Whew! After an eventFULL summer of catching up with neglected homeschool subjects and homeschool planning, I am ready to close the books and take a couple weeks off before starting school again. I officially finished my planning at 2:30 a.m. Monday morning so aside from some homeschool posts, I’ll be giving my brain a break so I can be ready to start school fresh again in a couple weeks.
Planning a schedule is one of the most challenging things I experience with homeschool. With a new child added to the mix every other year, I am in constant “go mode” as I shift and adjust my schedule to accommodate another child. When teaching a span of children from preschool to 6th grade with various learning styles, I have to make sure each child has the help they need to successfully progress through their school day.
Here is the system I like to use when planning my school year. Hopefully it will help you as you prepare for your upcoming school year. May you be encouraged and blessed as you embark on a wonderful and challenging journey of educating your child at home.
School Schedule
To make things easier for me, I try to create a structured schedule so I can allocate time where needed. My schedules have to be structured yet flexible since I am juggling six kids at the same time. So this is how I plan things out:
- I start off with a school schedule that is color-coded by child.
- I evaluate which subjects will be taught as a group (e.g., Bible, History).
- I assess which subjects I need to teach each child and the estimated amount of time.
- I estimate the time needed for each subject that each child can do independently.
- I highlight or color in the blocks of time that I need to be with each child.
Chart details:
- Across the top I have the time slots (e.g., 8-8:30 a.m.)
- Down the side (not shown) I have the name of each of my children.
- Each row represents one child. Each child has a different color (e.g., my youngest is yellow, my oldest is blue).
- The white boxes represent all the subjects my children can do on their own.
- All the various color-filled blocks show me the subject I have to teach and whom I am actively teaching during that block of time.
- The blocks that are color-filled all the way down are times I teach group subjects (e.g., Bible)
As you can see, there are NO slots of time where I am free! But if I give it my all, and EVERYTHING goes as planned EVERYDAY 😉 , I may get an uninterrupted potty break ♥ (the little pleasures in life).
While our schedule may change daily, this system gives me a general idea of how much of my time I need to dedicate to each child in the subject areas they need help in. It helps me see where I can make adjustments and prioritize teaching on days we have less time or unexpected things come up.
Daily Schedule
After I prepare my school schedule and I know how many hours I need to dedicate to schooling our children, I prepare a general daily schedule that fits most of our days. Some days we have homeschool activities, piano lessons, practice, etc., so I use this as an “at a glance” reference so I can prioritize what we HAVE to get done.
For many years, I would plan more in our school day than I was able to handle. I am praying this year will allow us to have more relaxed homeschool days. There are MANY days I just can’t do it all, so this year I am going to be intentional about having “grace” in my school. The less I try to control, the more I will enJOY. I pray that I will not grow weary in doing God’s work in our home. Blessings!
Let’s Talk
Do you have a schedule for your homeschool days? Do things work out better without a schedule? What works best for your family?
Wow! You are super organized. I always write up a “if all goes as planned schedule” but we never seem to stick to it. ha! But it’s funny because the kids seem to learn more on days that don’t go as planned than on days that do. So I try to be relaxed about it all. 🙂
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Thanks! I totally agree with being relaxed. My “schedule” doesn’t always go as planned but I use it as a guide. With six kids something is ALWAYS coming up and that is not including me 🙂 This schedule only fits for days we are home all which is really just a couple days. The rest of the week we have plan B which is bring all your books into the living room and knock everything out! Blessings!
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Wow! My lady, AWESOME! I just had a schedule, but my husband’s schedule just changed and so now I have to start all over again…lol good for you though! Best of luck, God bless!
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I know those schedule changes oh so well. I have my typed up and labeled but I have to constantly be flexible. My “schedule” is more like my daily “to do list” at a glance of what I need to accomplish daily and the time I need to do it. When my schedule changes, I know what I can put off or cancel to get through the day. It is a constant juggle. I hope you figure out your new schedule. Hang in there my friend! You are doing an AMAZING job! (especially with your cutie pie!!!). Blessings.
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Thank you! I do love your style! Total AWESOMENESS!😊
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Your ROCK my friend!! 🙂
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I SO love how organized you are! Having my day organized makes it go by so much better.
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Oh thank you so much! Sometimes I think I can be a little too structured but I don’t know any other way to keep six kids occupied. If they have just one minute with nothing to do, it always ends up in a mess 😉 I agree with you. When I have a plan of action, it helps the day go smoother. Thanks for the encouragement! I appreciate it so much.
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