Creating An Effective Homeschooling Schedule

Today, every homeschooling parent encounters a challenge when it comes to creating a schedule. While some resort to using computer programs like MS WORD, others make notes in notebooks or take the help of software. Irrespective of the medium, parents should to follow certain steps to ensure they get a workable homeschooling schedule, making judicious use of all the available resources.

While creating the schedule, parents should take into consideration the age of the student, areas of instruction and the family schedule on a day-to-day basis. All these are an integral part of the creation of a schedule and go a long way into regulating the daily study schedules.

Before creating a homeschooling schedule, parents should determine the mission statement or the main purpose of the homeschool. If you are a parent, you should consider various questions like- what are the intellectual abilities of your child? What is he/she interested in learning? What study resources are available?

After determining the mission statement, you would have to do some groundwork, like collecting information about the various subjects you intend to teach and the gradual developmental changes in your child. The internet is a ready database of all the information you would ever need. Also, refer to the present teaching standards and laws pertaining to homeschool for a particular grade in your country/state. Juxtapose the given standards with the determined mission statement and cross out topics that do not adhere to the standards.

For instance, if you strongly feel about religion, add that to your list of priorities, according to the standards put down by your state. You can also incorporate the topic into the existent standards by imparting the necessary information about the people who have revolutionized religion and inculcated various teachings into the tradition and culture of your country.

Now comes the time when you actually sit down and formulate a homeschooling schedule. At first, create a weekly schedule with the meal, nap and snack timings for the child and the family as a whole. Thereafter, include the regular family activities like sport-practice, church commitments or weekly trips to the local store. Bear in mind that these activities can also be incorporated into the study schedule and become a part of the current learning milieu. Determine how many hours a day would you wish to dedicate to instruction and what time of the day would be perfect for practice.

It is a general practice for parents to include 2 to 2 1/2 hour per day for language and communication studies. This includes writing, reading, and spelling, grammar, speaking and listening. Next, devote an hour for math the remaining time should be employed for teaching all the other subjects. There are some who prefer teaching every subject everyday; then again, there are those who teach one particular study material for an extended period.

Last but definitely not the least; your homeschooling schedule should include physical activity. Treat this as every other subject and set aside an hour or two of the week for a particular sports activity. However, it is advisable to indulge on a daily basis rather than weekly. This would not only integrate the short spurts of physical activities throughout the day, but would also help your child to concentrate better.

Make sure you abide by the proposed homeschooling schedule. It sure is important, but don't hesitate if you have to deviate from the designed plan to attend to an urgent issue or unforeseen opportunity.