How to Find Time for Christian Homeschooling

Families often find it difficult to manage the necessary school time required to incorporate Christian homeschooling into their family's active daily life. If you decide to take charge of your children's education with a faith-based homeschool curriculum, the following steps may help you to organize and schedule the time you need.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Prepare a yearly, weekly and daily plan that includes school days, test days, vacations and special activities. Utilize a family calendar to keep track of these activities with specific rules for accepting any new engagements. The book "Managers of Their Homes: A Practical Guide to Daily Scheduling for Christian Homeschool Families" by Steve and Teri Maxwell offers good advice and is available on their website.
2. Designate an area of your home for homeschool supplies and books, using bins and shelves to keep them organized. At the end of the day have everyone help tidy up the area, so it's ready for the next day. It doesn't have to be a large area, just a corner of a room or a desk that you don't have to clear off and use for something else at the end of the school day.
3. Plan your time wisely by using every moment of the school day to its full advantage. A good way to see how your time is spent is by keeping a journal to record everything that happens during the day, including distractions such as phone calls and visitors. You can look back to see what improvements you need to make and adjust as necessary.
4. Join a networking group of homeschoolers for support and resources. These groups usually have seasoned homeschoolers who can offer good advice for beginners. Internet sites, such as the Parker family website, offer support and resources for Christian homeschool curriculum, activities, field trips, fellowship and have many helpful links regarding Christian homeschool.
5. Establish regular routines for meals, chores and bedtimes, if possible. Organization is the key to a successful home school. Coordinate a weekly cleaning day, plan meals in advance, shop for a week's worth of groceries at a time and keep an on-going to-do list. Delegate chores and expect everyone to pitch in. This is a good way to teach discipline and team work.
6. Make a list of school-related activities the kids can do. Writing this list up in advance saves times when an unexpected disruption occurs or when you are busy with some other task.
7. Involve the whole family and incorporate outings and vacations with your curriculum. The Christian homeschool experience incorporates the knowledge that everything is God given into every aspect of the learning process. Every activity outside of the classroom can be a learning experience for the homeschooled child.