My Best Tips for Creating Your Homeschool Schedule

We’ve been homeschooling for a little more than five years now and I’ve made every mistake in the book when it comes to scheduling.

I’ve over-scheduled our days. Sometimes to the point that we feel like we don’t even have time to breathe. Or if one thing gets off track we’re doomed for the month.

I have under scheduled our days, to the point of forgetting core subjects (*cough* math *cough cough*).

Nearly six years in and I think I finally have a handle on scheduling.

Create A Homeschool Schedule You’ll Stick To:

1. Be Flexible: Make that schedule, but hold it loosely enough that you can make changes when — not if — they’re needed.
2. Re-evaluate Often: Home life changes. A lot. Sports start and end, seasons come and go. New babies are born, people are sick, families experience big life changes. Allow your homeschool schedule to shift as you need it. I find that re-evaluating our schedule every three months or so is often enough to make changes without changing our routine so often we can’t remember what’s what.
3. Don’t Rely On Memory: If it’s important to you, add it to your schedule. Don’t rely on your memory later. Do your thinking now and keep your homeschool sailing smoothly.
4. Build-in Flex Time: Here’s something that took me several years to figure out — build flexible time into your day and week . That way when something inevitably comes up, you can squeeze it in without completely de-railing your day or week. And if nothing comes up, your kids will love the surprise free play time.
5. Lean Into What Already Works: This will require honesty on your part. If you aren’t a morning person, don’t schedule lessons to start by 8 am. You’re never going to stick to that. Then you’ll be discouraged and constantly going back to the drawing board for a new routine. When what you really needed was to be honest with yourself. Look at what is already working in your day and build from there.

And my absolute secret weapon: Remember that your schedule should work for you, not against you. In other words, you’re not a slave to your schedule, it should serve you, your family, and your educational goals.