have difficulty at school with the majority language, Italian. What do you think about that? I know very well Italian and I am fluent in it more than in English. I am teacher here!!! Sometimes I have got the temptation to do both languages with my kids. Then I came to a conclusion: I will teach English and at school they will learn Italian. The Italian phonemic system is entirely different from English. Do you think that I have to use the translation method? I always refused it, even if my kids do it spontaneously! Please, clear my ideas!!! Thank you!!!

Reena, I’m glad this post is useful for you. It sounds like you and your son are doing well with your homework routine. Keep at it!

As for your question, because I don’t know Italian, I’m not sure how helpful I can be. I would say, though, that if you continue to nurture your children’s English literacy at home, they’ll likely still do just fine at acquiring Italian literacy at school. This isn’t something I would be concerned about, despite what well-meaning (but uninformed) people say. I’m sure there have been many parents, before you, who have been successful in fostering English at home, Italian at school.

And, generally speaking, I don’t think you’ll need to continuously translate the text for your children. If you choose books that are at an appropriate level, translation can be kept to a minimum.

You have some really great ideas. I live in The Netherlands and have brought up our 2 girls speaking English. They are now in grades 4 and 6. I have read aloud in English to them since birth. They can read a bit themselves, but I never took them any further with reading and writing because I found it so important for them to get a good grip on their main language of Dutch. Now I want more for them. I’ve looked at the Spectrum series. Is it best to start them on a grade or 2 below where they are currently or at their own age? What is your idea on that?

Carol, it’s important that the content of the book match your children’s language level and current needs. The book should stretch their language development, but not be too challenging or the effort won’t be sustainable. As I can’t really judge your children’s level, I would simply encourage you to look inside any book you’re interested in at Amazon (or another online retailer) and consider carefully whether that book is a suitable match. Imagine using it with them, day after day. Will it work? In my case, I don’t always make the best choices (and we don’t do every page of every book), but I do keep seeking out fresh materials by studying the content online and placing regular orders.

I would also encourage you to make active use of captive reading . This strategy has had a very positive impact on my children’s literacy development over the years.

We are not at the homework age yet since my daughter is only 14 months (although I do read aloud to her every day). I was wondering, though, how you get your kids to do EXTRA homework in addition to their school work? My niece and nephew, who are 8 and 10, have tons of homework!

Your site is awesome and I’m so glad I found it early on. I’ll be using a lot of your resources since our ml is also English. Do you have any book suggestions for the early ages (1 to 2 years)?

Heidi, I hope my work can continue to be a helpful source of support for your success. I look forward to hearing good news from you as time goes by!

To sustain a daily homework routine, I think it helps to start the process early, when the children are small so that this activity becomes a firm habit for everyone—including the minority language parent. If it isn’t like brushing your teeth—something that’s done reflexively every day—I think it’s much harder to maintain. At the same time, the amount and content must be appropriate for the child and as engaging as possible. Yes, a daily homework routine is a significant commitment, but if literacy in the minority language is an important aim, then the parent must make this a relentless priority—day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

As for books for little ones, we had a lot of fun with the board books by Sandra Boynton . You’ll also find a variety of ideas in this thread about English resources at The Bilingual Zoo.

Hi! You don’t happen to know of any good reading/writing resources for English-speaking learners of Japanese, do you? I guess I’m specifically looking for short reading comprehension passages with questions, or writing practice sheets with word banks like you have displayed above in English. All I can really find online or in the States are hiragana tracing worksheets and coloring sheets, but my kids (ages 6 and 4) can’t remember any hiragana for the life of them, even after tracing several times. (Well, plus there are so many hiragana, and my kids can’t stay focused long enough to trace/color more than one or two a day.)

Kelly, I’m afraid I don’t know much about Japanese materials for English-speaking children, but maybe Hiragana Mama could be helpful?

Also, the Japanese app from MindSnacks might be a useful resource. We have their Spanish app and it’s quite engaging.

In fact, recently I was looking into Japanese apps for myself, and found a much wider selection than I expected, so you may discover other useful apps for kids and/or adults at the App Store.

Good luck, Kelly! And ganbatte!

I’d love to start up a homework routine but think my daughter will run a mile if I get worksheets out as it’s too much like extra school. Sometimes she’ll do dot-to-dots or colouring/colour by numbers/letters and even sometimes pages from her Jolly Phonics workbooks if she’s in the mood. I’m trying to make it as much fun as possible/giving rewards but sometimes to no avail. She is pretty strong-willed or stubborn!! Any other tips for when she doesn’t want to do it? (She prefers to watch TV or play!!!)

Tracey, if she isn’t quite ready for sustained seatwork, you could try making similar literacy efforts in a more active way, to meet her current needs. One quick example: Spread out flashcards on the floor (letters, words, numbers, etc.) and take turns calling out a target for the other person to jump onto, from card to card. With some creative thought (and further ideas from sites that focus on “active language games”), your “homework routine” can start as a more playful and active time together, which perhaps ends with a little seatwork, too. (After she jumps about, maybe she’ll be better able to sit for a few minutes to do a quieter activity.) Then, as she matures, the active part can gradually decrease while the seatwork part increases!

Thanks Adam for all the great advice! Yes, that’s definitely a good idea but when she’s in her worst moods she doesn’t want to do anything I suggest, only watch TV or play the games she wants to play!! (I’m a TEFL teacher so have lots of ideas/games we can play although it seems more difficult sometimes to teach my own child!!…especially combining it with occupying her little brother at the same time!!) We did a great easy science experiment last week with Skittles and the past few days she has actually done some dot-to-dot/mazes/colouring etc and 2 Ebooks in English yesterday so feeling much more positive about it!!

Just keep at it, Tracey! All this will probably get easier as your children get older!

Here’s another link with further ideas for engaging activities (which may be useful with your students, too)…

96 Things You Can Do Today to Boost Your Child’s Bilingual Ability

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The 10 Best At-Home Workout Routines: The Ultimate Guide for Training Without a Gym

Reviewed By: Matt Myers, CPT, PN-1, FMS, CCC

So you want to start working out, but you don’t want to leave the house?

No problem!

Our online coaches specialize in helping people get fit from home.

If you’re in a hurry, sign up for our free weekly newsletter and we’ll send you PDFs of our “Work Out at Home” guides!

Download our Free Home Workout Guides!

Let’s go over the 10 Best At-Home Workouts so you can start training today: no gym or equipment required!

• A note on warming up and cooling down
• Home Workout #1: Beginner Bodyweight (Start Here)

Home Workout #2: Beginner Bodyweight Level 2

Home workout #3: advanced bodyweight, home workout #4: the star wars workout, home workout #5: parkour (for beginners), home workout #6: the 20-min hotel routine, home workout #7: attack of the angry birds, home workout #8: high-intensity interval training, home workout #9: train like batman, home workout #10: the plp progression, bonus no-equipment workout: the playground circuit.

• Can home workouts build muscle or help with weight loss?
• How to build your own at-home workout

Let’s jump right in!

