Audiobooks are the Answer

We’re in ‘Week 2 of Unexpected Homeschooling’ as I write this. Lunch is cleared away and I’m sitting in the quiet on the sofa. This is my sanity hour and I highly recommend it!

Since the kids were small we have kept ‘nap time’ and so the children are used to going to their rooms or own space for an hour. If they are engrossed in something it’s often longer. I wouldn’t want to interrupt them after all, would I?!

With this ‘Unexpected Homeschooling’ predicted to last for a few months, this post lunch rest time is going to be key for me and for the family. My children know I’ll be tired and grumpy if not. So if you are having to juggle work – here is an uninterrupted hour. Or just an hour to collapse with a coffee and close your eyes. The kids in our house appreciate having some time apart and come back together for the afternoon wanting to see each other. Always a bonus! If you haven’t introduced a rest time of some description into your day already, I really recommend it.

What the children might get up to in their rest time is obviously age and interest dependent but here are some ideas to get you started:

school work for older ones
read a book or magazine
write letters
keep a diary
look at picture books
draw
quiz and puzzle books / suduko
jigsaw puzzles
play with toys – dolls, cars, trains
construction toys – lego, marble run, kapla planks
loom bands, Hama beads, aquabeads
electronics kit
design a game

This quiet hour can be a particular challenge with young ones who perhaps don’t like playing independently for too long, but this is where audiobooks have been my answer and I hope they will be a massive help to you too.