Homeschooling in Chaos? Create a Simple Homeschool Routine that Works

Most homeschool moms create a perfect schedule on paper before they even start homeschooling. They have the days planned out, they know what subjects will be taught during each quarter or semester, and they know how long with will take to finish the curriculum.

Then, after one or two weeks of homeschooling, it seems that perfect schedule wasn’t so perfect after all. Eventually it’s realized that perfect schedules are for perfect people.

I’m not saying the schedule was bad or that it was impossible, but I do want to say that you need to give yourself and your children some grace.  Keep reading to find out what that may look like.

A Homeschool Routine is Different from a School Schedule

Let’s really dig in here and see the difference between a school schedule and a homeschool routine.

Schools run on strict schedules. There is only so much time to do so much work. Teachers are allotted about 40 minutes on average per day per subject. There is a certain number of lessons that must be completed in a certain number of days. There is very little room for deviation.

Your homeschool, however, can be successful without being stressful by using simple routines. So, are you now wondering what the difference is between schedules and routines? Let me give you some examples.

A schedule looks like this: 8:00 to 8:45 Math

                                                        9:00 to 9:45 History

                                                       10:00 to 10:45 Art

A routine would look more like this:

                                                        Breakfast and clean up

                                                        Math

                                                       History

                                                       Art

                                                      Lunch

                                                    Science

                                                   Read Aloud time

                                                      Chores, etc.

So, what’s the difference? Time. Yes, it’s time. You do not need to worry what time math ends. You do not need to study one subject for a certain amount of time. You can use less time or more time as needed on any subject.

Some days math might take an hour. On other days, your child may only need 20 minutes.  Sometimes you might spend 2 hours doing a history project.

A routine is not as strict as a schedule, but it still lets everyone know what comes next and what is expected of them each day.

I have often talked about the flexibility in homeschooling in my other blog posts here and on many of my podcast episodes. If you would like to listen in you can find the podcast here.

Now, when you are homeschooling you have flexibility and you also need to be flexible. So, you have the flexibility to do so many things however you would like to do them, but you also need to be flexible, because you never know when something is going to come up and throw off your whole homeschool day, or week, or month, or even year.

My youngest son felt sick and needed to go to the doctor one Friday morning. What happened that day not only affected that one day but also would interrupt the next few months as well. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and spent 4 days in the ICU. The following 2-3 months were very different than what I would have planned. Our schedule needed to be changed around to accommodate all the things that come with that diagnosis especially those 2 am blood sugar checks. That was rough.

This is being flexible. Things come up and you must be willing to accept it and change things around or even pause or take a break for a little while. Sometimes it means doing the bare minimum each day for a period of time.  

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of what a routine might look like. Remember, every homeschool family’s routine is going to be different.

Start With Subjects That Matters Most

I highly encourage homeschool parents to start the day together with all their children. Today, many people refer to this as a morning basket. That term did not exist when my children were younger.

Our homeschool routine changed over time as I learned more and my children got older but it always had some basic elements. We had breakfast, and the kids would play outside while I cleaned up the house a little bit. There was a time where we would all go outside for a walk before we started doing any schoolwork. There were also periods of time where I would have the kids do a quick 10-15 minute clean up each morning before school as well.

When it was time to start school, we would all gather in the living room and read the bible. We would go around in a circle, and each child would take turns reading out loud. They read as much or as little as their reading ability allowed.

Next, we would sing. I love old-fashioned hymns, so I would choose a hymn, and we would all sing it together. Then one of the children would get to choose a song. It was usually a children’s bible song, and most often “Silver and Gold Have I None”. When we got to the line, “He went walking and leaping and praising God” everyone would get up and run around the house. It was a race to see who would be first in line. It was so much fun!

I tried to have a certain time that we started school each day, but it wasn’t a hard, fast rule. I think it was around 9am each day. If any of the children were old enough to work independently, they started on their work by themselves. I would usually do math and reading lessons with the younger ones first. Afterwards, I would help the older ones with their subjects if needed.

