How to Organize Your Homeschooler's Day

In a traditional school, a child's schedule is set: math at 10, reading at 12:45 and so on. Homeschoolers are not confined to such a regimen, but a little organization will ensure they meet educational goals and shun bad habits. This article provides tips on how best to achieve this.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

How to Organize Your Homeschooler's Day

1. List your homeschooler's goals for the year. Be creative in your brainstorming. Some goals might include learning to play the trumpet, memorizing the multiplication table, reading five Shakespeare plays, or achieving basic conversational fluency in German. Include state-mandated skills for your child's grade.

2. Write down what needs to be done each day to achieve those goals. Here are some examples: Practice trumpet for 30 minutes, work through 3 pages in math textbook, read independently for 45 minutes and practice German for 20 minutes.

3. Most children have their best energy in the mornings, but some think best at night. Schedule a student's toughest subjects when she has the most energy. So, you might schedule math, which requires particular alertness, in the morning and silent reading after lunch.

4. One of the great things about homeschooling is that you have the flexibility to make adjustments. Maybe you find that your child works best in large blocks. Spend an entire day on history and art, and the next day focus only on math and science.

Tips & Warnings

• Swap scheduling ideas with other homeschoolers in your area.
• Keep things lively by mixing up the schedule every now and then, as long as the distraction doesn't throw off your child's learning.
• Don't be too rigid about your time slots. If you've scheduled only 60 minutes for math but your child is only halfway done, extend the deadline.