At Home Warm-ups and stretching routines

No matter which at-home workout you pick, I want you to start with one important thing:

I cover why you should always warm up in an article found right here. It doesn’t have to be much, though. Give it about five minutes to get your muscles active and your heart rate up, and practice some easier variations of the movements you are about to do in your workout routine.

For example, if your workout includes squats and push-ups, you could do a couple of minutes of generalized movement to get the blood pumping, like marching in place, arm and leg swings, etc., and then follow that up with some assisted squats and countertop push-ups.

This will help you do exercises properly and help prevent injury.

Here is NF Senior Coach Staci (you might know her incredible story ) showing you many beginner options you can use to warm up as well:

If you’re curious, here’s my personal (advanced) warm-up:

Advanced Warm-up Routine:

• Jump rope: 2-3 minutes
• Jumping jacks: 25 reps
• Bodyweight squats: 20 reps
• Lunges: 5 reps each leg.
• Hip extensions: 10 reps each side
• Hip rotations: 5 each leg
• Forward leg swings: 10 each leg
• Side leg swings: 10 each leg
• Push-ups: 10-20 reps
• Spider-man steps: 10 reps

Our goal isn’t to tire you out, instead we want to warm you up.

That’s step one.

Completing your chosen at-home workout would be step two.

Below, you’ll find 10 sequences you can follow along with!

Home Workout #1: Beginner Bodyweight

This at-home routine, as we lay out in our Beginner Bodyweight Workout article, is as follows:

2 circuits of:

• 10 Assisted Bodyweight Squats.
• 10 Elevated or Knee Push-ups.
• 10 Dumbbell rows (use a milk jug or other weight).
• 15-30 Second Knee Planks
• 10 Bodyweight Good Mornings
• 20 Walking Jacks

We also turned it into a fun infographic with superheroes, because that’s how we roll:

The above is what we call “ circuit training ,” with the objective being to run through the workout sequence once, and then again.

Note: Not a milk drinker?

If you don’t have milk in the house for the rows, find something of roughly the same weight with a good handle.

Also, if you want to download this Beginner Bodyweight Workout as a worksheet, you can do so when you sign up in the box below:

• Complete this workout at home, no equipment required
• Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight exercises
• Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

It’ll help you track your progress as you begin your training.

Our original bodyweight workout from 2009 is a great step up from the beginner bodyweight workout when you’re ready for more of a challenge. It has roughly the same structure but with some more challenging variations of the exercises.

3 circuits of:

• Bodyweight squats : 20 reps
• Push-ups : 10 reps
• Walking lunges: 10 each leg
• Dumbbell rows (using a gallon milk jug or another weight): 10 each arm.
• Plank : 15 seconds
• Jumping Jacks : 30 reps

You can progress the workout by adding a 4th round, increasing the reps of any individual exercise, or making an exercise harder by doing a more challenging variation (for example, decline push-ups instead of regular push-ups).

If the two at-home workouts above are too easy for you, move on to our Advanced Bodyweight Workout .

The Advanced Bodyweight Workout:

• One-legged squats – 10 each side [warning: super-difficult, only attempt if you’re in good enough shape]
• Walking lunges: 20 reps (10 each leg)
• Jump step-ups: 20 reps (10 each leg)
• Pull-ups: 10 reps [or inverted bodyweight rows ]
• Dips (between bar stools): 10 reps
• Chin-ups: 10 reps [or inverted bodyweight rows with underhand grip]
• Push-ups: 10 reps
• Plank: 30 seconds

Not familiar with these moves? Check out the 21 Best Advanced Bodyweight Exercises for a full breakdown.

I warn you, the above sequence will hurt… in a good way. You should be proud if you can get through this three times.

Do you want to get as strong as possible so this workout ain’t no thang?

Sign up in the box below to grab our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know . It’ll teach you all of these advanced bodyweight exercises!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

Do you have access to a hallway that you can commandeer for a bit?

Then you can do our Star Wars Workout !

It’s designed to be done in a very small space, like your home’s hallway…or an escape pod.

The “Padawan” Level of this workout is:

• 30-second knee or feet front plank (3 Sets)
• 10 assisted squats or squats (3 Sets)
• 10 doorway rows (3 Sets)
• A 60-second Farmer-carry (Farmer’s Walk) dumbbells (or milk jugs) (2 sets)
• March in place for 3 minutes of intervals (6 sets of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off)
• 8 elevated or knee push-ups (4 sets)
• 60-second Doorway Leans (2 sets)

If you want to advance to the Jedi Knight or Master Levels, check out The Star Wars Workout, which will also offer you a full description of each move.

Have you ever wanted to try parkour but always felt intimidated or worried you would hurt yourself? Well, have no fear—we have just the workout for you.

Like any other type of training, parkour can and SHOULD be progressed slowly over time.

Starting off with advanced jumps and tricks if you don’t yet know how to land safely, or how to absorb impact into a roll is just setting yourself up for disaster.

Check out our Definitive Guide to Parkour for Beginners to learn more about the origins of parkour and various exercise progressions. Ready to give it a try for yourself? Our very own Coach Matt (pictured above) has put together training templates and free videos explaining how to progress each of the movements when you sign up for our free guides here.

Sometimes, you just plain find yourself stuck in a hotel room. Maybe you can find the hotel gym, but I bet it’s terrible! It probably has 2 machines, a broken treadmill, and no free weights.

Instead, how about a 20-minute workout you can do in the room itself?! Utilize the furniture to its full potential.

Hotel Workout Level 1:

• Incline push-ups : 15 reps (feet on floor, hands on edge of bed or desk)
• One-arm luggage rows : 10 reps (each arm, use your suitcase as your weight)
• Reverse crunches : 10 reps

Hotel Workout Level 2:

• Overhead Squats : 25 reps
• Push-Ups : 20 reps
• Inverted Rows using the desk in your hotel room: 10 reps
• Reverse Crunches : 15 reps

Set the alarm clock to 15 minutes from now and see how many circuits you can do!

Check out our full post on hotel circuits if you want Level 3 !

The Angry Birds Workout is designed to be done when you have 5 or 10 minutes to kill.

Sort of like playing Angry Birds…

Here’s how The Angry Birds Workout Plan works: it’s deceptively simple – only four major movements.

• Bodyweight squats
• Pull-ups (or inverted rows )

If you don’t have time to run through the whole sequence, no problem!

Depending on how much time you have during the day, you can do your whole workout at once, or break up your training into four different sessions throughout the day (with each session being ONE of the exercises).

Here’s a sample day for your No-Equipment Workout:

• Wake up, do 40 jumping jacks to warm up, and then do bodyweight squats.
• At lunch, you grab your suitcase (if you’re at work, milk jug if you’re at home) and do inverted rows.
• After work, you do 20 arm circles in each direction and then do your push-ups.
• After dinner, you do your planks while watching TV.

You could even split it up over two days if needed, but the goal would be to do the whole sequence at once.

