Our Homeschool Daily Rhythms Over the Years

I have learned that our daily rhythm is an ever-changing element, always needing to be adapted to the changes in our home life. Our rhythm shifts, at least slightly, a few times a year.

This blog is a round up of our family’s daily rhythms over the years, from caring for small babies while homeschooling to homeschooling while working from home to having middle school children who can do their schoolwork more independently.

In this blog post:

What is a daily rhythm?
Our homeschool daily rhythms over the years
Create a daily rhythm with Treehouse Schoolhouse

What is a daily rhythm?

A daily rhythm offers a guiding structure for their days without the rigidity of a strict schedule. Unlike a minute-by-minute schedule, a daily rhythm provides a general flow, outlining planned activities and their order, rather than demanding they happen at precise times. This approach allows for flexibility and adaptability, which is essential when navigating the unpredictable nature of home life, especially with young children. A daily rhythm is about knowing what generally comes next, creating a sense of predictability and peace for both parents and children, without the stress of falling behind.

The beauty of a daily rhythm lies in its adaptability. It acknowledges that no two days are exactly alike, and that life with children and other responsibilities can often lead to unexpected detours. Instead of causing frustration when things don’t go as planned, a rhythm provides the freedom to shift activities around as needed. Many families find visual aids, like rhythm cards, incredibly helpful in communicating this flow to everyone, especially children who thrive on knowing what to expect. This visual representation allows for easy adjustments throughout the day, reinforcing the idea that the rhythm is a flexible tool, not a rigid rulebook.

Ultimately, a daily rhythm is a framework that evolves with a family’s needs. It’s not a static plan, but an element that ebbs and flows and can be tweaked and adjusted as children grow, routines shift, or new commitments arise. This fluidity empowers homeschooling parents to integrate their various roles, whether it’s working, teaching, or managing a household, with greater consistency and less stress. It creates a supportive environment where learning can happen organically, and family life can unfold with a sense of calm and purpose. It also allows parents to be present and attuned to their children’s needs, focusing on each moment and task at hand, and then moving on when it is appropriate.

Related: Overview: Daily Rhythm Bundle

Our family’s daily rhythm has naturally evolved over the years, mirroring the shifts in our family’s growth and priorities. With my oldest now in middle school, we’ve navigated everything from homeschooling older children while managing a baby to keeping toddlers engaged during lessons. Our rhythm has also adapted to external changes, like my husband’s work schedule or even significant life transitions, such as living in an RV while building our home. More recently, as I’ve dedicated more time to writing curriculum and growing Treehouse Schoolhouse, our daily flow has adjusted to incorporate extra support.

As a homeschooling parent, I’m grateful for our ability to cultivate distinct daily rhythms that have perfectly suited each season of our family life. This flexibility has been crucial in honoring our varying priorities. I hope it instills in my children the valuable lesson of pivoting and shifting focus to what matters most in any given season. Some periods may emphasize more structured educational activities, while others might see us working together as a family to meet different goals. There is no failure in evaluating what is working for your family, or what your family needs during different periods of time. Through it all, our daily rhythm, despite its constant evolution, has remained a steadfast anchor for our days.

Homeschooling daily rhythm with a baby

During this time, one key to adding a new baby to the mix was simply planning to be home more. I focused on simplifying our daily routine so we could do school intermittently throughout the day when the baby was napping. We also focused on the simplicity of playing outside and time outdoors. Instead of scheduling busy outings, we spent a lot of time playing outdoors in our backyard.

We did Morning Time during the baby’s first nap of the day, and fit in as much as we could during this time as possible. Sometimes we would complete all of our studies during this time, and other days we would pick it up in the afternoon during the baby’s second nap.

I also focused on teaching habits like chores, even though my children were small, so that I could rely on my children for help in small ways, like picking up toys, and we could grow together in our family unit.

Homeschooling daily rhythm with a baby and a toddler

With four children, including two elementary-aged kids, a toddler, and a baby, we peppered learning throughout the day and dedicated time to homeschooling during the afternoon when my littlest children napped. We would do Bible study together as a family over breakfast, do a short Morning Time learning together, and then head outdoors to play until lunchtime.

After lunch, I quickly settled my littlest two down for naps and dove into our homeschool time. During this time we would read a chapter book aloud and do math and language arts together. We also did loop subjects like music, art, science, or history during this time.

Homeschooling daily rhythm with two toddlers in tow

With children homeschooling in 1st and 3rd grade, plus two small children, we propelled our homeschool studies by incorporating family style learning with all children for Morning Time, offering a learning time for my older children while offering gentle engagement for my 3-year-old and 19-month-old. I loved that we could bond as a family unit while incorporating learning in our homeschool setting. During the times when all children are together, we relied on various low-prep activities and snacks to keep the toddlers engaged, knowing that though chaotic, this is a time that will pass as my children get older.

When it was time for the smaller children to nap, we used this quiet time for me to focus on more challenging academic subjects with my older children so we could have 1-on-1 time together without having to keep little ones at peace.

