Not everyone will have the same enthusiasm when they hear the words: homeschool schedule. For a lot of us, it’s a dreaded task because we’re not really sure how to create one which will work for our family. And — to be honest — we won’t know whether it will work until we try it out.
The thought of creating a schedule might put you off because it’s something you’ve never done before and overthinking it can leave you feeling a lot more stressed.
Hold on, let’s take a breather. Creating a homeschool schedule doesn’t need to be stressful, and it doesn’t need meticulous planning.
When broken down and taken step by step, it’s a lot easier to work out. And the more schedules you create, the closer you’ll get to figuring out your best homeschool schedule.
Organisation is key, right? And when you know what you’ve got planned for the day, week or month, it puts your mind at ease, leaving you feeling like you can take on anything.
Whether you’re a lover of schedules or not, a bit of structure is great for children. They will feel more confident and comfortable knowing what to expect and they’ll look forward to the regular activities on their schedule.
You’ll also feel like you can tackle the day without having to worry about what you are doing next because you’ll have everything planned out.
A schedule doesn’t have to be set in stone. Sometimes, you might find that your schedule isn’t working or that there’s too much or too little on it. That’s why you can chop and change it as much as you like. Finding a schedule that works is all about being flexible and experimenting.
Feeling overwhelmed isn’t nice, but having a schedule definitely keeps you from feeling it so much. And because a schedule helps you to stay organised and structures your day, you won’t feel as unprepared. In fact, if only for a little while, you’ll feel like you’ve got it all figured out!
Getting things done, even those mini accomplishments, is such a wonderful feeling. Who else mentally ticks things off in their head once achieved? And when you’re able to relax at the end of a long day and look back on all the things that your children (and you!) have done, you’ll feel proud and encouraged to do it all again the next day.
Before you even start creating your homeschool schedule, you should ask yourself these 7 questions first. Not only will doing so help you to figure out what kind of schedule is going to be best for your family, it will also start you off on the right foot and you’ll be able to plan your schedule better.
Schedules are flexible and so are these steps! They can be done in any order you choose!
The first thing that you might want when creating a homeschool schedule is to write down your families’ homeschool goals. Think about what you want to achieve, what your children want to learn and the goals and aspirations that they have. This will help you to create a schedule that strives towards fulfilling these goals and any future ones.
Knowing your learning style can help you to create and adapt your schedule as and when needed. Your schedule will also look different depending on what learning style you choose. If your family decides on unschooling, you’ll likely want to include lots of independent learning on your schedule. If roadschooling is your choice, you’ll want to factor in how much and when you will be travelling.
You’ll want to create a list of everyone’s current commitments so that they can be added to your schedule. This could include work commitments, appointments, current clubs and so on. Once everything that needs to be on your schedule is added, you can then start to plan around these commitments.
It’s nice to get input from your children on what the schedule should look like. After all, it’s their schedule too. You could even consider having mini schedules for each of your children if they all do different things and follow a main schedule for everything that you do together.
To make your schedule easier to read and manage, it’s worth creating categories for each of the things you do. Having categories will also help you to work out how much of certain things you do and whether you need to do more or less of something.
When you outline weekly, monthly and yearly goals, you’ll be able to tailor your schedule to help achieve these goals. Having goals also ensures that you’ll rarely struggle to fill your schedule with things to do because you’ll know what you’ve got to do to eventually reach the goal.
Once you’ve outlined your goals and know your commitments, you can start planning out your days. Remember, not every day needs to look the same and you can be as flexible as you like. If one day is filled with activities, the next day could be more relaxed.
Going away is always exciting but it also involves a lot of planning, which can throw our schedules off a bit. So, if you know you’ve got an upcoming holiday, plan for it in advance and adapt your schedule so that you’re less likely to feel unprepared or be all over the place nearer the time.
If you really want to stay organised and you favour a more structured homeschool schedule, you’ll likely want to allocate time blocks for the different activities and subjects that your children do. Having time blocks also ensures that you only spend a certain amount of time doing something. This can prevent your children from burnout when doing too much of one thing.
A good schedule always has space for breaks and free time. And if you allocate a certain amount of time to having a break, you’re more likely to take one because it is part of your schedule. Some of us might mean to take breaks, but if it’s not on our schedule it’s easy to get carried away with the many other things that we need to do. The last thing you want is to fill your schedule with too much, only to realise that it just isn’t possible because it will leave you all feeling more drained than accomplished.
There’s no set rule for how much time should be spent learning and having fun, and balance isn’t necessarily 50/50. What’s important is ensuring that you have the right balance and a balance that works for your children. If they’ve done quite a lot of learning, seem bored or irritable then it’s probably time to schedule in some fun! This is when schedules can get flexible, but go with it. Not everything needs to be planned to a T.
The most important thing to do once you’ve created your homeschool schedule is to review it regularly. What once might have seemed like an ideal schedule and one that worked can soon become one that just isn’t working as well as it should. By discussing what’s working and what’s not, you can make the necessary changes so that everyone stays happy and motivated.
When adapting your homeschool schedule, here are a few things you need to keep in mind:
Because not every day is likely to be the same, a daily homeschool schedule proves useful for those who want to plan their day either first thing in the morning or the night before. It can also be less overwhelming when planning day by day, rather than weekly or monthly.
Weekly homeschool schedules are great for people who like to know what their week is going to look like. Although it involves a bit more planning to start with, it’s less hassle than having to think about what you are going to do on the day.
For those who like to be prepared and enjoy planning, a monthly schedule is great for long-term goals and knowing which direction you are heading.
Remember, a homeschool schedule can be as simple or at long and detailed as you like. Always do what works best for you and your family!
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