The main Angry Birds Workout article describes in detail Levels 1-6, but here’s Level 3 for you:

• Bodyweight squats : 50 reps
• Push-ups : 50 reps
• Pull-ups : 10 reps
• Planks : 3-minute hold

Once you’ve done the complete routine, you have my permission to whip out your phone and play the actual game!

You don’t have to head to the gym to do High-Intensity Interval Training . You can do a complete routine right in your own home!

HIIT is just following a specific regimen where you vary your speeds and intensity throughout a shorter run, swim, bike, or row.

Unless you have a giant backyard, running at home might be tough.

But you know what doesn’t require a lot of room?

To complete a burpee:

• Start standing up, then squat down and kick your legs out.
• Do a push-up , bring your legs back in, and explode up into a jump.
• For a HIIT workout, try to do 20 repetitions, then rest for two minutes.
• Repeat until you hate yourself.

Tip: Having trouble reaching all the way to the floor? Elevate your hands on a steady surface, like the edge of a sturdy bench. You won’t have to reach as low in your squat, and you may be able to control your push-ups better!

Check out our full guide on How to Start Interval Training for some more ideas on HIIT workouts.

You can also check out our post “ The 20-Min HIIT Workout for Home ” for another living-room-friendly interval routine!

We love the Caped Crusader here at Nerd Fitness, so naturally we have The Batman Bodyweight Workout for you to try!

Bonus points if you somehow do this no-equipment workout in a cave, as that’s how Bruce Wayne would roll. [1]

This workout is separated into two days for you.

Here’s a video for the first day:

Batman No-Equipment Workout Day 1:

• Rolling squat tuck-up jumps: 5 reps
• Side-to-side push-ups: 5 reps
• Modified headstand push-ups: 5 reps
• Jump pull-up with tuck / Pull-up with Tuck-up: 5 reps
• Handstands against wall: 8 seconds

Here’s a video for the second day:

Batman No-Equipment Workout Day 2:

• ‘180 Degree’ jump turns: 5 reps
• Tuck front lever hold: 8 seconds
• Tuck back lever hold: 8 seconds
• Low frog hold: 8 seconds

This is a relatively advanced workout already, but if you want to progress to the next level, check out the main Batman Bodyweight Workout for tips on how to do just that.

The PLP is a progressive program in which you complete one additional rep of three exercises – Pull-Ups , Lunges, and Push-Ups – every day, for two months.

NOTE: This is NOT a beginner program, and should not be attempted unless you have been training consistently and can do multiple repetitions of pull-ups and push-ups with great form.

Like this perfect push-up:

And this perfect pull-up:

Here’s how the PLP Progression works:

• Pull-ups: 10 reps
• Lunges: 10 reps (each leg)
• Pull-ups: 11 reps
• Push-ups: 11 reps
• Lunges: 11 reps (each leg)
• Pull-ups: 12 reps
• Push-ups: 12 reps
• Lunges: 12 reps (each leg)

How long do you keep doing this?

As originally envisioned by Chad Waterbury, the PLP Workout lasts 60 days. [3]

Yeah…by the end of it, you’ll be doing more than 50 pull-ups.

There are two versions:

• If you can do 10 straight pull-ups: Start day 1 with 10 reps of each.
• If you cannot do 10 straight pull-ups: Start day 1 with 1 rep of each.

Complete your required reps each day in as many sets as you need, whenever you need to. The goal is to do it in as few sets as possible, but enough to complete each rep with proper form.

We’d like to throw our hat in the ring and introduce a third (dare we say, better?) version of this workout.

The Nerd Fitness PLP Workout

Here’s the thing, for most people pull-ups will be much harder than push-ups, which will be much harder than lunges.

Also, you may need more rest time in between workouts than continually adding reps and working out every day.

Here’s our updated version of this program:

• 20 lunges (each leg)
• 15 push-ups
• 10 pull-ups

Perform the workout 3 times per week, with a rest day in between.

Each successive week, add 5 reps to the lunges, 3 reps to the push-ups, and 1 rep to the pull-ups. So your week 2 would be 25 lunges, 18 push-ups, and 11 pull-ups. Week 3 would be 30 lunges, 21 push-ups, and 12 pull-ups, etc.

Rinse and repeat until you complete 8 weeks of the program!

If at any time, a movement feels way too easy, add an additional 5 reps to it and continue counting up from there.

Want to learn more? Check out my results on the PLP Workout .

Do you have a nearby playground? Why not work out there?! If you have kids, you can do it together. Or let them ignore you.

I’ll give you a Level One workout, and a Level Two. Check out The 20-Minute Playground Workout for some Level Three exercises.

Playground Workout Level One:

• Alternating step-ups: 20 reps (10 each leg)
• Elevated push-ups: 10 reps
• Swing rows: 10 reps
• Assisted lunges: 8 reps each leg
• Bent leg reverse crunches: 10 reps

Playground Workout Level Two:

• Bench jumps: 10 reps
• Lower incline push-ups: 10 reps
• Body rows: 10 reps
• Lunges: 8 reps each leg
• Straight leg reverse crunches: 10 reps

After you’ve gone through a complete set three times, go down the slide!

Can Home Workouts Build Muscle or Help With Weight Loss?

Throughout our Online Coaching Program , we get two common questions for those wanting to train at home:

• Can working out at home help me build muscle?
• Can working out at home help me lose weight?

The answer to both of these: yep !

Let’s tackle them one by one.

#1) Can working out at home help me build muscle?

You can 100% build muscle mass at home.

Just ask our friend Jimmy here:

Read more on how Jimmy turned into Spider-Man from home!

The trick is to follow a progressive overload strategy, as Coach Jim outlines in this video:

With progressive overload, we want to make our workouts more and more challenging, thus putting additional strain on our muscles.

So to build muscle with home workouts, focus on:

• Increasing your repetitions.
• Going close to failure (i.e. exercise is challenging enough you could only do 1-3 more reps)
• Performing more difficult variations (knee push-ups to push-ups).
• Increasing your time under tension (by going slower).

That will help you build strength and muscle from your casa.

#2) Can working out at home help me lose weight?

You can totally train at home for a successful weight loss strategy.

Again, we have a great example with one of our Online Coaching Clients , Sarah the Supermom:

The trick here is to couple your home workouts with adjustments to your nutrition.

We’re big believers that you can’t outrun your fork, so any successful weight loss plan will include a focus on building a healthy plate.

That will look something like this:

If you want some help adjusting your nutrition, I’ve got two great resources for you:

• The Nerd Fitness Guide to Healthy Eating . This massive resource will help you slowly adjust your nutrition, without forcing you to give up the food you love (yes, you can still eat pizza here and there). No more diets, instead we’ll work on building habits together.
• The Nerd Fitness TDEE Calculator . This article will help you understand your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and how to use that information to kick-start your fat loss progress.

How to Build Your Own At-Home Workout

We just reviewed 10 workouts you can do at home (plus one you can do in a park ).

You don’t have to stick to these though!

