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It’s hard to believe, but once I hit publish on this post, only three more are left in my A-Z Guide to Working at Home with Kids series! Today’s tip is one of my favorite ways to get my writing for my blog done. It’s to work during Family Writing Time.
What Is Family Writing Time?
Family Writing Time is a period of time each work day where everyone in my family works quietly. It’s currently thirty minutes long.
While I’m working on my blog posts, creating eBooks, or updating my course, my kids are also quietly working. Today they:
- Colored coloring pages of favorite characters
- Worked on updating sprites in a Scratch game
- Drew a favorite scene from a book
- Used My Little Pony toys to act out a scene on the alphabet mat
- Played with board books
- Played a literacy game on the iPad
- Used scissors to cut out colored pictures, then used those pieces as characters in a story
- Put some stickers on a paper and drew around them
I rely on this time to get some work done, and my kids have learned to love it! After we clean up, we take a couple of minutes to share what we did. I think this is everyone’s favorite part.
The sharing portion also acts as our accountability. Everyone knows they’ll be reporting back on their activities. Even my two-year old loves showing off her work.
If you wander off or spend the time daydreaming, you won’t have anything to show.
This accountability also keeps me on task. It’s tempting to spend the time checking email or social media feeds, but when my kids ask me what I did, I like to be able to tell them I wrote a blog post or finished a chapter in my next book.
Want More Information?
I’ve written extensively on Family Writing Time. Here are some relevant links for you, with plenty of ideas to keep your kids engaged!
How to Get Started with Family Writing Time (Start Here!)
10 Summer Ideas for Family Writing Time
7 Activities for Spring Family Writing Time
Family Writing Time Activities for Fall
Cookie Sheet Activities for Family Writing Time
Need to Troubleshoot Family Writing Time?
If something isn’t working for you, there’s a whole section devoted to troubleshooting Family Writing Time in my new eBook, The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Family Writing Time. You’ll also find:
- Benefits to Family Writing Time
- How to implement Family Writing Time
- Sample guidelines
- My number one strategy to make Family Writing Time a success
- A supply list
- Dozens of ideas for Family Writing Time projects
Interested? Learn more here.
Have You Implemented Family Writing Time Yet?
I’d love to hear how it works for your family. Are you having any problems? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I can help.
X is for…
The letter X was the most difficult to for me to figure out when I was brainstorming this series, but I finally figured it out! Come back tomorrow to see what this letter is for.
Lisa Tanner is a former teacher turned homeschooling mom with 11 kids. She's also a successful freelance writer. Lisa enjoys helping other busy moms find time to start and grow a side hustle of their own.
