Planning your homeschool day will help keep you organized and reduce stress for your family. A daily schedule will also allow your children to get into a routine and know what to expect from their homeschooling experience.
Even a loose homeschool schedule can help keep you and your kids on track.
While homeschooling is a lot more flexible than traditional schooling, you should still set up a general daily schedule that fits your family’s needs. Follow these tips to schedule a homeschool day.
Set a start time
It’s important for new homeschooling parents to set a daily start time, especially if you are worried about your own discipline when it comes to home education. Consider your kids’ natural waking time and allow time for breakfast before you start your day.
Keep demanding tasks in the morning
Most children (and adults) possess better focus and concentration mid-morning. This is the period where you should schedule the meat of your curriculum: the essential lessons and more difficult subjects.
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Find one-on-one time
If you are homeschooling more than one child, find one-on-one time where you can concentrate on individualized teaching each day. You can do this by scheduling independent reading time for the other children during this period.
Get creative in the afternoon
Schedule creative, time-consuming, hands-on projects in the afternoon. The afternoons are also perfect for going on field trips, getting outside for active play or meeting up with other homeschooling families.
Don’t forget breaks
Be sure to include breaks and time for lunch on your schedule. For younger children, it’s very important their homeschool day is broken up into small, manageable chunks of time.
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Stay flexible
Remember: Your schedule is just a guideline. You don’t have to stick to rigid time restrictions, unless that’s how your children thrive. Be flexible and willing to move projects and lessons around as necessary.
Try sample homeschooling schedules
A number of websites offer samples of how to schedule your homeschool day. Check out the sample daily homeschool schedules submitted by parents at About.com, as well as the sample homeschool schedules and other homeschooling tips from Homeschooling-ideas.com.
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