Our Homeschool Schedule???
Nope. That is not an accurate title. We really do not have a schedule in our home. We have more of a routine. Certain things happen in a certain pattern, but if I try to make school happen at a specific time each day, there will be meltdowns. Special thanks to our unique brand of Autism.
So, I set times for particular items but they are really just goals.
Our typical day
Download: Get the printables here
Breakfast at 7:30 AM while I read the Bible aloud. Then, the children take care of their morning responsibilities: getting dressed, making the bed, brushing teeth/hair, potty, etc. When the children are ready, they go outside to play.
At about 9 AM, the children begin their work cards. We have a snack at about 10 AM and then finish the work cards and focus on science or history.
As I prepare lunch at 11:30, the children do a ten-minute tidy of our homeschool items: put text and manipulatives away, vacuum, wipe the table. After lunch, they unload the dishwasher. Once the kitchen is clean, the children can have free time until we all get our feet off the floor at 1 PM.
Then, at about 3 PM, the children do their daily chores in a particular zone of the house with parental supervision. My husband comes home around 3:30 PM and has 30 minutes by himself before entertaining the children while I prepare dinner or work on my blog. During dinner, we discuss our day and have Bible study. While I clean the kitchen, the children do a ten-minute tidy in their rooms and get baths. They have a little free time and are in bed no later than 8:30 PM.
See? It’s an achievable goal for a perfect day and most of the time, we get really close to hitting those marks. I honestly do not think we would have been doing this well without Mommy’s Back to School Boot Camp.
Now for some specifics
Morning Responsibilities (also know as the Morning Five) – The children have a sign in their bedrooms and in their bathroom that reminds them of the five things I expect them to do after breakfast. In all honesty, it is more than FIVE responsibilities but they are grouped together in such a way that my children are fooled. Shhhh… don’t tell them otherwise.
And, isn’t it sweet that they hug me for number five? Awww… but I have a plan. If I get a hug, I know who has finished their work and who has not.
Ten-Minute Tidy (after school) – We have a rotation on our chore chart so the children know exactly what to do while I prepare lunch. One of the children will put the toys and books away, another wipes the table, and the last vacuums the living room and under the table.
Dishwasher – The first child finished with lunch gets to choose the part of the dishwasher they will unload. We divide the job into three parts: silverware, upper rack, and lower rack. If the children cannot reach where something goes, then they are to place it on the counter and I walk around putting those items away.
Ariary just jumps in where ever but I do not let her handle anything glass. She seriously tries to help… even though she is only 16 months old.
Daily Chores – I divided our home into zones and we work through one zone each day. Each child was taught how to do each job and Mommy is always an elbow’s reach away during chore times to encourage and correct, if needed. The chores are attached to the chore chart, which I laminated, with velcro dots. On Mondays, I mix up our zones based on what we have going that week, inserting a day for errands or a trip to see grandparents if needed, and I rotate the jobs for each child based on the zone for each day. We all work in the same area at the same time which makes the job go by really quickly and keeps everyone motivated.
Download: Get the printables here
On our If-Then Chart, the children decided that certain actions required extra chores. So, if they are required to do extra chores, I place that button on the chore chart for the day they will have to complete those additional tasks. Either Bill or I will choose which chores they will have to do from our list.
Ten-Minute Tidy (after dinner) – The children are required to clean their rooms after dinner. Anything left on the floor at bedtime is placed in toy jail… or might even be donated to needy children.
A Recommendation
If you plan to initiate a new routine with your children, I highly recommend that you break it down and introduce things slowly like I did during Mommy’s Back to School Boot Camp. By teaching the children new things a little at a time, no one was overwhelmed and they were even eager to learn.
Download: Get the printables here
Resources for managing time during your homeschool day
Learning Resources Time Tracker Visual Timer And Clock
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magnetic Responsibility Chart.
Board Dudes Magnetic Dry Erase Rewards Chore Chart with Marker and Magnets (11020WA-4)
More Homeschool Help
- Find my favorite tools in The Ultimate Homeschool Survival Kit
- Homeschool Classifieds will guide you to free homeschool curriculum, where to buy curriculum, support groups, and much more!
- Homeschool in a small home? You can get organized!
- Plan homeschool lesson plans for the entire year in one weekend.
- Get free printables to simplify shopping for homeschool curriculum.
What a great set of printables! Pinning them 🙂
Thank you, Jamie. I LOVE being pinned. 😀
So your kids have 1 hour of school a day? How will they learn anything? Other then cleaning up your house for you?
