I will enjoy reading all your replies! It's hard work here at times after schooling!
Some things we do to make it easier.
I feed the children their afternoon snack while they work. Saves time and stops whining
We use our time in the car effectively. We listen to educational audio, watch documentaries and read in the car.
We often do short activities in the morning before school. The kids are fresher in the morning.
If its hot I cool them down first. Icy pole, swim or shower or a cold smoothie. Hot bothered children just don't learn anything!
We use bedtime story time for reading practice and reading extension. They read their classics at night time as their bedtime story. I jump from kid to kid for some read aloud time.
We use lots on non fiction stories. I read aloud often from non fiction. I also quiz them on the content randomly throughout the book. I figure doing this means they are learning and retaining more than your average kid would.
We set weekly minimum goals for each child. Their pocket money is linked to these minimum expectations. They get paid more/less/none depending on effort and results.
I join them as often as I can during their after schooling time. Although my kids are pretty independent if I sit nearby they get more done faster.
Keep after school activities restricted to 2 days or less. Last year we had 3 after school day activities and wee got almost nothing done. This year only 2 afternoons are full and we are getting much much more done.
Make anything you can fun. We play math games to practice math skills before Saxon. We play reading games until the children are fluent readers. We also act out their memory verses.
My kids get a LOT ( really really a LOT) of homework so we get at least half of it done over the weekend to take the pressure off.
Digg
