6 Steps to the Perfect Homeschool Schedule

Are you tired of planning and re-planning out your homeschool year? There is nothing worse than spending hours upon hours getting organized only to have 2 weeks of sick days to throw a wrench in the works.  Or do you start off the year strong, checking off each item from your homeschool planner…..only to completely ignore your plans by the second month in?  Well, guess what?  It doesn’t have to be this hard.  Today, I’m gong to share 6 Simple Steps you can follow to create YOUR perfect homeschool schedule.

 

Sticking to a homeschool scheduled doesn’t have to be that hard.  In fact, it can really be quite easy with a little preparation at the start of the year.  Here are six tangible ways you can make your homeschool schedule work for you.

 

Choosing the Right Start And End Date

Between September 1 and June 1 there are195 weekdays. Most curriculums have 170 days of lessons

So, if your curriculum has 170 days in the curriculum, you could feasibly start the school year September 1, and end June 1 and still have 15 weekdays off.

15 days might seem like a lot but there is still more you need to consider.

1. Are you going to want specific holidays or birthdays off?
2. How many doctor’s appointments does your family typically go to in a year, including sick appointments?
3. Does your curriculum build in review days, or will your child need extra review time?
4. Will you be taking many field trips?
5. Does your child work well when they’re sick?If the answer is no, then you’ll probably need extra sick days.
6. Are you willing to have your children work in the evening if they didn’t complete their school work?
7. Do you want to go on a family vacation before all the other kids get out of school?

 

There is nothing worse than feeling like you need to cram lessons down your kids throats so they finish the school year on time.I would rather start our school year in the middle of August and end mid-June.That way I can have a few more flexible days during the year for Doctor’s appointments and field trips.

 

Staying On Track During School Hours

 

1. Have a consistent start time.If your kids are consistently not completing their work, then you may need to adjust accordingly.
2. Stay home during school hours as much as possible.
3. Don’t take phone calls during school hours.
4. Don’t do chores during school hours.
5. Pick up your groceries from the store using one of the many online shopping programs.
6. Use YouTube if your child is struggling with a concept but you don’t have instructional time to explain it multiple times.(I also find my kids hearing something explained in a different way by someone else generally helps them understand a new concept faster).
7. Plan daily breaks to help with focus.
8. Know what time of day your kids work best and plan accordingly.

 

Planning Ahead To Stay On Schedule

1. Know what assignments your kids can do on their own.Plan your days around it.
2. Get ahead on favorite subjects on weekends and days off.
3. If you need to miss a day during the week, work on Saturday.
4. Plan your week on Sunday evening.Do this every week, because curveballs happen.

 

What To Do When Something Derails Your Schedule

1. Build in plenty of flexible days at the beginning of the year so no one falls behind in work.
2. Complete the most critical parts of the missed lessons immediately but then move on and make everything else up gradually.
3. Extend your school day by ½ and hour to an hour until everything is made up.

 

Making The Most Out of Sick Days

1. If your kids are seriously sick let them rest as much as possible, otherwise, try and have them do some work.
2. Do the worksheets you can verbally.Obviously writing is an important skill, but for the sake of staying on schedule, you can do the writing for a day or two if your kids just can’t focus.
3. Read their lessons and books out loud to them.
4. Eliminate enrichment work until they’re better.
5. Watch educational cartoons or documentaries on what they’re currently working.

 

Staying Emotionally Healthy

An exhausted homeschool Mom is one who will have a hard time staying on schedule.

1. Get enough sleep.
2.  Stay home Sunday nights.Emotionally prepare yourself for the week.
3. Learn to say “I’m sorry no.My plate is too full with homeschooling.”A lot of people assume because you’re at home full time you can do favors for them or the church.Most of us have a hard time saying no.Homeschooling is a fulltime job.You can say no.I promise it gets easier.
4. Don’t do activities just for the sake of doing them.Take a step back.
5. Give yourself time out of the house without the kids.

 

Looking for more?

Print our Free SIMPLE Weekly Homeschool Planner Here.

 

 

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