5 Tips To Make Home School More Manageable

You know it’s a hot topic when it starts popping up in internet memes all the time. Home schooling has thrown many of us into a new role very unexpectedly. I have friends who are thriving and some who say they are barely surviving. Today I’m partnering with Ann Taylor to share 5 tips that have helped our home schooling journey (along with some cute outfits).

Cardigan (xs) // Tank (xs) // Pants (sized down to 0 tall) // Sandals (tts)

I wanted to share a mix of wear now, wear later pieces I recently grabbed from Ann Taylor. From this “essential shirt” to flattering shorts you can dress up or down, these are good for NOW (a business casual home school teacher extraordinaire) or LATER (a gal celebrating at brunch with friends).

Get Dressed

This makes a huge difference in my mental state and shows the kids we have an agenda for the day. If you’re feeling in a slump, get dressed, curl your hair, and put on makeup. Your kids are likely to follow suit.

Follow a Schedule

The structure of a schedule makes the day predictable and leaves less room for whining ;). We follow a schedule similar to school (though a shorter day) and both the kids and “teachers” can anticipate what is next.

Set Up a Devoted Work Space

We cleared out our dining room and made that table a large classroom/desk. Since we weren’t hosting Easter this year, we just leave the space set up this way because outside of holiday gatherings, we don’t otherwise use our formal dining room.

Shorts (tts – size 2) // Cardigan (xs) // Sandals (tts)

I love that these shorts don’t wrinkle easily and are slimming at the waist. My cardigan can be worn more like a shirt (as shown) or layered over a tank or dress.

Make It Fun and Interactive

Science experiments, baking class, Tik Tok dance class – you’re making memories along with learning. This is a short-term thing, so do your best to keep it a positive experience.

Plan The Night Before

Planning a few lessons the night before probably has made the most difference for the days when I lead homeschool. In addition to knowing the “schedule”, having a plan of attack with worksheets, experiments, or topics we will research helps me avoid fumbling for something to teach. That downtime allows boredom and whining to creep into our schedule and I aim to avoid that.

I hear about schools that are sending a lot of work to kids. We don’t get nearly enough to keep the kids busy for a good chunk of the day so maybe you don’t even need to plan as much?

Stay Well

Try to think of the parts of being quarantined that you will look back on and miss! There’s lots to feel grateful for right now.

To check out more styles from Ann Taylor you can find new arrivals for Spring here. Right now the whole site is on sale!

Shop Ann Taylor Spring Outfits

Thank you to Ann Taylor for sponsoring today’s post.