homeschool scheduling tips Archives

We’ve been homeschooling for nine years now. (Wow. It’s been nine years.) And in that time, I’ve heard no end of variations on the “I Want to Homeschool, But…” theme.

“I want to homeschool, but I’m too broke.”

“I want to homeschool, but I need to work.”

“I want to homeschool, but I’m not a teacher.”

“I want to homeschool, but I can’t take being around my kids all day.” (My personal favorite!)

But the one I’ve heard the most is: “I want to homeschool, but I’m too busy!”

Lots of people automatically think they’re too busy to homeschool. So if you’ve thought the same thing, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone! A lot of us (even veteran homeschoolers) have felt the same way!

If you think you can’t homeschool because you’re too busy, you might not be! Read on to find out just how flexible homeschooling can be, even for your full schedule.

Image c/o: creatista / depositphotos

Are You Too Busy to Homeschool?

I’m not going to begin by telling you that you’re not busy. It’s 2017. We’re ALL busy. Even people who don’t look busy are busy. And if you have kids, you are busy. Busy taking care of them, managing your home, possibly working or caring for aging parents (or both), and trying to maintain some semblance of health. It’s a lot. I’m not going to lie.

So if you’re thinking that homeschooling is something to add on top of all of these things, it’s no wonder that you feel too busy to homeschool. I would too! After all, if you’re already juggling bowling balls, it’s going to be harder if someone throws another one at you, right?

How to Make Homeschooling Fit Your Life

Here’s what I want to encourage you to do: change the way you think about homeschooling. It’s not actually a separate job to add onto your other responsibilities. Instead, it’s a continuous experience that can go on as you do other things.

“Homeschooling is not a separate task. It’s the constant in the background of whatever you do with your children.”

Look at like this: The device you’re using to read this post has several programs that automatically run in the background, no matter what app you use. So as you’re browsing the internet (and reading this post), your device is using a ton of other apps in the background.

These are not applications you have to stop and open up separately. In fact, if your device is running smoothly, you don’t even notice that they’re in operation. But they’re keeping up with every new program you open.

And that’s how homeschooling can be. When you think of it as an educational journey you travel with your children, it’s not a separate task that you have to begin and end at some other time in the day. It’s the constant in the background of whatever you do.

Naturally, you need practical homeschooling suggestions for putting together a schedule, choosing a curriculum, and teaching your kids, especially if you have more than one child. But please, please don’t dismiss homeschooling at the outset because you’re too busy. You CAN make it fit your life. You can.

Need more homeschooling support? Don’t miss these posts!

Plus, see more tips on my Homeschooling Pinterest board!

One of the major reasons we decided not to stick with public schooling was the super-packed daily schedule our family had to endure.

Between getting up early for classes, staying in school most of the day, completing hours of homework, and getting to bed early – we were frazzled.

Surprisingly, though, it’s easy to fall into a similar pattern as homeschoolers, especially if we’re active in extra-curricular activities, lots of field trips, or just a busy schedule.

Personally, I work a job in addition to running my website, in addition to homeschooling, so my weeks are pretty full.

A few months back, my children actually said to me “Can we just stay home today?”, which is when I realized that there wasn’t much “home” about our homeschooling.

So I set to work simplifying our routine and things have vastly improved.

If you also need to learn how to streamline your homeschool schedule, here are a few tips that worked for us.

If you’re a new homeschooler, these suggestions may help you avoid falling into the trap of overscheduling your days. (Unfortunately, it’s so easy to do this.)

If you’ve been homeschooling for years, these tips may help you scale back and simplify your approach.

Need more ways to prepare for your homeschool year? Don’t miss our list of tried and true homeschooling tips from veteran moms!

How to Streamline Your Homeschool Schedule

Reduce the number of daily/weekly activities.

Try to set a certain number of days per week you will stay home, if you can. If you have the leave the house every single day, work to reduce the number of different activities the kids have to do.

Try to get them on a workable routine they can expect to follow most days. It’s easier for them and for you!

Use a block schedule.

Block schedules are blocks of time designated for certain subjects. Rather than trying to schedule each school activity down to the minute, use hour or 90-minute blocks.

That way, the kids can continue with an activity they’re enjoying without worrying about time running out.

And you’ll have some downtime before starting another lesson!

Avoid long-term commitments, if possible.

Some extra-curricular activities require long-term contracts and agreements, which can make you feel “stuck”, even if the schedule isn’t working for your family.

When you’re first embarking on a new hobby or activity for the kids, try to choose one that only lasts for a few weeks. You’ll get a chance to “try it out” to see how it works for you before committing to it for an extended period.

Don’t hesitate to stop something.

Years ago, kids were taught that it’s important to stick with something and never give up. I know. I was one of those kids.

Here’s the thing: If homeschooling is not working for Mom (or Dad if he is the primary educator parent), then it’s not working for anyone else.

When you feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to stop a routine, a homeschooling method, or a class that is adding to the chaos. Don’t feel guilty about “quitting”. Feel good about choosing what is best for your family.

Want more ideas to help you homeschool the simple way? Don’t miss these posts!