I belong to several homeschooling groups on Facebook, and one topic that is endlessly interesting to others and myself is what other homeschoolers’ daily schedules look like. There is no right answer; what works for one family doesn’t work for another, and what works one year might not work the next. I’ve read about a billion blog posts about homeschool schedules, and ours seems to be a little different. It’s probably my own insecurity, but I feel like I keep reading that homeschooling takes twenty minutes on the couch to complete and I marvel that anyone is able to do this! Is there something wrong with us?! But to each his own. But here’s how we do it, after several weeks of experiments:
First of all, I team teach with my sister, which may mark us as unusual from the start. We do three days at her house and one day at mine because the classroom proper is at her house, while mine has a three season porch. For us, a classroom works much, much better. The fifth day we stay at our own homes, and do more casual school activities. This schedule is for a first grader, two pre-K students, a 3-year-old, and an infant.
Homeschooling: A Sample Schedule
8:45–arrive, potty run, brush teeth (ever since our unit on dental health!)
9-9:30–Centers: science/math, quiet (books, car carpet, etc), and art
9:30-10–Circle: weather, calendar, patterns, etc.
10-10:30–Math (which includes, games, manipulatives, etc. NOT all or even mostly seatwork.) Somewhere in here the 3-year-old wanders upstairs to hang out with the “off” teacher; shes free to come and go as she likes throughout the schedule. The infant naps.
10:30-11–Science (except on Thursdays, when we have a science lab after lunch.)
11-11:30–recess
11:30-12–History/Geography: this has included map skills, continents, and world cultures this year.
12-12:30–French: again, a lot of games and interactive work.
12:30-1–Lunch (sometimes a meal from a different culture we are studying with accompanying music.)
1-1:30–Recess for those who finish lunch in time
1:30-2:30ish or done–Language Arts while three-year-old and infant nap. The Pre-K’s don’t last this whole time so they stop when they start getting too silly!
Looking at this schedule (and living it!) it feels like school lasts all day, which would be a bit much for our little guys. In reality, our actual schoolwork is about 3.5-4 hours, with much of it being active play and read-alouds. The key to getting through a day for us has been sticking to the schedule. Otherwise, it degenerates into chaos and we make no progress.
What does your homeschool day look like? I love to read how other people do things!
Also Read Enjoy an Amazing Trip to LEGOLAND California with Kids Go Free Offer
My, that sounds busy for kids under 7. Play is still a huge part of their development at those ages. I do remember by kids used to love science experiments when they were little, they all big now, 16, 14 and 10, cherish every moment, they grow up before you know it!
I couldn’t wait to read your homeschool schedule. I’ve got mine going live on Monday. We do things quite a bit different than you now. Of course, our kids are older and it’s just me doing it all with them on this end. We have enrolled them in an online public school again, but I’m still the one who does 3/4 of their teaching, though.
I think it’s neat how you and your sister work together to teach your kids. I also feel that if you can have a set schedule it makes it a lot easier to manage. Since you’re starting your kids off early on with this type of schedule it won’t be a huge adjustment when they get older.
Thank you for sharing all of these great suggestions with us on the #HomeMattersParty. We hope to see you next week when we open our doors at 12 AM EST on Friday.
Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!