This year we decided that we will be homeschooling our two children, aka The Organized Kids. This wasn’t an easy decision. The kids’ current school is open for schooling. But with all that happening in the area we are living, we weren’t completely comfortable sending them into school when there were others who needed to be in the physical building more than we did. The kids have been attending a Montessori school for the past few years. And we have been so incredibly happy with how both children have found their grooves. 

Montessori education isn’t for every child, but it is the ideal curriculum for both my children. They do well as self-directed learners. The Montessori Method was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. It’s a specific child-centered method of education that involves child-led activities (referred to as “work”). The children are able to move to the next lesson without waiting for peers to master each skill. For my kiddos, my son was working on fractions and square root. He is going into second grade and has a strong love for math. My daughter was working on multiplication in kindergarten. That is the reason I love Montessori. Because the kids can develop their skills in a way that allows them to feel successful.

Since we decided to homeschool, I had to get materials and curriculum for their work. I also had to set up our home office to create a space that was conducive for their learning. 

Once that was set up, I was able to create our Montessori elementary homeschool daily schedule.

Take A Peek Into Our Montessori Elementary Homeschool Daily Schedule

Some links may contain affiliates.

Starting The Day With Homeschooling Using The Montessori Method

 We are not morning people. We enjoy moving slowly in the morning. So I was tracking our morning routines before constructing this schedule. (And I highly recommend doing that for anyone about to develop their own schedule.)

To figure out our groove, I recorded everything we do in the morning before we feel “ready for the day”. And I determined “ready for the day” was when my brain was ready to start doing things like answer emails or check my notebook for projects. 

What I found from recording what we do in the morning was that I have a specific routine I like and the kids have a specific routine they like. 

I start my day with celery juice while I empty the dishwasher. Then I make coffee and make breakfast for the kids. The kids enjoy drawing or playing with Legos first thing in the morning. 

After we all eat, everyone gets dressed and makes beds. The kids usually want to continue to play whatever they were playing before breakfast. At this time, I can prep for the day. That gives me half an hour to do my morning routine of checking the calendar, writing down things in my gratitude journal, and getting any last minute materials ready to start our work time.

Work Time During Our Montessori Elementary Homeschool Daily Schedule

Every morning we start our day using a composition notebook to record the date and write one thing we are grateful for. The notebooks I bought have room for drawings, so the kids can draw a picture to go along with their sentence(s). I have found my kids do best when they start their day with art. It just works best for us. 

Then we start on our work time. In Montessori teaching, work time is the most important time for kids. That is when they are working on the lessons to help develop the skills that are being taught. So to structure our work time, I will have one child doing independent work while I am doing a lesson with another. Then the child that had the lesson will go do independent work while I check in and/or do a lesson for the other child. There are times when both children will be doing independent work so those times I can plan and get materials ready for the next activity. 

We are structuring our work time from 9:30-11:30. At 11:30 we will break for lunch and outside time. We will begin our work time at 1:30-3:30. At 3:30 our school day will end and play time can begin.

Planning Out Montessori Lessons For Two Kids

Ok so I am sure you are asking yourself how do you plan for this Montessori elementary homeschool daily schedule?? Well, as a former teacher, I have some tricks I am pulling out to get planned. 

First thing I do is set monthly goals on each subject. The reason being is that I want to know what topics need to be covered. I have looked at our state’s standards along with Montessori guidelines to help me figure out what skills need to be taught. After that, I look at where each kiddo is on the Montessori curriculum. Then I develop lessons on those particular topics.

Here’s an example: my daughter is working on multiplication. In order for her to move on to the next lesson, she has to show mastery of the previous lesson. To do that, I need her to accurately complete the work around 80% of the time. So what I want to see is that she understands the process. Because if she understands the process, we can build upon that. If she continuously gets the wrong then I know that she doesn’t understand the process. If she is off by a number, let’s say, that could easily be an error of counting rather than an understanding of the process. 

So each week I spend about an hour to two hours planning the following week. That means prepping materials, reading the chapters of books before my kiddos are suppose to, and making sure I am covering all subjects. By giving myself planning time each week, I am able to be prepared to keep our homeschool going. See the importance of being organized?!?!

Our Montessori elementary homeschool daily schedule was created based on how I can teach the kids, along with continuing to provide them with time to move and play. I truly feel that organizing and Montessori go hand-in-hand!