When starting to homeschool your children, creating a homeschool schedule that works for your family can be difficult. Wondering how to get everything done - schooling, housework, outside responsibilities, can seem overwhelming, especially for new homeschoolers.
Creating a homeschool schedule for your family is very important. It will help you stay on task, remind you what to do and help your family achieve their educational objectives. It is important to consider your family dynamics when creating your family's schedule. You must be realistic in your expectations – everything can not be done in one day.
An effective homeschool schedule will:
1. Guide you in accomplishing your daily goals.
The best homeschool schedule for your family will help you take control of your time and reach your goals. An effective schedule will help you and your family complete daily tasks efficiently, making the most of your time. Your schedule will help give you direction, so at the end of the day, you can see progress. Looking back and seeing accomplishment is so satisfying – even if it seems insignificant.
For me getting a couple loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and PUT AWAY is a significant accomplishment. To someone else, it may be a piece of cake. Somehow I get it laundered and folded into baskets, but there it stays. It takes great effort for me to get the laundry out of the laundry basket and into our drawers. I have come up with some creative solutions to minimize my weakness, but for me seeing empty laundry baskets is a huge victory! :)
2. Keep you on track.
It is so easy to loose focus. You start doing laundry, cleaning the house, reading your emails (big mistake!) :) and pretty soon an hour has passed, the kids are running around the house or school room playing, with their projects and assignments incomplete!
Using a timer is great way to keep track of those minutes that slip away. Find a timer that rings or beeps loudly and constantly, until someone turns it off. Getting up to turn off the timer, or to reset it, will keep you accountable to your schedule and keep you from getting side tracked.
3. Allow flexibility.
There is no typical home school day. What you do and when you do it is entirely up to you and your child. Teachable moments come at many times during the day, in a variety of ways.
More than anything your schedule should allow you some flexibility. Being too rigid in your scheduling will result in frustration and failure. Don’t let the schedule control you. It’s supposed to simply be a guide to help you accomplish daily tasks and move you toward your bigger goals.
A homeschool schedule will not only guide your family in reaching educational achievements, but more importantly, help your family work more efficiently to fulfill your unique goals, your family mission and purpose in life. When creating a homeschool schedule for your family, you may have to try many different homeschooling schedules to find one that works the best for your family.
It may take a little time to discover a schedule that works for you, but be patient, you will find one!
Copyright 2007 Heather Gneco
You can homeschool your child successfully and affordably! From her personal experience as a home educator and group leader, Heather Gneco shares valuable insight to help you increase time, save money, and provide your children the best homeschool experience possible. For more homeschooling success tips, visit: http://www.homeschool-curriculum-savings.com
