There are multiple ways to approach your weekly homeschool schedule. I believe some are definitely better than others. I prefer the tortoise approach – small consistent efforts every day in every subject. (Click here to see what subjects we hit every day for second grade.) There is even research to back up the fact that it leads to better memory retention. If you find yourself wanting to get more done in your homeschool day, I have some tips below. And a free printable weekly homeschool schedule.
Popular Weekly Homeschool Schedule Types
When it comes to making a weekly homeschool schedule, it seems popular now to experiment with “loop schedules” and “subject immersion”. I think both are counterproductive if learning the material is the objective. And I would love to make a case for the blocked schedule and the power of daily consistency if you find you are on the fence about how to schedule your homeschool week.
Loop schedules are about rotating through several subjects in the same block of time each day. So you’re getting through a list of material, but it’s not happening every day or even every other day. As a type-A productivity geek, the lack of planning here would drive me crazy.
As for subject immersion, the only arguments I have seen for studying one subject per day have been in traditional classroom settings that don’t have the flexibility of homeschooling. Once you take into account the advantages of homeschooling, the arguments for this approach disappear. We don’t cut off a subject when a bell rings and I already have the option to be creative with material without having to have an entire day dedicated to the subject.
In fact, I would go so far as to say these approaches are seriously detrimental to the learning process and just as important – memory retention. Many educators have waxed eloquent about the need for daily, consistent efforts. Studies have shown that people who practice a skill consistently in short periods over a longer period of time, not only perform better but retain the information for longer.
I’m not here to say you HAVE to do your homeschool week a certain way, but if you think you can’t do every subject every day, then I’m here to say it IS possible. And if that is what you’re aiming for, I have a few suggestions.
Common Obstacles to Fitting It All In Your Weekly Homeschool Schedule
If you’re only managing to get math and English done during the course of your homeschool day and not getting to science and history or a foreign language or music practice or whatever else you’re aiming for, here are some places I see homeschool moms getting hung up on:
- Trying to multitask housework or other work during school hours. Studies show that multitasking just simply is not a thing. I’ve found that blocking out school hours – whatever you want those to be – and being in teacher mode during those hours is the best way to make effective use of your school time.
- Spending too much time on each subject is another area I see new homeschoolers making mistakes. Less time per day, but consistent study every day is going to be most effective for learning and memory retention. You don’t need to spend an hour or two on each subject. It would be better to have shorter lessons and study the subject every day. It also keeps it interesting for the student.
- Not being organized. Looking ahead in the teacher’s guides, having all the materials you need for school that day out and ready is a key to keeping the school day flowing smoothly and not wasting time.
- Not being prepared. For me, this means having our school area (aka, the kitchen table) cleaned the night before a school day. It also means that at the end of a week, I have my next week’s schedule prepared. I know what experiments we’re doing (and what I need to buy that weekend). I know what books we need from the library and what projects we’re starting. That way, when the alarm goes off to start school, we’re all in school mode and everything is ready to go.
How I Approach A Homeschool Week
- I start with the big picture – the school year.
- I don’t start weekly planning until I know the extracurricular schedule for the semester.
- I plan one week in detail at a time (unless there are special circumstances).
Plan for the Academic Year First
When it comes to homeschool planning, step 1 is always to have a big picture for the academic year. For example, getting through a curriculum. When you know how many lessons you have to cover, you can calculate how many lessons need to be done per week. For us, a subject like history only has 3 lessons per week. Because some of the reading passages are longer, I know I have 2 days to finish readings and/or work on projects. Once you do this for each subject, you will have an idea of what your week needs to look like. I also write down benchmarks, like where we should be at the end of first semester, before spring break, etc.
Don’t Start Planning Too Early
If you’re like our family and extracurriculars are a big priority for you, you’re going to have to plan in advance for some school days being short. Resist the urge to start planning your homeschool schedule during the summer when you have no idea when extracurriculars are scheduled.
One Week at a Time
I like to make each weekly schedule one week at a time. As we wrap up school on Friday, I’m making the schedule for next week. Obviously, it’s important to factor in what activities are coming up. I’ve already figured out what needs to happen each week to stay on track for the school year. I don’t overwhelm myself by trying to make every weekly schedule up front. Life happens. Erase, rewrite and move on. (My only exception to this is when I’m expecting a baby during the school year, which is currently the case. I will sketch out the rest of the semester so I have a good idea what we’re doing. And I don’t feel pressured to make a new schedule every Friday because I probably will be too busy/distracted/sleep-deprived.)
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