I have two resources to help you design your own no-equipment workout:

• The 42 Best Bodyweight Exercises : This guide will teach you how to perform the best bodyweight exercises – no equipment required! Check it out if you are unfamiliar with any of the movements referenced in today’s guide.
• How To Build Your Own Workout Routine : Once you’re comfortable with a handful of bodyweight exercises, use this guide to pull them all together into a full-body workout!

That should get you going on building a workout you can do in the comfort of your own home.

Want more? Alright, eager beaver, I got you.

We built TWO options for people just like you:

1) If you want step-by-step guidance, a custom workout program that levels up as you get stronger, and a coach to keep you accountable, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program :

2) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know . It’ll help you start incorporating these bodyweight moves into your training.

For the Rebellion!

PS: If you were going to buy one piece of equipment to utilize in your home, a kettlebell would offer you a lot of versatility:

Photo Sources: Home Sweet Home 2 , good dog , The minifigures of this series are really beautiful , it’s a rap , my friend:) , Ekaterina Minaeva © 123RF.com, Hotel Room , af8images © 123RF.com, Tithi Luadthong © 123RF.com, Vintage House Bicycle ,

• You probably don’t want to actually do this workout in a cave. Hitting your head on a stalactite wouldn’t be fun.
• Check out Chad’s great post here .

The Last Fitness Program You’ll Ever Need

Workouts, nutrition guidance, and habit-building. Never wonder where you should put your limited time, energy, and effort.

Get our FREE Starter Kit with dozens of resources today!

Free Daily Schedule Templates

By Kate Eby | May 12, 2016

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Use daily work schedule schedule templates to help get organized and manage your time. Use these templates to plan your day, make a to-do list, or make sure the kid’s homework is getting done. 

Included on this page, you’ll find a daily work schedule template , a blank daily planner template , a daily to-do list template , a daily task list template , and many more.

Daily Work Schedule Template

Download Daily Work Schedule Template

Excel | PDF |  Smartsheet

This daily work schedule template allows you to plan a single day by the hour, view a week at a glance, and add important notes. Keep your work day organized and plan ahead for important meetings, events and deadlines. Use the note section to keep track of priority tasks and important reminders. You can also share this template with employees or colleagues so they know your schedule and are able to work around it.

See how Smartsheet can help you be more effective

Watch the demo to see how you can more effectively manage your team, projects, and processes with real-time work management in Smartsheet.

Watch a free demo

Daily Log Template

Download Daily Log Schedule Template

Keep track of important appointments, meetings, and events with this daily log template. The template is designed in a simple format that’s easy to read, and you can schedule tasks by the half-hour. This log template is useful for planning ahead or creating a record of the day’s events.

Daily Schedule Template

Download Daily Schedule Template

This simple, blank schedule template allows you to plan each day to the half-hour as well as plan ahead for the week. Set the starting time and then organize your daily schedule with whatever activities you choose to include. This daily schedule template is appropriate for work, school, family activities or personal goals.

Printable Daily Planner Template

Download Printable Planner Template

This printable template has sections for appointments, important events, notes, and prioritized tasks to help you stay organized throughout a busy day — but don’t forget to schedule free time to make sure you get a break. Create your own planner and customize it to match your needs.

Daily To-Do List Template

Download Daily To-Do List Template

This daily to-do list template lets you assign a priority to each task. It also allows you to track progress for ongoing projects and assign due dates. The template is simple to use, straightforward, and offers flexibility. This is a to-do list with enough functionality to actually keep you organized, while still being easy to use.

Blank Daily Planner Template

Download Blank Daily Planner Template

With sections for prioritized tasks, appointments, important events, and notes, this daily planner template can help you stay organized throughout a busy day. Plus, if you schedule free time for yourself, you will be sure to actually get a break during your day. This free, printable template allows you to create your own planner and customize it to match your needs.

Daily Task List Template

Download Daily Task List Template

Plan your daily and weekly tasks with this free Excel template. Create a list of pending tasks and mark off those that have been completed. A visual calendar facilitates planning at a glance, and you can easily print the template for reference.

Daily Employee Schedule Template

Download Employee Schedule Template

Excel  |  Smartsheet

Create a detailed schedule for your employees while tracking work hours and labor costs. This employee schedule template shows each day of the week, so you can see an employee’s daily shifts while also reviewing the weekly schedule. Include vacation time and holidays for a comprehensive schedule. Both employees and business owners can benefit from this template.

Daily Shift Schedule Template

Download Shift Schedule Template

If your business involves daily employee rotation between different workstations, this shift schedule template can help keep everyone organized. Enter the tasks or work area to be assigned and then match the associated code with an employee. Each day is broken down hourly to make it clear when work assignments change mid-day. The template also tracks the number of hours worked for each employee and allows you to plan shifts for an entire week.

Daily Sales Report Template

Download Daily Sales Report Template - Excel

This free template is suitable for retail, restaurants, and other businesses that need to keep track of daily sales. This sales report template allows you to track inventory, view the total daily sales, and look up individual items that were sold. With this data on hand you can identify trends and monitor daily sales goals. 

Project Schedule Template

Download Project Schedule Template

Excel | PDF

Keep track of each phase of a project, mark milestones, and get a visual overview to share with others. This project schedule template would work well for a presentation and is suitable for any project timeline, whether for business or school. Project managers can use it to keep their team on task and create progress reports. This is a simple schedule template with an eye-catching design.

Daily Agenda Template

Download Daily Agenda Schedule Template

Plan your daily meetings with this simple template, which includes room to list members in attendance, outline a meeting agenda, take meeting notes, and track ongoing action items. This agenda template is a simple yet powerful tool for meeting planning and facilitation as well as communicating with attendees.

Daily Inspection Report Template

Download Daily Inspection Report Template

This daily inspection report template is intended for construction contractors. The template offers a straightforward layout and includes numerous important details, including weather conditions, the number and type of workers on site, delays, safety concerns, material shortages, and more. If you need to inspect additional factors, you can edit the template to meet your needs. There is also space for daily progress notes and a signature to verify the inspection.

Daily Hourly Schedule Template

Download Daily Hourly Schedule Template

Excel | Word | PDF | Smartsheet

Print or fill out this daily schedule, which is broken down into hourly blocks. Use it to manage your day and mark when each task is complete. Create one for each day of the week, or just for those extra-busy days.

Daily Checklist Template

Download Daily Checklist Template

Stay on top of your daily and weekly tasks with this checklist template. This template provides easy organization, and allows you to mark off items from the list as you complete the. Planning your to-dos for the week can help ensure you don’t take on too many tasks in one day, and that you keep your agenda manageable.

Class Schedule Template

Download Class Schedule Template

Students can keep track of their class schedule and other school activities with this free template. Once you add time to study or work on projects, the class schedule also works as a time management tool. If you’re a new college student, you’ll feel less overwhelmed knowing exactly when and where your classes occur on each day of the week.

Homework Schedule Template

Download Homework Schedule Template

Organize your homework assignments and study time for each class with this homework schedule template. Enter the start date, add your class names, and assign blocks of time for each homework-related activity. You can manage your daily homework while planning for the week and keeping track of deadlines.

