I think we put too much emphasis on having a schedule. Creating a homeschool schedule can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many different ways to organize your time and make learning fun.
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Creating A Homeschool Schedule, and Have Time To Spare
When I talk to parents new to homeschooling one of the biggest questions is, “how do you plan your homeschool day?”
Since most of us grew up in traditional schools, we tend to gravitate towards a traditional schedule. But, one of the benefits of homeschooling is flexibility.
How to Start Creating a Homeschool Schedule
While high schoolers need significantly more structure than younger children, and no child needs to spend more than four to five hours a day on schoolwork.
Decide your schedule.
What days are you going to do school? What days are you normally out of the house? For example: we have a homeschool group on Wednesday afternoons and go grocery shopping on Friday mornings.
We plan lighter days for Wednesday and Friday so I don’t feel like we are rushing, or getting upset that no one is moving fast enough. (It happens between all of us.)
Choose your school calendar.
Are you going to follow the public school calendar? We try to finish our year between the middle and end of May. June is a beautiful month, and we are planting in our garden and I don’t want to try and fit everything in those days.
Decide which subjects you will teach on which days.
Please don’t try to teach every subject every day. For example: math and language arts are every day, but science is Tuesday, history on Thursday, etc.
Find a document/planner that you enjoy using.
I like paper planners. Writing things out in colored, erasable pencils helps me to see things more clearly and stick to a plan. Maybe you like digital planners instead.
Find what is easier for you instead of what someone else tells you to use.
Schedule your homeschool hours.
When you are first starting out, I think it is important to have school hours. When you are going to sit down with your children and read together, do math, etc. BUT you really need to keep in mind that everyone is different.
I think now it’s more important to have a time that you end your day. No more school after 12pm, or whenever works.
Create an outline for the day.
An outline for your day is not to make sure you stick to it. Instead, use it as a way to keep on track. Sometimes we just forget what we should be doing next. We are human. We do forget things.
Creating a loose outline from the time you get up till either you go to bed or till you are finished with your homeschool day. It is helpful for creating a routine at the beginning of each school year as well, no matter how long you have been homeschooling. We all struggle to get back into a routine after summer vacation.
Write everything in pencil.
Never write your lessons in pen. This is asking for things to fall apart. Always use pencils, I love these color pencils, they add a pop of color, I can color code things, and make changes as needed.
Creating a homeschool schedule is important for ensuring that you get your year off to a great start. A schedule can also help to keep your family organized and on track. Take the time to create a schedule that works for you and your child, and enjoy the wonderful world of homeschooling. You can change it all up later on as you feel you need to.