6 Tips For Creating A Life-Giving Daily Homeschool Schedule

The one thing I knew for sure when I started homeschooling was that I didn’t want my kids to just have an education. I wanted them to fall in love with learning. Because there’s a difference between education and learning.

Education is the systemic process of recieving instruction, but learning is in the experience.

And while I set out to be the mom who chooses connection over curriculum and curiosity over academics, it was hard because I thought if I didn’t check all the boxes, my kids wouldn’t have the tools they needed for success.

I was so wrong.

Over the years I’ve learned that true learning comes from the experience, not the textbook. That the less we try to cram into a day, the more my kids are free to explore their interests. And most importantly, I’ve discovered that if we want our kids to embrace wonder, we have to be willing to let go of our perfectly crafted plans and let them chase butterflies.

When I started planning for this upcoming year, I knew I wanted to make some changes, but anxiety kept creeping up on me. Whispering that if we don’t do math every day my boys will fall behind. That if we choose games over lessons, I’m not teaching a good work ethic. And I am ALWAYS plagued by the fear that the public school system will come cart my kids away and take away my homeschooling “license” because we don’t measure up at the end of the year.

But this year, as I embraced joy as my word, I decided that I wasn’t going to make decisions out of fear anymore. I’m going to choose based on what’s best for my family. And that means our homeschool should give life, not drain us day after weary day.

If you’re feeling like what you’re doing just isn’t working, I invite you take a look at the ways we’ve set out to create a life-giving homeschool schedule. Because when you cut the busy work, and focus on connecting with the material and each other, you’ll find that school is something you and your learners look forward to rather than dread!

If you’re curious to see what this practice looks like in our home, scroll to the end of this post!

1. Know Your Why

If you want to create a homeschool schedule that lights up your learners, you need to know why you decided to homeschool in the first place. Then you can align your days to work toward your why.

For example:

I started homeschooling because I wanted my kids to have an education that didn’t just focus on memorizing facts, but taught the whole child: head, heart, and hands. And I wanted my boys to know that they were important enough to me that I would invest my time and energy into teaching and training them. I also wanted to cultivate a love for God and a desire for my boys to chase hard after the purpose for which they were created.

With these goals in mind, I created a homeschool schedule that includes lessons for the head, heart, and hands. I include a daily Bible study or devotions. And I make sure to schedule in time to connect with each of my boys in a meaningful way each day.

2. Make Time To Connect

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the lessons and forget that what our kids really need is time to connect with the teacher.

I set up our homeschool schedule so that every afternoon we try and set aside an hour for learning that cultivates connection. Whether it’s teaching time, a nature walk, or doing a handcraft together. Make sure you aren’t only teaching the head without considering the heart!

3. Don’t Schedule Too Much

When we cram our days full of all the things, we burn out. The same is true for our kids.

Everyone needs some margin. Whether that’s time to just sit and be still or to get outside and burn off energy.

Make sure you don’t pack your homeschool schedule so full that it feels like a burden.

4. Have Short Lessons

It’s hard for kids to sit still for long periods of time, especially when they’re little. And there’s even evidence that making them do so, hinders the learning process!

Charlotte Mason believed in short daily lessons, making time to be outdoors, and ample time for play. We’ve found that using those suggestions and alternating times of work and play is what works best for our busy boys.

So keep it short. Stop before they lose interest. And if at all possible, try to end on a win, especially if it’s a tough subject like reading or math. That way they will be looking forward to tackling that mountain again the next day.

5. Carve Out Time For Curiosity And Wonder

When they’re grown and gone, your kids probably aren’t going to remember every date on the timeline or element on the periodic table. But what they will remember are the things that made them wonder.

Sometimes we keep pushing forward to make sure we check every box, but there’s a time for letting go of the schedule and following your child’s interest.

If you’re reading about vikings and it’s time to move on to spelling, but your child is asking questions and completely engaged, let them keep learning! There will always be time for more lessons, but a curious mind is always going to be the most fertile ground for planting seeds of knowledge.

Don’t move on too quickly. It’s okay to linger for a while (even a week or a whole unit!) because curiosity is where true learning begins.

6. Make Time For Fun And Games

We love to game school! It’s something that brings us together as a family while also helping us learn in a fun way. We’ve found that when you make the learning into a game, it doesn’t feel like “school,” and my kids absorb so much more.

But when things get busy or we get “behind” in our curriculum, it’s always the first thing to go. But I’ve learned that if you don’t make time for fun in your day, everything else starts to feel like work. Then no one thrives.

Make sure you are carving out time to do the things that bring joy to both you and your little learners.

Our Ideal Day

7:00 – 8:30: Morning Chores & Getting Ready For The Day

8:30 – 9:30: Breakfast & Books

This is our morning basket time. We start our day together, doing the things we enjoy most! You can read more about our morning basket, and why we call it “breakfast and books” here:

How to Start Your Day Strong With A Morning Basket Routine

9:30 – 10:00: Outside

10:00 – 10:30: Reading & Math

10:30 – 11:00: Snack & Preschool

11:00 – 11:30: Language Arts & History

11:30 – 12:00: Free Time

12:00 – 2:30: Lunch & Quiet Time

2:30 – 3:30: Afternoon Hour

We do a read aloud then I have beauty loop of subjects that cultivate connection: nature study, poetry teatime, baking, handcrafts, and art.

3:30 – 5:00: Family Walk or Outside Play

5:00 – 6:00: TaeKwonDo

6:00 – 7:00: Dinner & Clean Up

7:00 – 8:30: Bedtime Routine

8:30 – Bedtime

I’ve also to implemented a visual calendar with these beautiful printable cards from Stephanie Hathaway Designs. This helps the to know what’s coming next, making transitions easier.

Obviously not every day is going to be ideal. We use this homeschool schedule more as a framework rather than a rigid set of rules. If we get everything done, great, but there’s always going to be another load of laundry to do, and they only get one chance at childhood.

I want a slower, gentler pace of life for my sweet boys. Life will demand too much of them soon enough. For now, I want to set a pace that allows us to focus on cultivating strong family bonds and exploring the marvelous world that God has blessed us with.

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