“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

Here is a day in the life for us with an 8, 5, and 2 year old

5/530am I get up and do something to prepare my mind for the day (meditation, read the bible, journal).

6-7am  I workout for about 45 minutes. Some activities I enjoy: weight lifting, walking, an aerobics class or intentional movement such as yoga or Pilates. I try to get ready for the day before anyone is up but this isn’t always the case.

6:45am My son gets up. We talk, he will have a morning snack or we read a book together.

7:30am I start cooking breakfast and the girls get up. Sometimes while were all in the kitchen we will do our read aloud book or I’ll help my oldest with a project or worksheet she’s been working on. She gets the most creative first thing in the morning and right before bed. I try to work with her rhythm as much as I can.

9:00am The oldest has an online class 4 days a week in the morning to learn to read since that has been her goal this year.

10-11am If I’ve planned ahead based earlier discussions we’ve had, I’ll get out materials and books. We usually do something related to science or history.

Sometimes the kids just want to play so they do that. “Play is the work of a child” (Maria Montessori)

Other times I’ll put out some learning activities such as a math game, educational materials, a worksheet to see what they’re interested in doing.

Sometimes we will use curriculum but often I find it just gets to be something to endure rather than something that lights them up.

Our 2-year-old happily joins in with any and all activities. She loves to play with play-doh, practice writing with pens and dry erase markers and play with math manipulatives.

11-1pm Outside time. If we have a play-date for the younger kids my oldest will often bring whatever she is currently reading to the park with us and we will practice her reading for a bit.

2-4 pm Everyday is different so sometimes after lunch my oldest will have a an extra curricular class to go to. If not, she will go to her room to draw, read, listen to music etc. while my middle son will build or play. The youngest goes for a nap. During naptime the big kids will do some screen time.

4:00pm We gather to have a snack and decide what we want to do for the rest of the afternoon. Typically we meet up with friends at the park for my oldest. Today though, the kids wanted to make Christmas cards for family so we got out card materials, craft supplies, stickers, markers, and washi tape. This was an easy way to incorporate purposeful writing.

6-8pm Dinner and evening routines. Lately the kids have been wanting to help in the kitchen so I’ve been finding some ways for them to help with the food prep. They actually can help now which is a bonus of having bigger kids :).

7-9pm Some evenings they get really into creative mode and start building things with recyclables and materials in our art area. They currently like to come up with inventions and it’s fun to see inside their minds through their creations.

8:30-9pm We do instill bedtimes but they don’t disagree with them. We are flexible and some nights they will go to bed later based on if we’re having a movie night, watching sports or they’re just having a good time playing together. Lately football has been really big in our house and they have been learning all about the rules of the sport, scoring, time keeping, athleticism, marketing etc. 

Our days are all very different but we do have a rhythm. Some anchors in our day are meal times, scheduled classes, nap/quiet time, and outside time. The rest is filled in with free time to explore, and pursue interests. We all have agreed on this arrangement and as seasons change we discuss and work with the changes to take in every person’s needs.

What does a day in the life look like for you?

Do you feel your rhythm is serving you or do you need to find a routine that is more aligned with your family’s lifestyle?