I think it is important to have your children do the most strenuous work in the morning. We all know as the day goes on, whether you are an adult or child, you tend to get tired. This is why I recommend math, and grammar or English as the first things to do in the morning. Not only do they seem to take the most brain power, but they tend to take the most time in my experience, especially if you are teaching the lessons yourself. Once you get these 2 subjects out of the way, the rest of the day is a bit easier.

One caveat is high school subjects. In high school it seems most subjects are as time-consuming as others and require more brain power. So, in this case, it might be advisable to have your high schooler do the subjects that seem a little more difficult for them first. If math comes naturally, but English and science are not their strong subjects, let those subjects be done first. They can do the math later.

The Best Part

I interviewed both of my daughters on 2 separate podcast episodes of the Brave and Balanced Homeschool Podcast, and they both said that not having a strict schedule was the best part of homeschooling. They didn’t have to try to get a lesson done in a certain amount of time. They knew they could take as long as they needed and didn’t feel the stress of having a set time limit. They were free to learn at a pace that was good for them.

If you want to have an actual schedule with times for each subject that is completely fine. Some people operate better with a schedule. I just wanted to show you that it doesn’t have to be that way just because that’s the way it’s done in schools.

Afternoons

I would save read aloud time for the end of the school day. It was another time of the day where almost everyone was together as we read a great book. We all have fond memories of the books we shared together during this time. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, The Young Carthiginian, Beric the Briton, Heidi, and The Adventures of Robin Hood are just a few of the many books we cherished reading together, not to mention all the missionary stories and biographies of amazing people that we also enjoyed.

Please read aloud to your children. It doesn’t matter what age or grade they are in. They will enjoy this time maybe even more than any other thing they do during the week. They may scoff at first if they are not used to it, but when you begin to get into a good book or story, they will have no choice but to be drawn in. It may just end up being one of your favorite times of the day as well.

 Build a Routine that Fits Your Family

Are all your children under 10? Are they all older than 10? Do you have a wide range of ages? Do you have babies to care for as well? Do you have early risers? Do your children need to sleep late in the morning? Are there other things you need to make room for on a weekly basis? How about co-op, sports, appointments, or other things?

All these things need to be taken into consideration when planning your homeschool routine. This is one of the reasons that no two homeschools will look the same. Every family is different with individual needs.

I never forced my children to wake up at a certain time. As they got older, they seemed to need more sleep, so I would start school with the younger children early while the older ones slept in a bit. Sometimes I was the one that needed to sleep in.

Don’t worry if your routine is not perfect. You can change it or rearrange things as necessary. It takes time to get into a good rhythm, especially if you are just starting out on your homeschool journey. After a while, you will find something that feels right.

The Days When Nothing Goes According to Plan

I’ve touched on this a little bit already, but “there will be days like this”. There may be more days like this than you anticipate. However, looking back over the years, I can tell you it really doesn’t matter. You will “catch up” when you can and however you can. You will figure it out and your children will too.

 I know that doesn’t give you something really concrete to work off of, but it’s just the truth. Things have a way of working out, especially if you are walking in faith and doing your best to be faithful in educating your children at home. God is so faithful. None of those hiccups are a surprise to Him.

This is the world we live in. It’s not always smooth sailing no matter what we are doing or what phase of life we are in. This includes homeschooling. Just keep showing up as much as you can and keep pressing forward.

You might also make a mistake or two. You might get really tired some days and not be the loving, patient parent you usually are. Maybe that class you let your child enroll in might not have been the best decision.

This doesn’t mean homeschooling isn’t for you. It just means you are human. I want to remind you, though, that through all of this your children are watching you. They will see you persevering through the hard times. They will see you apologize when you are tired and get short with them. They are learning valuable life lessons when they see you doing all these things and you keep going.

I want to leave you with a bible verse.

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

                                                                      ~Proverbs 16:9

Have a plan, show up faithfully, and adjust as needed.

I would love to hear from you! Find me on instagram or facebook.
Or email me directly: Mary@whatabouthomeschooling.com

Please ask me all your homeschool questions.

Wishing you all the best in your homeschool journey!

~Mary

“…And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.” ~Prov. 16:31

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualified purchases.