Everyday Lessons
  • Welcome
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • For Teachers
    • Start Here >
      • Literate
      • Numerate
      • Curious
      • Kind
      • Healthy
      • Technology in the Classroom >
        • Digital & Media Literacy
  • For Parents
    • Learning At Home
    • Great Apps & Websites
    • Help! My Child is Struggling in School >
      • First Steps to Take When Your Child is Struggling
  • Book Reviews

Learning From Home - For Older Kids

4/11/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Download File
Last week we fell off the bandwagon. The kids slept in later and later, my husband and I went to bed later and later, lunch was a maybe, dinner wasn't happening until 7 or 8pm...and we felt it. We were all out of sorts, not sure what to do with ourselves (even though there was lots to be done) and getting on each other's nerves because of it. So this week, we are pulling our socks up; we are dialing the routine back in so that we can be out best selves. 

Now my kids haven't hit their teen years (yet) but I teach teens and I know that there is a lot of sleeping in going on these days. And while there's nothing wrong with a good sleep in, not having a routine is hard on the human brain. You see, we're wired for patterns - our brains seek out patterns (and connection!) all the time. When you remove familiar patterns, the brain isn't quite sure what to do and it gets discombobulated (I love that word). And, friends? Discombobulated brains are grumpy brains. Ugh. No one wants a grumpy teen (or tween, or husband, or toddler, really).

I created the graphic above to help you help your tween or teen add some routine in to their days. You might want to start by getting their butts out of bed a bit earlier, then feed them a healthy breakfast, before helping them set up their list of Need To Dos and Want to Dos for the day. I like this structure because it's basically a grown-up version of a "First...Then...Next" - first, I do something that I NEED to do, then I do something I WANT to do, next, back to another NEED to do. This helps teens learn healthy, productive work habits that will serve them well as they grow older and it provides a sense of control for those kids that are prone to anxiety. If you have a child who struggles with executive functioning skills (attention, focus, organization, planning), you may need to use a First-Then-Next structure or you may need to help them lay their day out in time blocks to be sure everything gets done.

I was up nice and early this morning and I can tell you that I already feel better - more energized and ready to face the day, rather than sluggish and searching for caffeine. My kids will be up shortly and we'll lay out our days together, building in time for work and time for play. Now that's a routine I can get behind!
Picture
PS - If you missed my posts on ways to help your younger kids structure their days, you can find Part 1 here & Part 2 here. I share the game-changing way we set up my youngest daughter's day so that she can be independent & successful every single day.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome!

    I'm Bryn, teacher, mom, book lover, athlete. I am passionate about living life with my family, teaching and learning something new all the time. I hope you find something that speaks to you here on my blog and would love to hear from you too!

    Categories

    All
    30 Day Challenge
    Boys
    Close Reading
    Collaboration
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Daily 5
    Early Literacy
    For Parents
    For Teachers
    Freebies
    French Immersion
    Global Issues
    Goal Setting
    Holidays
    Homework
    IMWAYR
    Interactive Notebooks
    Kindergarten
    Learning At Home
    Lit Pit
    Math
    Mentorship
    Middle
    Motivation
    Organizing Your Classroom
    Perspective
    Primary
    Professional Development
    Provocations
    Racism
    Reading
    Reflective Teaching
    SEL
    Teachers Pay Teachers
    Teaching Mantras
    Technology
    The Importance Of Language
    The Newness Of It All
    Tough Conversations
    University Courses
    Writing

    Archives

    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    October 2013

    Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth - TeachersPayTeachers.com

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from verchmarco (CC BY 2.0), alex_why, wuestenigel, s.schmitz, mrkrndvs, Sean MacEntee, rweait-osm, hstower, wuestenigel, MPD01605, grongar, momsworking01, wwarby, William Hook, CJS*64, mrsdkrebs, Brett Jordan, Wade Rockett, quinn.anya, Infomastern, debaird™, ksunderman, csakkarin, verchmarco, Neil Tackaberry, John Brighenti, Free For Commercial Use (FFC), mikecogh, simplyalex, smaedli, TomMartinArt, Wonder woman0731
  • Welcome
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • For Teachers
    • Start Here >
      • Literate
      • Numerate
      • Curious
      • Kind
      • Healthy
      • Technology in the Classroom >
        • Digital & Media Literacy
  • For Parents
    • Learning At Home
    • Great Apps & Websites
    • Help! My Child is Struggling in School >
      • First Steps to Take When Your Child is Struggling
  • Book Reviews