Tips for Creating a Homeschool Routine

As we kick off another homeschool year, finding a new routine may be a top priority. For those just starting their first ever homeschool year, this can be one of the most daunting tasks. How can we structure our homeschool days to make the best use of our time? How do we find our own unique homeschool routine?

Homeschool Routine vs Regular School Schedule

Regular school runs on a schedule. Clear starts and stops are needed throughout the day in order to keep massive groups of kids organized. Homeschooling doesn’t need to run on a strict schedule. Sure, there are some families and kids who thrive on that kind of structure, but most of us don’t need a strict schedule.

We don’t need to start math at 9am and switch to spelling at 9:45. That rarely works for homeschoolers because the amount of time one subject takes can change (sometimes drastically) from day to day. There’s no reason to switch subjects if a child needs extra time or is on a roll and diving deep into a topic.

Creating a routine is more about deciding the flow of which subjects come at different points in a day and which subjects are done on which days. This can (and should) be very different for each family.

Combining Kids in Some Subjects

The first thing I look at is what subjects can be covered with multiple kids at one time. It’s fairly easy to combine closely aged kids in history, science, literature, and writing projects. Several curriculum publishers intentionally create programs with this purpose in mind. Identify which kids can be combined in which subjects. If you have kids within 3 years of age, definitely look at what they can do together. You can alter lessons to make it easier for the younger one or add books or projects for the older one.

Work Independently

Do you have a kid who needs extra hand holding for certain subjects? Do you have a kid who prefers to read the instructions for a lesson to themselves and can work mostly on their own? You may not be able to tell if you’re just starting your homeschool journey. That’s okay. Over time you’ll be able to see which kids can work independently for which subjects.

Using Time Productively

It’s the most productive use of my time if I can switch back and forth between my kids as they move through different subjects. I’ll have my oldest read to herself from her reader while I teach my youngest her math lesson. Then I’ll work with my oldest on spelling while my youngest finishes up her math workbook on her own. Then we may switch to something they do together such as language arts from IEW.

I try to visualize my movement throughout the day so that I can make the best use of their time. I don’t want to have one kid bored and waiting on me while I finish up with my other kid. Too much down time means that our school day will be much longer than it needs to be. A homeschool routine that uses time efficiently will allow you more time for extras such as field trips, nature hikes, and play time with friends.

Loop Scheduling

Using a loop schedule is perfect for those subjects that don’t need to be done every day. A loop is simply a list of subjects that are rotated throughout the week. Instead of assigning different subjects to different days, you just do what’s next on the loop schedule. Enrichment type classes are popular for using with a loop schedule. You may have a loop with art, music, coding, typing, and STEM projects. You would just rotate through that list and hit one or two of them each time you do any of these subjects.

Related Post: Making Homeschool Middle School Unique

One of our monthly morning baskets

Start the Day Together

I love starting our school day together. We use a literature rich curriculum for history and literature which means we read a ton of books throughout the year. One of the ways I accomplish this (without driving myself nuts) is to start the day with reading aloud. I read while my kids are eating breakfast. Then they run off to play while I eat breakfast. After we brush teeth and get dressed, we continue our school day with more books by using a Morning Basket. After that, we usually break apart and work on subjects that they don’t do together such as math, spelling, history, and science.

Related Post: Morning Basket Tips to Get Started

Setting a Weekly Routine

Many homeschoolers intentionally set out to do formal lessons only 4 days a week. That may not seem like much to those transitioning from a regular school schedule. The 5th day is often reserved for field trips, group classes, park days, nature hikes, and independent projects.

We have a hard time saying no to out-of-the-house activities. So, it’s pretty easy for us to fall into the habit of doing 2-3 day school weeks if we’re not careful. We aim for 4 days a week and make up lessons in the evenings or on the weekends when we don’t hit that goal.

If you’re in a homeschool group, it’s especially helpful to have a set schedule for activities. Knowing ahead of time that a specific day each week is set aside for group activities can make sticking to a weekly routine so much easier. Looking for a homeschool group? Check out that link for tips!

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Flexibility

Once you come up with a routine that you think may work, go ahead and give it a try for a few weeks WITH the understanding that it’s okay to throw out your plans and try something else. Actually, it’s highly unlikely that your first attempt at a routine will be successful. It often takes time and a few changes before finding something that actually works most days and weeks. Routines are meant to be flexible and change as needed for your family.