Homework Station & Routine - Day 12 of 30 - Things That Make My Life Easier

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier.

Homework Station & Routine

My kids will do homework anywhere except at a desk in their bedrooms. Why, I don't know. We have tried many times, but the desks just ended up as a storage area for dirty clothes, empty bowls and glasses, and school stuff, so we ditched 'em.

Now, we use the dining room. I converted an TV from the 70s, which was left here during the move, into a proper homework station, complete with a yearly calendar, hole-punch, pens, pencils, and storage for other school supplies that won't require us to leave the room and risk getting distracted during homework time.

It also signifies that the dining area is a place to come together to learn. There are set expectations when we sit down to dine or study.

My little homework station. The cats eat the plants...dangit.

Everything we need is there in limited quantity (a couple of each).

Here's how our routine works:

• We choose a drink. Son likes hot chocolate. Daughter prefers tea. I like tea or coffee.

• We put on study music ONLY if we are all in agreement. Sometimes, one of us is overwhelmed and needs to do homework in total silence. If that happens, the rest of us can use our earbuds to listen to music on low while the other wears earplugs, because the spillover of sound from earbuds can drive us insane.

• We body double each other while enjoying our drinks. (If you don't know what body doubling is, it essentially means that the presence of another person is enough to motivate work getting done. So by simply being present while my kids are doing homework, they are motivated to do it.)

• If needed, we put on a pomodoro timer.

What I love about our study routine:

• I'm leading by example when I study in front of my kids. I tell you, they've been working harder since I started school.

• It's a chance for us to all be together, and when one of us gets stuck, we can ask a question.

• Studying together this way helps us all to regulate better in the evenings. We feel better, together.

• We get to enjoy studying together. It's no longer something we dread, and when I talk about how much I enjoy school in front of them, my hope is that the positivity influences them to stay curious about learning. (*For the record, I really didn't like school at their age. I barely graduated and never went on to University, except to take a few courses while I was in High School...which is why I'm starting all over again now.)

  
  

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: While having a homework station and routine is my ideal, I don't want to give the impression that we are the perfect sing-song family who ALWAYS studies together through thick and thin, rainbows and bubbles. We don't. Sometimes one of us needs a break from humans and studies in our own room on our bed. But my aim as a mom who wants to make sure her kids are maintaining decent grades and really understanding the material is to create a space where studying is relaxing and enjoyable (as it can be) so they're more likely to stay in school. Because going back to school when your kids are teens, on a single mom budget in this economy is rough, y'all.

What routine works for you? I'm here to learn!

-Jaren