Daily School Schedule Template

Download Daily School Schedule Template

Track your day-to-day class schedule, whether you are going to class or learning at home. The template includes sections to list to-dos, what to bring to class, and homework assignments, so you can keep organized and prepared.

House Cleaning Schedule Template

Download House Cleaning Schedule Template

Use this template to create a schedule to manage your housecleaning. Once you’ve assigned cleaning tasks for each day, print out and hang the schedule for reference. Some tasks may happen daily while others only need to be done once a month. This template can help you stay on schedule with housecleaning without trying to do too much in a single day.

How to Make a Daily Schedule

Once you’ve chosen the template that best suits your needs, you can adjust the design by changing colors and fonts or adding a logo, alter the format by removing unwanted sections or adding new ones, and save a blank copy for future use. If you’re creating an employee schedule, sales report, or other detailed report, you’ll need any relevant data on hand to fill in the template. You can also choose a simple checklist or calendar template to print and fill out by hand. 

Improve Daily Scheduling with Real-Time Work Management in Smartsheet

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The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Additional Resources

Team & people management

Free and customizable work schedule templates for business use

Maximize you and your team's productivity and time management with these 11 templates and calendars made to meet your human resources needs.

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Create An Excel Schedule Template in Minutes

Discover how you can quickly set up a schedule to manage time and track tasks with a template.

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May 28, 2024 12 min read

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Home Workouts

Heather Black, CPT is a NASM-certified personal trainer and owner of Heather Black Fitness & Nutrition where she offers remote and in-person training and nutrition coaching.

You don’t have to get a gym membership or join a workout studio to stay active. In fact, home workouts have become a popular way for everyone from stay-at-home parents to people who work from home to meet their fitness goals. They're especially beneficial for those with time or budget constraints.

Plus, at-home workouts are simple, fun, and effective. You can incorporate elements of gym and studio workouts—such as yoga, pilates, cycling, strength training, and more—into your home workout or create a routine that is unique to you and your goals. Check out our motivation tips and full-body workouts to help you get started on your home workout regimen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Motivation is one of the biggest challenges that people who work out at home face. Without the accountability of a gym buddy or a class to look forward to, you may find yourself struggling to stay motivated. To improve motivation and reach your goals, try logging your workouts in a fitness journal , using an activity tracker like a smartwatch , and be sure to find workouts you enjoy. However, don’t be too hard on yourself. If you’re struggling with motivation, it may be time to reassess your goals and your routine.

Working with a personal trainer can be incredibly helpful for beginners. But, when you exercise at home, that may not be an option. Other ways for beginners to learn the ropes is turning to online resources like videos and articles. You can also take workout classes from home by streaming them online.

Working out from home can save you time and money. After all, gym memberships and studio fees can get expensive. And although purchasing your own equipment requires some investment up front, over time, it’s usually more cost-effective. At-home workouts may also save you time because there’s no need to drive to and from the gym, check in at the front desk, or wait on equipment to free up.

If you’re worried about injuring yourself when working out from home, there are a few precautions you can take. Always wear the proper attire when working out from home and handle equipment, like machines and weights, carefully. Additionally, avoid doing any heavy lifting without someone to spot you nearby. Stretch before and after a workout to reduce the risk of injury.

Working out from home requires ample space, so you’ll need to find a place in your home that is suitable for exercise. This can be inside, such as in your garage, a dedicated home gym, or even your living room. Some people enjoy outdoor workouts .

If you work out inside, you may want to protect your floors from heavy equipment with floor mats. But if your workout plan doesn’t require heavy machines or weights, you may only need a yoga mat, light dumbbells, and other miscellaneous pieces of equipment that you can store in a closet or basket when not in use.

Planks are abdominal exercises that increase core strength , but you may also feel them working your arms and shoulders as well. To perform a plank, begin in a position that is similar to a push-up. You can hold the plank position on your palms or forearms. For beginners, try lowering your knees to the mat to make it easier. Hold the position for as long as you can. Some people begin with a goal of 30 seconds.

Squats are a lower-body exercise. You can perform them with bodyweight or make it more challenging by adding weights. There are different types of squats including box squats, goblet squats , pistol squats, wall squats, and more. Experiment with different types of squats to determine what is right for you.

Lunges target the muscles in the lower body. To perform a lunge take a step forward and place your foot flat in front of you. Your front knee should be bent at a 90-degree angle. Your back leg is slightly bent on the ball of your foot. Performing lunges will help you tone and strengthen the muscles in your lower body. You can even add dumbbells to your lunges to make them more challenging.

Squat jumps take regular squats up a notch. Start in a squatting position and explode up in a jumping motion. Return to the starting position and repeat. This exercise warms up the lower body and increases core strength. It also gets your heart rate up. If you really want to push yourself, you can try doing a 30-day squat challenge at home.

Doing cardio at home can be difficult with limited space, but high knees are a good exercise to do at home if you want to get in more cardio . To do high knees, start in a standing position. One at a time, lift each knee to your chest and alternate between legs while swinging your opposite arm forward. As you gain speed, this exercise starts to look like running in place. Doing this exercise targets the lower body and core and is relatively easy to add to a home workout.

Strength refers to the measure of a person’s physical exertion. In exercise, it usually refers to lifting weights. Strength training and weight training are the primary ways to increase physical strength.

Cardio is short for cardiovascular exercise. It’s also another word for aerobic exercise, which is when the body requires more oxygen to complete movements. Examples of cardio include running, brisk walking , jogging, swimming, and cycling . Cardio also gets your heart rate up and blood pumping and can improve cardiovascular health, lower all-cause mortality rates, and support weight management goals.

Flexibility is used to measure a person’s range of motion when performing an exercise or stretch. Stretching is one way to improve your flexibility, which makes it easier to perform certain exercises. Flexibility also comes in handy in your daily life. For example, if you drop something in the backseat of your car, flexibility helps you to reach around and grab it.

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Nystoriak MA, Bhatnagar A. Cardiovascular effects and benefits of exercise .  Front Cardiovasc Med . 2018;5:135. Published 2018 Sep 28. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2018.00135

• Daily Routines in English

List of Daily Routines in English

(You can hear the pronunciation of each phrase in the video)

• I turn off my alarm
• I take a shower / I have a shower
• I get dressed
• I comb my hair
• I make breakfast
• I eat breakfast / I have breakfast
• I brush my teeth
• I go to work
• I start work at 9
• I answer emails
• I eat lunch / I have lunch
• I work on my computer
• I finish work at 5
• I arrive home
• I feed the dog
• I cook dinner
• I eat dinner / I have dinner
• I read a book
• I go to bed
• I fall asleep

Daily routines for School

• I go to school
• I have classes
• I finish school at 3
• I do my homework

Notice how in this lesson all of these phrases are in the simple present tense and have I (first person singular) as the subject. In another lesson we will look at daily routines using third person (he, she).

Practice Exercises

Try our interactive game to practice daily routines and using the correct verb: Daily Routines Vocabulary Game

Video practice: In the final section of the video there is a practice exercise where a cartoon of a daily routine appears on the screen. There are also three phrases next to the cartoon and you must choose which phrase best describes that activity. The answer appears after 5 seconds (approximately).