Dawn your question is unfair and really does not seem like a question at all, more a judgement. First, according to the schedule posted the “school” time is more like two and a half hours. Second the children appear to be younger. As the mother of six, I know attention spans are shorter and the learning more intense with youngers. Young ones are eager to learn and give it their all! Lastly, the children are not “cleaning up her house for her”. The house being cleaned is the whole family’s HOME. Child training is sorely lacking in the world today. I work with many children and young adults in my church who have no idea how to do basic chores to take care of themselves and their surrounding. This is so sad. Children learn more from chores than the chores themselves. Many skills and character growing traits are involved. This is true especially when they have to work together and are expected to do a job well, not just do it. As the children get older, I am sure their schedule will include more “school” time on the schedule, but if it does not, a mama knows her children better than anyone, other than the Lord Himself. A mama, like the Lord, only wants good for her precious blessings. I hope this does not come off as rude, I only mean to give information to maybe help others see this from the other side.
Thank you, Edith. You are so right!
That’s not fair at all! As a homeschooling mom myself, I incorporate chores into my girls’ every day. They are important life skills that more children need to learn. We do school anywhere from 2 hours a day to sometimes 5, depending on the type of day we’re having, and they are ahead of the children in the school system who are in the same grades. Balancing homeschool and home life is a very difficult job for the parent and you shouldn’t judge. There is no right or wrong way to do it. My girls, at ages 8 and 10, know how to cook, clean, wash their own clothes AND keep up with their studies. I commend ALL homeschooling parents and wish you all the best on your journey. It’s a wonderful path for educating, bonding, learning, growing and valuable life skills. **Pat on the back, Penny!** I love your page and will continue to come back for ideas.
Though not a homeschooling mom, I loved the chore charts. Thanks for the printables. I posted your link on Using Time Wisely’s FB page. 😉
Thank you so much, Tracy. I appreciate the promotion VERY much.
Glad to do it! Keep up the great work. 🙂
This all sounds so organised. I’m definitely going to print these out and give them a try. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
I’m not sure how organized we are but it definitely helps to have a routine. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Love it!!
My pleasure, Monica. 🙂
Wow! Every blog I check out has links to other blogs. I always link back to you…you have so much great information and ideas! And with a positive attitude. Thanks so much for the time you put into your blog to help other moms!
What an incredibly encouraging thing to read on a rough afternoon! Thank you so much, Laura! 🙂
So is this everyday ? What are word cards ? What are your children’s ages ? Hoping to be a homeschooling mom myself. My son will be two next month. Doing al
Alot of research. Found u on Pinterest. Going to follow your blog 🙂
Amanda, at the time of the post I think my children were 8, 5, 3, and 1. Best wishes for a fun, homeschooling future!
Thanks Penny! I was searching for morning routine and found these printables. The Good Morning list is genius! Every.single.day. my kids pop out of their room without making their beds! I am not good at checking and making sure. I really think this list hanging on their wall will work wonders! I am going to laminate it then they can use a dry erase to check off what they do in the morning.
As a mother of three who will be homeschooling for the first time(my oldest is 6), this “scheduling” has given me a piece of mind of how I can accomplish this with little ones! Thank You Thank You!
So, the question I have (for you and every other person with a homeschool routine/schedule) is… when do you go to the grocery store?
I don’t mean that to sound trite, but well, with a child too young to stay home and the other not old enough to watch the younger.. well, when do you go to the grocery store?? 🙂
Right. I shouldn’t try to communicate on that little caffeine. I meant *I* have those age kids (which is not really what I said). Oh well! I’m just trying to figure out how to make everything fit, and things like groceries and doctor appointments are just messing me up!
LOL. I could use some caffeine too. Typically, I either take my kids to the grocery store – which I don’t like to do – or I go when my husband is home. Many weeks, that means I am at the grocery store early on a Saturday morning.
Hmm. That’s a thought. Saturday morning is a no-go, but I COULD go in the evening if we really plan ahead.
Thank you for these printables! I’m in my third year of homeschooling, but we are still finding our way into a good routine, especially since I’ve added two more children to our family since we started homeschooling. My question is, where do you fit in laundry? I can homeschool, take care of four kids under 6, make 3 means and a snack everyday, and even keep the house somewhat tidy, but I am at a loss on how to stay on top of laundry for a family of 6! Do you have any advice? On your Daily Routine printable, where do you pencil in washing, drying, folding, hanging, and putting away all that laundry?
I am a very blessed woman. My husband does the laundry. During his busy season when he cannot get it all done, I will start a load in the morning, change it out at lunch, and change it out again at bedtime. The children are responsible for helping me fold and putting their laundry away.
You are a lucky woman! Thank you for your feedback!
From a warm and sunny South Africa, thank you for all the wonderful printables! They are my kids’ favourite!
Thank you so much! You’ve made my life easier today!
I was wanting the chore sheets if possible
Are the printables still available? I cannot seem to download them. Thank you
The printables won’t work 🙁 It just has text that says:
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