It’s August, are you in homeschool planning mode yet? I sure am and I’m glad that we’ve found some things that we love so that I don’t have to start fresh with a huge amount of decisions. I am looking to change things up a bit and add some more fun and hands-on elements to our homeschool this year that we didn’t get to last year.
I have a great schedule for the boys but now that my daughter is in kindergarten, I will be doing more with her so it will be interesting to see how it goes with all 3 kiddos in the mix. Have you started on your homeschool schedules yet? What worked for you last year and what didn’t do so well? Want to know why your homeschool schedule failed?
7 Reasons Why Your Homeschool Schedule Doesn’t Work
Your schedule is too full
Did you over plan or have too many outside activities that you felt like you never had time to relax? Were your kids over tired? Then you may want to consider eliminating some of those commitments and bring it down to the bare necessities at least for one term to see if that works better for your family.
Monotonous Schedule
Did you guys do the same thing week in and week out, did you have time for time outdoors or were you able to take any fun field trips. I know it’s easy to get caught up in the academics but it’s also important to remember that kids need time to play. Learning can take so many shapes and forms and seat work is not always the best learning method for some kids.
No hands on learning
Did you make time for those fun, messy projects, did you create colorful art work or did you just skip those? You may not love the clean up afterwards but I guarantee you that your kids would love the opportunity to build their own volcano and erupt it in their back yard. Keep a bin for junk and recyclables that your kids can use to create with like rockets or houses, who knows what ideas they can come up with. Give them time to create and build.
Not enough outdoor/exercise time
Did your children seem antsy or need frequent breaks from their school work? Did you have to tell them often to remain in their chair even if it was for a short period of time? I love having outside time before we start school, that way they come in tired and ready to sit down and hopefully get some school work done. They have fun, it forces you to get active with them so it’s a win win for everyone.
Too teacher intensive
If you found yourself feeling burnt out by the end of the year, maybe your teaching methods were too teacher intensive. If you’re homeschooling more than one kiddo, it can be challenging to have one on one time for each child and each subject. Depending on their ages, some subjects can be more independent than others so why not use a curriculum that can help them work on their own and not rely on you as much. Of course, you’re available for help if needed.
Won’t adapt to new changes
Things can easily change from one term to the next and you have to be willing to change with them. Maybe a curriculum that worked for one child is becoming too challenging for them, or maybe your child dislikes the reading selections for his history course. It can be many things, are you willing to adapt and make change if needed. I know you have your wonderful homeschool plans already set, but sometimes those need to be adjusted or scrapped completely to find something that works for your family.
Too concerned with completing your schedule
Are you too concerned with checking off those checkboxes that you become impatient and rush your child from one subject to the next? Are you stopping to enjoy this time that you have them home with you? Impatience won’t help anyone and feeling like your always behind will get your burnout pretty quickly.
One thing for sure is that you do need a plan and homeschool schedules can be a necessity to keep your sanity but they can also hinder you if you follow them to a T. Use them as a tool in your homeschool and not as a something that needs to be enforced at all times.
The Homeschool Planning for the Unorganized Mom eBook is on sale right now, if you’re struggling to get started or need a little push to a set up a system for success.
The Ultimate List of Free Quality Homeschool Planners– Schooling a Monkey
When Your Home school Plan Collapses-KT Brison at Lit Mama Homeschool
Homeschooling Bullet Journal– Stephanie Rose at Little Blog in the Country
Homeschool Planning When You Have To Work– Amy Lanham / Life as LanhamsWhen the
school bus looks tempting: making peace with your busy schedule – Ginny Kochis/Not So Formulaic
Our Homeschool Schedule & Rotations – Faith Filled Parenting
Homeschool Planning 101: First, Answer 2 Qs – Diane Lockman (The Classical Scholar)
What does your homeschool schedule look like? – Betsy at Family Style Schooling
Our 2016-17 Homeschooling Schedule & Curriculum – Jenny at Faith and Good Works
Creating a Homeschool & Work at Home Schedule That Works- Jody Smith/Simply Southern Sunshine
Finding Perfect Homeschool Planner for YOU – Tauna at Proverbial Homemaker
Homeschool Planning When Traveling – Stacy at Three Busy Bees
Great post, Minique. You make some very valuable points. My biggest struggle is definitely doing too much. I have a hard time saying no!
Don’t we all.
Monique, I really like the idea of the recyclables box! Let them create!