Homeschool Schedules

Scheduling is hard for everyone. Homeschool schedules take it to the next level. It's tough getting all the dishes, laundry, shopping, cleaning and cooking done as it is. Add to that having to plan, execute, and maintain a homeschool, and you've got a real juggling act. BUT, it can be done, maybe not to Martha Stewart's liking, but it can be done. Thousands of families are living proof.

Establish a routine

Kids thrive on routine. A routine is "a repetitious performance of an established procedure." The same series of events happen in the same order each time. Children are comforted by the knowledge of knowing what will happen next. The children I taught in school spent the WHOLE day in a daze if we had an early morning fire drill. That wasn't the routine. A routine allows you to be in control of your activities, yet be spontaneous.

If you think about it, you probably already have a loose routine that goes something like this...get up, eat breakfast, work, eat lunch, work, have supper, work, bed. The things you do in the "work" times change from day to day, but the daily routine remains.

Think about the child who doesn't get a nap at the right time....

Hmmmm...Maybe having a routine isn't so bad!

Plan a schedule

You may choose a regular Monday to Friday school week, or you may choose to have a 4 day formal academic week with the fifth day reserved for field trips, lessons, or other activities. Some families choose to work on Saturdays rather than one weekday.

You can get up early and start school right away, or you can sleep late, and work into the night. School can be done in the morning, afternoon, or all day long. It all depends on your family's schedule, you children's needs and thier best times to learn.

FOr a different way of thinking about daily scheduling read my thoughts on using time blocks.

Establish Priorities

Housework is always easier if you place it in your daily plan and get your children involved. My children each have chores to finish before lunch each day and then help with some aspect of dinner preparation. Make chores age appropriate. For example, toddlers can pick up their toys, elementary age can empty the dishwasher, and older children can clean bathrooms. Don't despair if the towels aren't folded perfectly, keep teaching by example, I promise, they'll get better at it.

If you are a family blessed with the financial resources to hire outside housekeeping help, I would highly recommend it. I heard a quote from a homeschool dad who said, "I'd rather pay someone to clean my house so my wife can teach my kids, than pay someone to teach my kids to my wife can clean my house!" Make sure your children don't miss out on the advantages of learning to keep house. This can be done between cleaning service visits or through daily chores.

Don't forget to add time for God, your spouse and yourself in the daily plan. When your schedule is full (or better yet, before it gets full) start saying "no". It is easy to over commit. Don't let what's good replace what's best. This type of homeschool scheduling will allow you to see how your lessons will fit in. For more help with this, click here.

Be flexible

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