![]() ![]() You might need more flexibility in your daily schedule. ![]() Maybe your children would really enjoy Science Camp in the summer. ![]() Maybe it works better for you to take care of the entire week’s science on Friday. This applies to homeschool scheduling too! Don’t fall into the trap that you have to follow the Instructor’s Guide perfectly. Always think of ways to maximize your school day. What is the most efficient use of every part of your day? Can you do a Read-Aloud during snack time or lunch? Do you travel during the day? Can you get an audiobook to listen to in the car? Maybe you can do some map work during breakfast. Of course it depends on age, but for elementary school age children, I recommend at least a mid-morning break, an after lunch break, and a mid-afternoon break of approximately 30 minutes each. Even if you are a power-through type, your children will need breaks. Study after study shows that kids need breaks to move and explore. Allow for Breaks in Your Homeschool Schedule ![]() If you set up a flow and make your expectations clear, you’ll find that the kids catch on pretty quickly, and you’ll be speeding along before you know it. When my children aren’t busy on a lesson with me, they are either doing an independent assignment, a computer game, or a math card game. Sonlight calls these skill-based topics the Table Subjects™. In this way, I’m able to teach my Kindergartner through my sixth grader individually. During this hour, I rotate kids through in 15 minute lessons in math and language arts (reading, phonics, writing, language arts). We have a Math Block and a Literacy Block. The best tip I have for teaching multiple levels is to block your time. I don’t skimp in this area because it’s everyone’s favorite time of day. My kids range from kindergarten to sixth grade, and we spend almost an hour every morning on couch subjects. Give yourself a good block of time for this. But typically these are Bible, History, Read-Alouds, and Science. What subjects are Couch Subjects™? Of course, you can study anything you want as a family on the couch. These hours will be cherished for years to come as precious family memories. It’s a sacred time of day when the whole family gets together to learn and grow. This is another reason to cover them first-you know they’ll get doneįinally, reading together on the couch provides the perfect connection time. We need our coffee, they need Couch Subjects™.Ĭouch Subjects™ are also easy to postpone, delay, and skip. I don’t know anyone who wants to wake up and immediately start working. I prefer to start the homeschool day with Couch Subjects™ because these provide a gentle and natural transition from waking up to learning. Schedule Your Homeschool Day with Couch Subjects™ First The biggest mistake homeschool moms make is over scheduling based on unrealistic expectations. If your family never wakes before 9 a.m., don’t ambitiously start your schedule at 8 a.m. Think about what time your family will realistically wake up and get started, and begin your schedule there. If you’re a leisurely homeschool family, you’ll want to block off anywhere between 6-8 hours a day. If you’re a plow-through family, you’ll want to schedule a four-hour window of work each day. So first, you’ll need to determine what type of homeschool day your family needs now. In other years, I’ve savored the slow flow of a low-key homeschool day.īoth are valid approaches. Some years, I’ve powered through our day with an energetic "let's get this done" approach. What Kind of Homeschooler Are You This Year?Īre you a plow-through type of homeschool family who likes to get school done by noon? Or do you like to take a more leisurely approach, stretching out your day to include several breaks?Īt my house, we’ve been both because different years have demanded different types of homeschooling. ![]()
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