Daily Routines for Adults

This video has the same English vocabulary that appears as the video at the top of the page though is aimed at adults learning English. Instead of static cartoons, you will see two short videos (5 seconds each) showing adults in each daily routine mentioned above. I give the English pronunciation of each word twice (once for each short video). This lesson also includes the American English 🇺🇸 and British English 🇬🇧 versions of daily routines when there is a difference.

English Summary Chart

Daily Routines English Vocabulary explained in Spanish

Nuestra lección de vocabulario de las rutinas diarias en inglés explicada en español (con pronunciación):

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Present simple tense.

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Design a Daily Routine Homeschool Schedule: Free Printable

Designing a daily routine homeschool schedule will give you confidence in your homeschool day. Decide today when and how you will move through your day with the curriculum you’ve already chosen.

So if you’ve decided on what topics to cover, and you’re wondering “Now what?” then you’re in the right place .

This article will guide you through some decisions you need to make for each of your homeschool days to become successful.

You will think through what subjects to do which day, in what order, and when. We’ll touch on homeschooling multiple kids, and work on some ideas for your child’s independence on his work. And so much more.

Whether you are a new homeschooler trying to figure this stuff out, or if you are more experienced and feel like your homeschool routines are all over the place. I’m glad you’re here.

Keep reading for my 10 easy tips for designing your daily routine homeschool schedule.

What is a daily routine homeschool schedule?

A daily routine homeschool schedule is the routine for your homeschool day. The time you have set aside specifically to homeschool and the general way in which you accomplish that task . The order and flow. What you do, how you do it, and when.

This does not at all have to be strict or inflexible! Actually the opposite. It should be general guidelines you can use to move through your day.

Setting up a homeschool routine will help you think through what you want to do and how. Giving you some structure to accomplish your goals.

This is not the specific topics you will cover each day, that’s for another post. But it is the general order of subjects in your day.

Where will this fit into my week?

Your daily homeschool routine is the actual homeschooling tasks you do. As a homeschooling mom, we have our whole lives, days, and weeks to plan. This is a portion of that.

If you’d like tips on your daily schedule or weekly schedule , I have also created posts on those. Your daily routine homeschool schedule will fit within those other schedules.

For my best tips on creating your daily schedule, read my post 10 Tips for Creating a daily homeschool schedule that works .

To learn more about planning a weekly schedule for your family, read my post Plan Your weekly homeschool schedule in 10 easy steps .

Design a daily homeschool routine

Designing a general routine for your homeschool may be an organic thing you do. It may come naturally as you go through your day. But if creating routines doesn’t come naturally to you, or if you are struggling to create one for your family, here are my top 10 tips to get you started.

These tips will give you the tools you need to get started . But it will also give you plenty to consider as you think about your homeschool routine.

Continue reading for my 10 easy tips to design a daily routine homeschool schedule.

Looking for something easy to help you work through setting up your new daily homeschool routine? Download my FREE Printable daily routine homeschool schedule !

This worksheet set with 6 simple pages will walk you through the basic steps of laying out a custom routine for your family. There is space for several kids.

Take the guess work out of your daily routine with these free printable worksheets!

1. Make it a priority

Homeschooling your kids is a big commitment. Choosing to homeschool means it needs to be a priority in your life . Even if you have other large commitments, it cannot be an afterthought.

Educating our children is one of the most important things we can do as parents. We are preparing them for the world beyond our homes.

Allow homeschooling to take a major part in your schedule and work other things around it. Guard your homeschool time . Get up and make it happen every day. It’s not easy.

I t is easy to let other things creep into your schedule, Doctor appointments, play dates, and classes. But when you make homeschooling a priority, you will be more successful by scheduling those extra things outside of your homeschool time.

Not everyone can make homeschooling first priority, but keeping it at least near the top will make your homeschool more successful.

Homeschool like it’s your job

Something that has helped me over the years has been to think of homeschooling my kids like it’s my job. For some, this may be a mindset shift. Several hours each day, I set aside time to educate my kids. This is what we do.

Homeschoolers truly are entrepreneurs. You are organizing your own entity separate from others. You are taking on the risk of this “business” and betting on yourself and your “employees” to be successful.

I have never thought of myself as an entrepreneur till my husband pointed this out recently. It really is true.

Dedication, time management, and constant concern for your business and employees are very much like a business owner’s concerns . Of course, there’s no immediate financial gain because of this. But treating your homeschool like a business is important to success.

Just be sure to be an inspirational, encouraging boss. Value teamwork and advancement.

2. Create a routine

Creating a homeschool routine will give you some structure in your day to go by. A routine is generally regarded as a flow or order of things you do. Not a special procedure, but an ordinary list of everyday tasks. It is not generally associated with times.

This should not be stifling and should only be helpful for your family. In fact, it’s best if it flows from your natural rhythms and activities for your day. Yes, you will need to be mindful of adding certain things, but starting with your normal pace and flow will help your routines be successful.

Read: Use your Natural daily rhythm to make your schedule

Your daily routine homeschool schedule may be short and sweet, or it may be more detailed. Do what works for you.

A daily homeschool routine may look something like this:

Morning Basket

• Individual read-aloud
• Individual work

Or it may be more detailed like this:

• Listen to hymn
• Read the history of the hymn
• History reading
• Science reading
• Science activities
• Work with B while others do independent work
• Help with independent work

Or you may focus more on the order of subjects done:

There is no right way to design your daily routine homeschool schedule, just do what works for you. Simply come up with an order of what to do. Write it down.

3. Choose a time

A homeschool routine is generally not bound by time within itself. But you will often accomplish this daily routine at a similar time each day. Making sure you have set aside a large amount of time with a general start time is important to completing your tasks regularly.

For instance, you may decide to start at 9 am and finish my 12 noon. But you won’t need to schedule each individual subject within the routine. You just decide on an order and go from one to the next to the next. That is a routine.

If you are making homeschooling your priority, you will choose a time that works in your daily schedule for your homeschool daily routine. Then you will plan other activities around that time.

You should not be fitting homeschooling into the extra space in your day after all other things. This is not making it a priority, as it should be.

So choose some time for your formal learning time. This is likely to be anywhere from 1-5 hours , depending on the age of your child and what you are including in this routine time.

Homeschooling will often include lots of play, activities, and field trips . Especially for young children. You can count this as part of your homeschool time or not.

Formal learning time is often considered bookwork time. Reading, crafts, writing, workbooks. The time that is often more parent-led . This time is often more limited in your day and should be highly influenced by your child’s attention span and abilities .

Early elementary kids will likely only need 1-2 hours of formal learning, while a high schooler will often read and write much more, requiring something more like 4-5 hours a day. Though older children will also be able to work more independently.

4. Together, individual, and independent

When setting up your daily routine homeschool schedule, you will need to consider what topics you want to cover together and what your kids will complete individually. Also, consider what your kids will work on independently. These will all affect how you set up your day.

