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Creating a homeschool schedule that works takes trial and error. What you design one year may change the next. If you have any major life change, like moving to a new home, having another baby, or getting a job, you’ll need to make adjustments. Kids change too, so what worked last year may not work this year.
Be realistic
Before you start filling up your schedule, be realistic. How much can you do? How much can your kids do? It’s easy for us to plan more than we can handle or need. I’m guilty of this every year. As time goes on I get stressed out, and then I stress my kids out. What I want is a simple life with margin, but my packed schedule looks anything but relaxed.
Choose curriculum wisely
Your curriculum choices can either hurt you or help you. If you choose teacher intensive programs, you have to consider how that will impact your day. How much time do you have to prepare material and give direct instruction?
I recommend choosing a variety of curriculum so that you can balance activities your kids can do independently with those that require teaching time. Maybe that means using an online software for reading or buying an all-in-one curriculum package where everything is mapped out for you.
If you are homeschooling several children, you can look for subjects, like writing, science, history, and art that you can all do together. Then you’ll have more time and energy for subjects like reading and math that need to be individualized.
Select a template
To get your schedule started you’ll need to select a template. There are many free templates available on the web. But you may prefer to type up your own using a simple Word document. Some people use purchased monthly calendars while others use bullet journals.
Using a combination of templates works well for different purposes. Make a hard copy schedule to put in notebooks and display one on the wall. Give your kids individual schedules that are reusable, like a checklist on a whiteboard.
Here are some ideas based on age levels. The younger the child, the simpler the schedule. The older the child, the more detailed you can make it.
- Primary Grades: clothesline schedule
- Older Elementary: printable checklist
- Middle & High School: student planner
Design your layout
Once you’ve chosen a template, design a layout that makes sense to you. I use a Word document and play around with fonts to make it “pretty.” Your layout doesn’t have to look fancy, but it should be user friendly. Do you need a five-day schedule or four-day schedule? Do you like portrait or landscape? Color or black and white? Time increments? Include weekends?
Below is schedule I made that corresponded with my daughter’s rainbow rolling cart (affiliate link). Each drawer was numbered and filled with work for different subjects each day.
As you can see, this particular year I planned way too much. It was a challenge to reach those blue and purple subjects and still have enough energy to do them. I remember we scaled back to science and history once a week and ditched the critical thinking, geography, and handicrafts. But it made for a visually-pleasing, well-organized system that I really liked.
I find it helpful to make several different schedules: a yearly schedule for the broad overview, a monthly schedule for units or themes, a weekly schedule for general reference, and finally, an individual daily schedule to keep your child focused on what needs to be done each day.
Once you start using your schedule(s) you’ll probably tweak it as you get into your homeschool rhythm and learn what works for you. The schedule above is a draft. I have my son’s first grade curriculum ready, but I’m fine tuning his schedule. This schedule may be simplified to math, read aloud, writer’s workshop, and science once I get a feel for how much he can handle.
Fill in family routines
After you’ve created a template for your schedule, fill in all your regular family routines. For example, you have a weekly game night on Fridays or spend Monday afternoons visiting Grandma. Put these in your schedule first so you don’t overlook your important family values.
Write in extra-curricular activities
Make a list of all the extra-curricular activities your kids are involved in and jot those times down in your schedule. This includes things like homeschool groups, library story hour, music lessons, swim lessons, cub scouts, and youth group.
In the schedule below we were out two mornings a week for a homeschool co-op and two evenings for ballet.
Set aside time for yourself
Make sure you have adequate time allotted for yourself. Put this in before any curriculum, especially if you’re a mom who does too much. If you’re an introvert, don’t guilt yourself from making time to get away from your kids for a bit. Recharging is important because homeschooling takes mental and physical energy.
For me, I use my son’s afternoon screen time to have a cup of coffee, catch up on email, and do other tasks that I want to do.
Finding time alone can be challenging if you’re a single parent of young children. But that’s why it’s even more important. Do you have a friend to swap time with or a relative nearby who’d like to do something special with your kids once a week, so you can do something for yourself?
Assign school subjects to remaining chunks of time
Another hint for making a homeschool schedule that works is to consider using chunks of time instead of rigid time increments for schoolwork. For example, early morning, late morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, and evening are natural chunks of time in a day.
- Early morning: Reading & Writing
- Late Morning: Math
- Early Afternoon: Other Subject
- Late Afternoon: Free Time/Outdoor Time
Here’s the weekly schedule I’m hoping to use with my first grader this year. We’ll ease into it over time. It’s a schedule I hope he can handle by the end of first grade.
Creating a homeschool schedule that works takes thought. First, take into consideration how much you can realistically do. Make some schedules for yourself, your household, and your individual children so that everyone has a reference and is held accountable. Change your schedule when needed until you find what works to make your days flow smoothly. Make sure the things you value, like family times and alone time, are included so you so they don’t get pushed aside or you get burned out.
Homeschooling gives you the freedom to make your own schedule. Use that to your advantage to make a homeschool schedule that works for you and your family.
