Habit training and Charlotte Mason’s methods first intrigued me because I was interested in it for MYSELF.

Boy, did I really struggle with self-discipline. Well, I can still struggle, but it was worse when I was younger!

I grew up as a messy kid, didn’t brush my teeth regularly or shower regularly for a long time, and my room was usually a mess.

Once I was an adult, I was always late, I didn’t know my schedule, and would forget appointments or overbook myself.

I had trouble focusing and finishing things I started.

I would speak impulsively and not be careful with what I was saying, which often came out rude, something called the Open Mouth Insert Foot problem (my poor husband).

I was just a HOT MESS of a person.

Then I started having kids.

And I thought--- my kids are going to become like me… I don’t want them to become HOT MESS kids…

Maybe some things need to change.

That’s when I knew it really it started with ME.

*If this type of Hot Mess Mama resonates with you, first of all, keep reading, SECOND, you can check out my Easily Distracted Homeschool Mom series where I talk a lot about some of my best tips on how to homeschool with a “scatter-brained” personality.

But let’s go on to Habit Training our Kids.

(Watch Habit Training for Kids on Youtube)

Habits WILL be cultivated.

It’s a guarantee that they WILL happen, it’s just a matter of if they will be the RIGHT habits that we want to form.

As adults, there are so many thing we do automatically throughout the day, we don’t even think about it. For example, like where we drop our socks when we take them off at the end of the day, the route we take to the grocery, or the thoughts we think when somebody cuts us off, but these are things that were done over and over and over, and they eventually became automatic.

A great book on Habits in general is “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg. (Love it!)

But in it he says: “Habit Training is important to build automatic skills that are an automatic response to a situation.”

So, how does this apply to our children?

They are in the PRIME stage for habit FORMATION. They are not at that point where you have to help them break BAD habits yet, well, some of them aren’t, but our children’s growing brains are in the stage of habit FORMATION.

That’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it?

But it also gets me EXCITED. We need to grab ahold of this opportunity, not given to anyone else in the world, except YOU, as the mother of your children, to be INTENTIONAL and guide your children into GOOD HABITS.

So, let that sink in.

BUT don’t let the weight of that overwhelm you.

You have the Lord on your side leading and guiding YOU, and if you start with all of this ON YOUR KNEES, you will be doing well.

Also, there are some great TOOLS and RESOURCES out there to help you on this journey.

So in addition to starting with PRAYER and seeking God’s heart for your children, let me mention a few more things about habit forming before I share the resources:

This takes time

1. It takes repetition and redirecting

You will see fruit if you keep at it.

Charlotte Mason does say in her books that it’s like the grooves of a well worn wagon path. As the wagon travels on the road over and over, the wheels start to form grooves in the dirt. And eventually these well-worn grooves are just exactly where the wagon travels down every time without extra effort or thought.

But that doesn’t happen overnight. Same as with habit training our kids.

Continual repetition can feel exhausting.

Have you ever thought, “How many times have I told you?” Or “Why can’t you just get this?”

It is exhausting. But it is worth it. We are “laying down the rails” for the future for our children.

Charlotte Mason says:

The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children. All day she is crying out, ‘Do this!’ and they do it not; ‘Do that!’ and they do the other.

You can do this, mama! You can endow your children with good habits!

Alright, here are my favorite resources for habit training you kids.

Resources for Habit Training Kids

Charlotte Mason Habits by Deborah Taylor-Hough

This is both philosophical AND practical.

This book is an adaptation of Charlotte Mason’s original works. Deborah Taylor-Hough puts it into an easy to read format and I really benefitted from it!

This book really changed my life and taught me all about how kids learn and how habits are formed and how we can direct them in the right direction to form good habits.

She even lists all the habits that Charlotte Mason teaches homeschool moms and educators should work on intentionally with their kids.

Our 24 Family Ways by Clay and Sally Clarkson

A GREAT character training guide!

This is meant to be used as a Family Bible Study or Devotion.

It comes with lessons, coloring pages, Bible verse to read and or memorize. It addresses 24 Character habits you can work on together as a family.

We used this for a while and I think it is a great resource to be intentional in working on character habits with your kids.

Laying Down the Rails by Sonya Saffer from Simply Charlotte Mason

I have not used this whole book, but I have used the sample and I love this! She also breaks each character trait Charlotte Mason teaches in a simple way to follow, and gives practical ideas for how to do each of those with your kids.

A wealth of info and resources to help you and your kids “lay down the rails.”

Knights in Training by Heather Haupt

I used this for a few years with my boys.

Heather goes into practical ways to use the old Knight’s Chivilary code with your kids. And really, though this is focused on boys, I also used it with my daughter because many of the character traits are things she needs to learn as well.

Heather gives ideas for games, or outings, and shows how you can weave these lessons into every day life.

I LOVED this book and will be coming back to it again and again.

Other Great Resources for Character and Habit Training in Kids:

• Not Consumed Bible Study for Kids and Families
• More on Charlotte Mason Habit Building: Afterthoughts Blog by Brandi Vancel
• The Outdoor Life of Children
• Ideas and Books

This is just the FIRST post in my series on Habit Training Our Children. If you’d like to hear how I practically do habit training with my kids, be sure and subscribe to my email list or on YOUTUBE and keep your eyes open for that next video.

Would you like a FREE Printable Morning Checklist for your kids to use to get started with habit training?

You will get a download file with options for boys and girls, and different sheets with the jobs that are appropirate for 3-5 year olds, 6-8 year olds, and 9-10 year olds.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR PRINTABLE CHECKLISTS!

Does habit training your children sound hard and overwhelming or does it sound exciting to you? Let me know in the comments and let’s chat about it!

Welcome to Joyful Noise Learning! I’m Ashley and I homeschool my 3 kids. I’m a curriculum research junky and buyer, but I also love making my Biblically based, Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool fun and affordable for my kids. I’m also here for YOU, and want to encourage you in homeschooling as well. I’m so glad you’re here, and I’d love for you to join me on this journey.