Many parents across the United States of America prefer homeschool education for their children, more so against the mainstream. You must understand that home school law and guideline needs children to receive sufficient education, which is appropriate for their age.
Furthermore, homeschooling is legal in the entire state. However, many parents find it tricky to develop a pre-defined lesson schedule for their children’s studies. And if they formulate one, they also find it challenging to stick to it. It might be challenging to create a homeschool template; having it will save you from many issues.
What Is a Homeschool Schedule?
A homeschool schedule is a schooling system for children based at home, and it is commonly practiced in the United States of America. Most parents prefer it over the mainstream system.
What Is a Homeschool Schedule Template?
A homeschool schedule template is a blank or editable document that guides you on how to create a homeschool schedule.
Is Your child eligible?
Suppose children attain school age. The law allows them to commence homeschooling via being taught by the guardian, tutor, and parent. You must know that the law prohibits children with special cases from homeschooling. Besides, it recommends parents take such kids to a special education center.
Benefits of Homeschooling
Homeschooling comes with numerous benefits, more so if you have a daily homeschool schedule. It is advantageous because it allows you to teach your children in a flexible and friendly environment. Here is an overview of homeschooling benefits:
Flexible schedules: It allows you to plan yourself in favor of your family setup and needs.
Conducive environment: Homeschooling enables your children to acquire education within your family and prevents them from mainstream system bullies.
Quality learning: This system has no competition because it allows your child to get maximum attention.
Guarantees your child humble time for outdoor: It gives your child sufficient time to mold, walk, do experiments, and play.
There are no laws for you to break: Homeschooling is legal in the USA. This means you cannot be sued for not taking your child into the mainstream system.
Homeschool Schedule Templates
How to Create a Homeschool Schedule?
After opting for home school and choosing the curriculum, you need to figure out how to develop a homeschool schedule. Bear in mind that this is the trickiest aspect of educating from your comfort zone. Moreover, most homeschooling parents now graduated from the traditional school setup, and their schedule was pretty easy. To make a homeschool schedule, you need to break it down into pretty manageable chunks:
Daily schedules
When people inquire about the homeschool schedules, they usually refer to a nitty-gritty daily schedule. Bear in mind that your state’s homeschool laws may somehow dictate your daily schedule aspects. It might require particular hours for your daily instruction.
If you are a new homeschooling parent, you might be wondering how long a homeschool day needs to be. Sometimes they think they are not doing enough because it takes them the utmost three hours to accomplish their work, especially when they are still young. Parents must understand that homeschool day does not take as much time as private and public school days. Homeschooling does not need you to create time for administrative tasks.
On the other hand, it might take you minimal time to cover almost all subjects when your child is younger, unlike when they grow older. This is because it will take them longer to finish their work. Therefore, ensure that you generate a rich learning environment for your kids, then you will discover that learning usually takes place when books are put aside. This is where students acquire extra hours to participate in extracurricular activities, explore electives, pursue their hobbies, and read.
Loop schedule
The loop schedule covers a list of activities you need to cover with absolutely no specific day to be covered. You and your student are likely to cover these activities as they turn out on the loop schedule. Block scheduling works efficiently as the loop schedule. This means you can block your schedule from Monday to Thursday and leave Friday alone as a day of a loop schedule.
Block schedule
A block schedule has single or many subjects allotted sufficient time for a couple of days of the week. You must know that block scheduling allows your students to focus completely on a specific subject without having to over-schedule your day. It gives you sufficient time for your activities, like science labs and history projects that are hands-on.
Weekly schedules
After coming up with your annual homeschool schedule framework, you can make your weekly homeschooling schedule. Similarly, it would help if you considered some factors, such as work schedule, whenever you plan the weekly schedule. Homeschooling is advantageous because the weekly schedule does not have to run from Monday to Friday. Suppose both parents or one has an unconventional work week. You can probably adjust the school days to increase family time. For instance, you can set aside Monday and Tuesday as your family day or even weekend if you work Wednesday to Sunday. The weekly homeschool schedule can be adjusted to match an irregular schedule of work. Furthermore, some families engage in regular school work four days every week, and the fifth day is reserved for field trips, and co-op, among many more activities.
Annual schedules
Before you engage in homeschooling, you need to consider your annual schedule. Here, you can apply your homeschooling laws, which will help you to create your yearly plan. Some states usually recommend many hours for home instruction every year. Likewise, some need a particular number suitable for homeschool days. You can also choose to keep your schedule simple by selecting the day you are likely to start and count days until they acquire the state’s requirement. In between the year, they usually take breaks.
Sample Daily Homeschool Schedule
It is appropriate that you allow your homeschool schedule to be shaped by your family’s needs and personality. It should not be how you think. Homeschool schedule needs to be done as you consider time:
8.00am- Science
9.00am- Reading
10.00am- Math
11.00 am- language arts
Noon- Lunch
1.00pm- Electives
2,00pm- Social studies
Factors to Consider
For the homeschooling families, classes don’t start early and instead begin at 10 or 11 AM and, in some cases, in the afternoon. With that said, here are a few factors that influence the homeschooling schedule;
- Outside classes – Partaking in other outside classes such as dual-enrollment, homeschool co-op, or any other activities outside your home can affect what time to start homeschooling. In such situations, you’ll be expected to finish the school work either after or before these commitments.
- Family needs – Other family factors such as a sick child, parent or relative, a new baby, running the family farm or business can also affect the start times of homeschooling families.
- Work schedules – When one or both parents have atypical shifts at work, they may decide to start homeschooling once the other parent has left for work.
- Biology – This is usually preferred among persons who are usually more attentive in the afternoon or night owls. In contrast, early risers often prefer starting a lot earlier during the morning hours.
Conclusion
Homeschooling schedules are never 100% perfect. Therefore, finding an excellent one for your family might take you a lot of error as well as trial. Furthermore, there is a need for you to keep adjusting to it as your children get older. It is also essential to allow your family to shape your schedule.
