As the school year gets underway, families crave routine and structure. Homeschooling is unique in nature because it is not structured like a typical 8-2 school day. There really are no “rules” when it comes to how you run your day.
While some families love the creative control over their schedules, others find this idea overwhelming. If you are dreading the idea of creating your own school schedule, we have put together some ideas to help you do just this. If you’re unsure about what curriculum to use, too, let us help! Strike School offers comprehensive and personalized learning plans for each child that will pair well with whatever schedule you create for your family.
Start with the big picture, then fill in the rest.
One way to create a homeschool schedule is to begin with the big picture. Start with a broad overview of different commitments, activities, and appointments, and plot them visually on a calendar. If you love going digital, use Google Calendar. For analog fans, consider printing out a calendar or purchasing a physical planner. From there, plot out when you will do lessons and schoolwork.
Allow for flexibility throughout the day.
Since your child will be with you for the entire day, and since homeschooling lets you set your own schedule, it’s important to leave room for flexibility. Being flexible is important because you will have unplanned things come up throughout the day, or appointments you need to make. Children will also need breaks from learning, or you may just want a reason to get out of the house for a few hours.
Split the day into bite-sized chunks.
When creating your homeschool schedule, we recommend splitting your day into bite-sized chunks. This is helpful for children because they need time to process what they’ve learned and to get wiggles out and move. Due to shorter attention spans, younger children also need shorter lessons. Consider spreading your children’s lessons throughout the day as well to help break up the school day.
Consider your children’s ages.
Younger children don’t have as long an attention span as older children do. For children in preschool and early elementary, their attention spans last around 10 minutes. High schoolers’ attention spans, however, can last about 40 minutes. Keep these differences in mind as you plan your homeschool schedule. Younger children will need shorter lessons with more breaks and time to move built in. Older children can handle more complex tasks for a longer period of time.
Leave time for fun.
Finally, make sure you build leisure time into your homeschool schedule! There are endless ideas for incorporating fun into your day. Consider turning Fridays into a field trip day as a reward for the week’s hard work. Use it as an opportunity to tie it into a subject you’re studying. If you’re reading a book that was made into a movie, have a family movie night, and then compare and contrast the book and movie. Check out this post for more ideas on adding fun into your homeschool schedule.
It can be tricky to figure out what routine works best for your family, but Strike School can help! Our Learning Coaches are all highly qualified and will work with you to develop a plan that will set your child up for success. Get started with us today.