Some subjects like math will naturally be easiest to have your kids do individually because they are based on progressive skill-building. While other subjects, like science and history, are more about just learning information and are perfect to do as a group. Some will call these content- or knowledge-based subjects .

If homeschooling multiple kids, doing as much as possible together will help simplify your day.

For the subjects you will not be doing together, you will still need to decide if your children will be doing them independently, or if they will need to do it with you. This is usually decided by your choice of curriculum and the age of your child.

All early elementary students will not be able to do much on their own. Also, some subjects like teaching your child how to read will need to be taught. Be sure to figure this into your daily homeschool routine.

There are also many curriculum options you will find that are very teacher-intensive no matter the age of the child. Many require a lot of prep and/or teaching. While others are designed for the student to do them independently. So consider this when choosing a curriculum.

Having a Morning Basket is a wonderful way to have a group learning time in your homeschool. You may also have heard of a similar idea like Morning Time, Circle Time, or Morning Meeting. These are all generally the same idea where you gather all your kids together and learn.

You may read books, study a certain subject, and read poetry. Whatever you choose to include in your morning basket is a great way to simplify your homeschool a little by doing some subjects altogether.

It is also a wonderful way to include some of the subjects you may otherwise have a hard time including in your day.

For more thoughts and ideas about having a morning basket in your homeschool day, check out my post: Morning Basket Made Easy: Group Learning in Your Homeschool.

5. Consider the frequency

When thinking about your daily homeschool routine, you also need to think about how often you want to do each subject or task . This requires thinking beyond just your typical day.

Think about each subject you want to do, and how often you want to do it. Would you like to do that subject every day, only one time a week, twice a week, three times?

Do you have other things you need to work around in your week? Like a co-op or classes? Maybe you have homework from those to work in as well. Or you might like to leave one day free for field trips and errands.

You might want to do only one subject each day, alternating what you do. Or you may choose to do some subjects every day and alternate through others.

Skill-building subjects (math, writing) may work well to do every day, while knowledge-based subjects like science and history could easily be done less frequently.

You also can consider using some hacks like loop scheduling or block scheduling. More on those below, so keep reading!

There really is no right or wrong amount for any subject except what works for your family. But deciding on the frequency for each subject is necessary when developing your homeschool routines.

6. Decide on an order

A general order to your daily routine homeschool schedule will help you and your children know what to expect. Creating this predictable order is helpful for reducing stress and aids in setting good life skills later down the road.

You may decide an order for what your children do each day, or you may allow them to decide for themselves. Up to you.

If you have multiple kids, you may decide when you start and what you do together . Then leave the rest for your kids to work out after that.

This order can be flexible and general . Or strict and detailed if that works for you and your kids.

Should you eat the frog first?

There is a popular quote from Mark Twain that goes like this: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

It seems that he thought if you have something hard to do, get it over with first thing in the morning . And if you have more than one hard thing to do, do the more difficult thing first. This is good advice.

Then there is another side of the productivity fence that believes you should start your day with an easy, quick win . Something beautiful and enjoyable. This will give you motivation and a feeling of accomplishment that will lead you through your day by beginning on a high note.

So which is better? Should you eat a frog and begin your homeschool day with math? Or should you start with a short reading of poetry followed by a great read-aloud book?

I’ll leave that decision up to you. No matter what the experts say, there is no right way for everyone . Do what helps you and your children learn and function best. Keep in mind, it may be different for each child and each year!

Sometimes order matters

I have found the order I choose to do things matters for some things, and not for others. The things we do together are best to do first rather than doing individual work first. But the order that my kids do their individual work doesn’t really matter.

When I let my kids know it’s time to do school, it works best for us to get started on our group subjects, like history and literature. If we do individual subjects first, my kids will finish at different times . So one will get started on something else while they wait and I’ll have to pull them away from that to do the group subjects once the others are also finished.

So doing group things first works well for us at this point. But that may change.

Of course, as my kids get older and more independent, occasionally they have decided to get started on their individual work first thing in the morning before I am ready to start. That’s ok too.

I also like to do our group subjects, followed by the subjects I do with one child, then I am available for helping others. It works best for me this way.

But when it comes to what order my 6-year-old and I go through her subjects, that is up to her. It sometimes follows the same order out of habit, but other times she decides to change it up. Totally ok.

7. Managing multiple kids

Setting up a daily homeschool routine with multiple kids will require some extra planning . And it will look different for your unique needs and children. But it doesn’t have to take all day.

First off, be sure to make use of any subjects you can do as a family. Starting your day together will not only bring you together as a group but also help you accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.

There are many subjects that can be done (at least in part) together. From history to literature, to science, and many others. You can even do some together, then split up for related assignments at age level.

With several kids, you will also find it helpful to have a plan for what your kids will do with you and what they will do independently.

Encouraging independence will help you be able to rotate your time and attention with your children , allowing them to continue to work on something even when they aren’t with you. Of course, this will greatly depend on your child’s age and abilities.

If you have babies and toddlers, it is helpful to spend time with them first. Fill up that cup so you can then get time with the older kids. Your older kids can also take turns with the littles as part of their school. Yes, life skills are important for school.

When schooling several kids, you will need to be intentional with your time and communicate your expectations with your kids so they also know what to expect with the day.

Give yourself grace and try several things. You will eventually find your groove.

For more tips on homeschooling more than one, check out my post about homeschooling multiple ages .

8. Encourage independence

Encouraging independence in your homeschool will help you raise competent and confident learners . This is not something that should be rushed but should be done according to the ability of each individual child.

When they are young, you will be building the basic foundations of learning . Reading, writing, basic arithmetic. As they get older you will no longer need to be reading everything for them. Though reading aloud is valuable at any age – but that’s a topic for a separate article.

Looping is a helpful tool when it comes to your daily homeschool routine. When looping tasks, you will work down your list until you run out of time. The next day, you will start on the list where you left off, looping around to the beginning when the list is completed.

It is an easy way to get to everything on your list without taking all your time.

For instance, if you have 5 things you want to be sure to get to in your homeschool, but know you will only have an hour to do these things. Sometimes you might get through them all, while other times, you may only get to three.

Rather than starting over the next day and doing those same three things again and getting ahead on those, you can start with the last two items on your list. If you still have time, start back at number 1 until your time is over. Then loop through them again as you have time.

Remove the pressure of doing everything every day.

Or maybe you decide you want to do one thing each day. Like art, music, poetry, manners, and typing. You could assign each item to a different day of the week. But what happens if you go on a field trip two Fridays in a row? You will miss typing both weeks.

Instead, you could make it a loop list. Rather than assigning the tasks to days of the week, just decide you will do the next thing on the list the next day you have time. So then if you skip Friday, you will just move typing to Monday. Of course, other items will also then move a day, but that’s ok. Keep your schedule flexible.

You can easily loop the books you read, some school subjects, chores, your one-on-one time with your kids, and anything else you decide.

It’s such a great way to add some flexibility to your daily routine homeschool schedule!

