Creating a Peaceful and Successful Home Learning Environment

Whether you have a specific room designated to Homeschooling or you use your kitchen table, there are a few things that I have found to be extremely helpful in creating a peaceful and enjoyable learning environment for our kids.

1. A Clean, Uncluttered, Organized Space

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Notice in the above photos, the walls are pretty clear except for a few nice pictures , a black board and some shelves. No need for 20 different charts on the wall. It's a distraction and not necessary. 

There are not a lot of 'things' everywhere, it is very minimal, very uncluttered. Even if you have a lot of stuff, put away most of it in a closet or box. The less 'stuff' in the room, the more peaceful it feels to be there.

2. A Prepared Learning Environment

Whether you are doing things Montessori style or your own style, having a prepared environment is an absolute must. This means having all the supplies you will need for an activity readily available and accessible. 

Whatever your kids will need for the day should be ready and prepared. The time spent looking for a glue stick or blue crayon is a lot of time wasted and they can lose those precious moments of concentration very quickly.

Here's a look at my daughter's (age 6) Workbook Station:

Each box has a number on it. She can choose any order she wants to do it in and needs to do at least one page in each Workbook per day. Very often she will do more then one, and sometimes she will skip a book if she doesn't want to do it. I give her that liberty and she really doesn't abuse it. Once she has done a book, she puts a check on it using a card with Velcro attached to it. She loves putting her checks up.

Here's a peek at whats inside each drawer:

 Clockwise from the top:

1. Hebrew Handwriting (from the Chabad Shluchim Office)

2. Fun Hebrew Words activities (from the Chabad Shluchim Office)

3. English reading books (she picks which books she wants to read) {buy it}

4. Math {buy it}

5. English Handwriting {download and print- this is the Montessori order for learning to write English letters)

6. Hebrew reading book {buy Hebrew Reading Book} (buy DotbyDot}

Notice how every drawer has whatever supplies she would need for each book. This is a great system as she can get straight to work without having to look for a pencil or crayons.

Her workbooks usually take up about 45 minutes of her day, at the most.

With a clean, uncluttered, organized space and a prepared learning environment, you are sure to have success in your Homeschooling experience!

Good Luck and have a wonderful week!

Always,