How to Organize a Home School Schedule
How to Organize a Home School Schedule
If you’re planning to home school your children, one important part of your planning is to create a good schedule. Organizing that home school schedule will help you get your days planned out and your child’s education in order. Check out these tips to help you pull it all together.
Figure Out a Starting and Stopping Time
Decide upon a start time for your home school days. An end time will vary every day, but you can generally plan a stop time that you can expect to be finished up by. The important part is to stay consistent with a starting time. That will help you establish a routine that you and your kids can get used to.
Be Flexible
Keep in mind that your schedule doesn’t need to be written in stone. That is one of the beauties of home schooling — you can adjust things to fit your daily needs. Remember that your ability to be flexible with your schedule will mean that when your child is especially engrossed in a science project or a favorite book, you can let them have extra time to explore that interest. Flexibility in home schooling also means that if your child is having an “off” day, it’s really okay to put aside book lessons and go outside, go for a walk, or have an impromptu field trip to the park, a museum, or some other local site.
Schedule Breaks
Kids need breaks in the middle of their school work. This helps them focus, but it also keeps them from getting bored. Scheduling breaks throughout the day will allow the kids to stop and grab a snack, stretch, and have a little down time before they tackle their next task.
Encourage Independent Learning
Encourage your kids to spend time following their interests. This means you can rearrange your schedule one day to spend the day doing art projects if that is what works best for you and your kids. Home schooling allows you to adjust things so you can spend extra time pursuing whatever piques your child’s interest.
When creating your daily schedule, be sure to include a block of time that is dedicated to independent learning. This can be an opportunity for your child to research a subject they are interested in or work on their own choice of projects. Their independent learning could be watching a DVD about a favorite subject or doing a craft that coincides with an interest. When kids are interested in something and choose to learn on their own about it, they will retain much more.
Make Sure There is Group Time
While independent learning is wonderful, doing projects together as a group helps you and the kids bond. Schedule a time during each week when you and the kids can work on things together as a group.
The best part about a home schooling schedule is the flexibility and the time together as a family. Don’t lose sight of these things and your schedule will work out great!
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