Flexible Homeschool Schedule Methods
One of the biggest decisions I would make at the start of each homeschool year was what we were going to do for a schedule. It had to be structured enough to meet my son’s needs, but flexible enough to meet his learning style.
There were years that this was quite a challenge! Along the way, I’m pretty sure that we tried every method under the sun. There were years we went through 2 or 3 of them!
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In this series, I’d like to provide the pros and cons that I found in each scheduling method – that way, you can get a better idea of what might work for you!
Before we get started though, a quick note: you don’t have to do any of this exactly the way I did it. I sure didn’t do things the way many of my friends did!
This is the beauty of homeschooling. Take the concept and tweak it to the needs of your family. If 90% of something works for you and your kids, it’s fine to leave off that last 10%. Promise!
Loop Scheduling
When we first started homeschooling, I went with the schedule that I was familiar with – something akin to the public school schedule. From 9 to 9:30 we did a subject, then did another till 10, then took a 15 minute break, and so on, and so on.
Needless to say, that one lasted about a week and a half before both my son and I agreed to throw it out.
The method that we both agreed might work best at that point was loop scheduling. What’s loop scheduling, you might ask?
This method involves laying out all of your subjects and choosing to focus on one per day – but instead of saying that Monday will be Math, Tuesday will be history, etc., you assign them as Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.
So your schedule might look like:
Day 1 (say, today): Reading/Language Arts
Day 2 (which could be the day after tomorrow): Science
Day 3 (the next day): Math
And so on.
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If you have a kid that likes to dig deep into their subjects (like mine does), this method could work really well for you. It also works well if you have days during the week that are spent at co op, on field trips, or if you’re out for another reason (dr. visits, traveling, therapy, or you all just need a day off).
Pros: You can have both the structure you need and the flexibility you crave. You’re not tied to a specific schedule or lesson plan – if you miss a day, you just pick up with the next subject the following day.
Loop scheduling also allows your child the time they might need to really dig into the material and absorb it.
Cons: If your child doesn’t like to delve into their subjects, this one might not be for you. Loop scheduling is not designed for the kids who like to check off their tasks and be done with them.
Time Blocks:
If you like the idea of loop scheduling but don’t feel comfortable devoting an entire day to a subject, time blocking might work for you.
This method involves blocking off certain times of the day for types of classes, but leaving some freedom within the actual blocks. With time blocks, your day might look like:
9-11 AM: Core subjects (rotate between Reading/English/Language Arts and Math
11-12: Create subjects (art, music, art history)
1-3 PM: Science or History
3-4 PM: Practice, PE, or Electives
Pros: With this method, you and your kids know what to expect each day, but you’re not tied down to a strict schedule. If math needs to take a little longer, it can; if everyone is really fascinated by a science experiment, there’s time to dig further into it.
Cons: If your kids need more variety or need to spend more time digging into things that interest them, time blocking may not be a great fit.
Daily Task Lists:
As my son got older – especially in high school and while working with dual enrollment classes – he became a lot more independent in his work. He also started working, serving in ministry, and traveling for mission trips and other projects.
He was ready for more independence, but he was also really busy, so having a list of assignments and tasks each day really helped him. We worked together to plan out his week so he knew his due dates and could choose to work ahead if he felt he needed to.
A daily task list is exactly what it sounds like: a list of tasks that should be completed that day. Your student can complete them whenever they want during that day – after work, before or after practice or a game, first thing in the morning, in the middle of the night if they can’t sleep, whatever.
They just need to meet their due dates.
My son found that he really liked this scheduling method once he was ready for independent work. He would have hated it when he was younger – he preferred to work more one-on-one with me at those ages – but really appreciated the control over his time in high school.
I also found an unexpected benefit: because he got used to scheduling his own time and prioritizing his own tasks in high school, he came into the job market and college already having these skills.
College really wasn’t much of a transition for him at all. The main change was that his profs created his lesson plans instead of me!
And when he got his first few jobs, his employers loved him – they could just hand him projects to manage and he would get them done effectively and efficiently. (Yes, the decisions you make today can do a lot to help prepare your kids for what God has for them down the road!)
Pros: Daily task lists can do a lot to give your child independence and autonomy over their day as well as teaching them how to prioritize their tasks. Diligence and the ability to make those choices goes a long way!
Cons: If your child isn’t for independent scheduling and learning yet, don’t force it. Each child gains readiness for this at a different age, and expecting them to thrive with this before they’re ready can actually set them back.
Trying a New Scheduling Method
Whenever you decide to try a new scheduling method, keep in mind that flexibility is key. It would be nice if everything went according to plan, but all too often, that just isn’t reality.
That’s not a bad thing though! This means that you’re not stuck with rules that don’t fit your family. You have the ability to keep what works and tweak what doesn’t.
Of course, these three methods aren’t the only ones out there! Check out my next couple of posts for more options. And of course, if you have any questions, head on over to my Facebook group and ask away!