During this time we also used a nanny to with the children while I worked from home for Treehouse Schoolhouse, writing curriculum, blogging, and growing this business.

Homeschool preschool daily rhythm

During the preschool years, I avoid any expectations for learning and instead prioritize time together, hands-on learning, reading books, and time playing outside. If my children show interest in learning, like learning letters of the alphabet or numbers, I will guide them through these and go at their pace. We focus on spending time together and reading stories together. A literature-based curriculum is an excellent way to integrate these learning concepts in an organic way as children show interest.

If you are looking for ideas for structuring your preschooler’s day, take our quiz to create a homeschool preschool daily rhythm.

Homeschool kindergarten daily rhythm

During kindergarten, when my children show signs of readiness, I add in learning blocks like the alphabet, numbers and math, handwriting, and of course lots of reading. Sometimes we tackle most of these subjects in a day, breaking up the day with free play outside and meal times, and other days we may just skip it altogether and spend the day playing outside or on an outing.

This is how I structured our days when my children were in the kindergarten years.

Our family daily rhythm

When my children were ages 2, 4, 8, and 10, we were homeschooling the two older kids and allowing the littler ones to participate if they were interested. I worked 15-20 hours a week growing Treehouse Schoolhouse, and my husband worked out of the house each day.

During this time, we added a part-time nanny to enable me to carve out hours to work several days each week. We focused our efforts together each morning doing Morning Time together so my preschool-aged children could join in with the Morning Time Bundle and Treehouse Nature Study, Primary Years.

During this time my older children also did most of their schooling together, and in their free time played outside, practiced drawing, and doing other projects.

Homeschool summer daily rhythm

We began homeschooling year-round when I began working more, so that when I needed to work more we could slow down our school studies so I could meet deadlines. Homeschooling year-round gave us the time throughout the year to finish our school subjects, while freeing up our family to take breaks as needed.

What we found was doing school over the summer months allowed us to have a reason to be indoors during the hot summer time when we naturally spend less time outside, and it really works for our family. We may lighten up on some subjects or take weeks off for travel, but continuing school over the summer helps us to have a flexible schedule throughout the year, which we love. I love having this option as a homeschooling family!

Read all the details of our summer daily rhythm here.

Holiday homeschooling daily rhythm

As we approach each holiday, I enjoy breaking up our homeschool studies and allowing time to focus on the upcoming season, whether Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.

Personally, I believe these times of year can be pivotal if we allow time to learn about their origins and focus on what is in Scripture. During Thanksgiving, we integrate Bible readings about gratitude. At Christmas, we revisit the nativity story. For Easter, I teach my children about the Resurrection. I love how homeschooling allows these important lessons to flow into other learning through art, poetry, copywork, reading aloud, and hands-on activities like crafts and baking. This is a time of year my children and I cherish as we gather together and repeat lessons and learn new ones, too.

Create a daily rhythm with Treehouse Schoolhouse

Daily Rhythm Bundle

Equip your home with one of our best-selling products, the Daily Rhythm Bundle. Now redesigned with beautiful, hand-painted watercolor illustrations. This set will add eloquence to your homeschool space and a peaceful rhythm to your homeschool day.

Children are highly visual–they can feel particularly out of control when they don’t know what to expect of their day. That’s why we recommend using a visual schedule to support your children from the time they are very young.

Rather than trying to stick to a rigid schedule, this set helps you create a general rhythm for your days. The daily rhythm worksheet is laminated and dry erase and the cards can be moved around offering you flexibility and adaptability.

We’ve also included a customizable chore chart that can grow and change with your child as they develop in habit training–an important part of daily rhythm.

Morning Time Bundle

best homeschool menu covers for printable pdf worksheets

The Morning Time Bundle is an interactive, reusable set. It focuses on weather, seasons, moon phase, temperature, weather-appropriate clothing, date and time, and reading a calendar. With this daily bundle, your child will practice the skills of handwriting, tracing, copywork, and telling time. I recommend you print these materials and place them inside of a Morning Time Menu or dry-erase sleeve. Using dry-erase markers, your child can fill this bundle out over and over again.

By popular demand, we now also offer a version of the Morning Time Bundle for those in our community who live in the Southern Hemisphere. Choose your location below. If you previously purchased this bundle and only need new calendar pages, you can purchase the Traceable Monthly Calendar separately.

Related: Our Homeschool Morning Time

Homeschool Planner

I developed this homeschool planner to meet my needs as a busy homeschool mom of multiple children. I wanted something simple and beautiful. Customized for Morning Time, Daily Rhythm, and lesson planning, this planner has helped many homeschool moms around the world make space for more beauty and joy in their homeschool.

This 2025-2026 Academic Year Planner includes yearly, monthly, and weekly calendars as well as space for daily lesson plans. The planner runs from August 2025 – July 2026. The planner is available as both a spiral-bound hard copy as well as a digital, editable version.

Related: Homeschool Planning 101