10. Blocking

Blocking is another homeschool hack that will help you in your days. This is when you chunk your time into blocks to concentrate on one topic . This helps you to really dive deep into it during that time.

You might set aside one whole school day every week just for one subject rather than doing small portions of it each day. I have often done this with science. It helps me feel better about doing the messy experiments.

We can take our time and get into it and not worry about all the other things we also need to get done that day.

Or you might block one portion of your day, just for some extra subjects. Then loop the subjects within that time.

You might also want to block off a whole week and dive into a history unit. You can get through so much if that’s all you’re focusing on! It also can help you feed the interests of your children, diving deep into topics.

Practice and adjust

As you put your new homeschool routines into practice, you may notice things don’t go quite the way you expect. So work through your plans and adjust however you may find will help .

It can be helpful to ease into your new routines . You may start with only 1-2 items on your routine for a few days, slowly adding more tasks every few days. This can help you develop good habits without it being overwhelming.

Big changes all at once can easily just make you want to bail. So take it slow.

If something doesn’t work, make a small change here and there until you feel things are going smoothly. But be sure to try anything new for at least a week before you make any large adjustments. It can take time to get used to something new.

It can also be helpful when developing your routine to make it fairly natural. Don’t try to do a routine that is completely against your natural flow. For some ideas on how to make your routines more natural, check out my post about using your natural daily rhythm.

Printable daily routine homeschool schedule

Design a daily routine homeschool schedule

Designing a daily routine homeschool schedule is one of the most important steps to making your homeschool days run smoothly. You take the books and ideas and figure out how to get through them each day.

Choosing your time, deciding on the order and frequency of each subject, to figuring out what you personally need to be involved with. There are many things to consider. But a daily homeschool routine will give you the confidence you need to tackle this homeschool thing!

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• TOEFL Speaking Task /

TOEFL Daily Speaking Topic: Teachers should assign daily homework to students.

• Updated on  
• Jul 3, 2024

Brainstorming Ideas

Reasons for agreement that teachers should assign homework to students:

• It helps students reinforce what they have learned in class.
• Develop good studying habits.
• It also teaches students how to manage their time effectively and prioritise their tasks.
• Helps in staying engaged with the information and retaining the information better.

Q. Teachers should assign daily homework to students. State whether you agree or disagree with the following statement. Then explain your reasons using specific details in your argument. 

Ans . I agree that teachers should assign daily homework to their students. This is because daily homework helps students reinforce what they have learned in class and develop good studying habits. For instance, when I was in school, our teachers used to assign us daily homework which helped me understand the concepts better. It also taught me how to manage my time effectively and prioritise my tasks.

Moreover, daily homework helps students stay engaged with the information and retain the information better. It’s like the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect!’ The more you practice, the better you become. For example, if you’re learning a new language, speaking and writing every day will help you improve your skills faster. Overall, daily homework is essential for academic success.

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Purti is a CELTA, British Council, and IDP-certified language trainer. Having worked as a Study Abroad Test Prep Expert for the past 7 years, she has guided thousands of students towards their desirable scores in IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and other language proficiency tests to study abroad. She is adept in molding learning strategies according to the needs of the learners and has built multiple courses at Leverage IELTS with result-oriented strategies. Proficient in test prep courses such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and Duolingo, she loves to explore different classroom teaching methods, keeps continuously improving her own skills, and stays abreast with the latest teaching methodologies. She is a master trainer at Leverage Edu and aims to help thousands more through her expertise.

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See Taylor Swift's Reaction To Simone Biles' "Ready For It" Routine

Baby, let the (Olympic) games begin.

GOATs support GOATs. Taylor Swift might be in the middle of her record-breaking Eras Tour, but she took some time to celebrate Simone Biles’ floor routine, which the athlete performed at the USA Gymnastics Trials ahead of the Paris Olympics. Biles chose Swift’s song “...Ready For It?” for the routine, and the singer was definitely a fan. (And no, that doesn’t mean this is a Reputation Easter egg .)

On June 28, the NBC Olympics & Paralympics account tweeted a video of Biles’ impressive floor routine, captioning the post, “ …Ready for it? SIMONE BILES’ FLOOR ROUTINE .”

The next day, Swift replied to the video, “Watched this so many times and still unready. She’s ready for it tho 👏👏👏🥇🇺🇸❤️.” This month, Biles will be heading to Paris as part of the United States Gymnastics team.

This isn’t the first time Swift and Biles have cheered each other on. In August 2021, Swift narrated a video to celebrate Biles after the gymnast withdrew from the all-around gymnastics final at the Tokyo Olympics.

The video, which featured Swift’s song “This Is Me Trying,” saluted Biles’ decision to prioritize her mental health. “What do we want from our heroes? What do we expect from them? What do we need from them? What happens when they surprise us? When you have the attention of the world, everything you do takes on a bigger meaning. It can be a heavy burden,” Swift said in the video.

“It can be a chance to change everything. Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents. Her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that has long been her signature,” Swift continued. “But don’t you see, it still is. She is perfectly human. And that’s what makes it so easy to call her a hero.”

At the time, Biles replied to the video, “I’m crying 🥺🤍 how special. I love you @taylorswift13.” Swift gave Biles a heartfelt response, “I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you.”

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Samsung now lets you share SmartThings Routines with others

Published on July 1, 2024

• Samsung is rolling out a massive update for the SmartThings app with support for Shareable Routines.
• Samsung has also added a new Hub Manager interface and Hub Backup support.
• The SmartThings platform is now updated and certified to the Matter 1.2 SDK.

In addition to offering smart home device controls, Samsung’s SmartThings app includes a useful automation feature called Routines. It lets users create automated sequences of tasks or actions that can trigger automatically based on predefined parameters. While setting up a routine is fairly simple, Samsung is now adding a handy feature that will let you copy someone else’s preconfigured routines.

Samsung has announced a massive update for the SmartThings app, which brings a host of new features and changes. The Shareable Routines feature is rolling out as part of the update, and it will let you easily copy and activate a premade routine by scanning a QR code.

The SmartThings update also includes a new Hub Manager interface and support for Hub Backups. Samsung says that the updated Hub Manager will let you easily configure your “smart home infrastructure, including creating Hub Groups with more types of SmartThings Hubs, and enabling Hub Backup” in one place.

The new Hub Backup feature will let you configure a secondary hub as a backup device for your smart home infrastructure with access to device configurations, network settings, and routines. With this feature enabled, your smart home infrastructure won’t be affected if your primary hub fails.

The Device Control and SmartThings Energy features have also received a minor refresh with the update. The Device Control interface now shows larger device cards that give you access to more controls and it even lets you set up a custom home control page with select devices. On the other hand, SmartThings Energy now has gamified elements that make it fun for you to save energy.

Along with the new features and changes for the SmartThings app, Samsung has also announced that the SmartThings platform has been updated to the Matter 1.2 SDK. This means that the platform should seamlessly integrate with devices that support Matter 1.2. However, Samsung says that full Matter 1.2 support in the SmartThings app will roll out “later this summer.”

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