Homeschool Breakdown
Take a look at our homeschool breakdown!
Here I’m going to give you a total breakdown of what our homeschool day, week, and year look like. From what subjects we hit on what days through the week to how we approach it all. I’ll also break down what a typical hour-by-hour day schedule looks like for us.
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Our Homeschool “Style”
So, I don’t think you can put any one label on our homeschool style, I’d say our homeschooling is a mix of a few different “styles” of homeschool methods.. We are relaxed, but we also have plenty of traditional structure. If I feel like we would benefit from taking a day off, or even a week off, we do! If we want to do homework on the weekend, we do! We get to choose the when and how!
Now, I do have “goals” set which help to keep us on track. For example, by the time January rolls around I like for the kids to be about halfway or further through each core subject. I keep this in mind as we work through the first semester. We work hard the first half of the academic year so that our workload is lighter toward the end of the academic year. By the end of the year we’re all pretty ready for summer break so a lighter workload makes for an easier year end!
It took me 4 years to really narrow down how we like to homeschool and what works best for us. During those 4 years we tried out many different strategies and approaches, and I am still making adjustments to how we do what we do. Really, I think we will always be in somewhat of a fluid homeschool style. It’s going to change here and there as the kids grow and change, but I guess that’s just how nearly everything in life is- a constant state of change.
It’s likely that some of the ways that we do things won’t work for you and your family, but maybe there is something in our way that you can pull from and reform to suit your family, ultimately making your homeschool journey a little better!
When do we start our homeschool year?
Last year we started our school year August 1st and Ended toward the end of May. We started a little earlier than our local public school, but ended a little earlier too. We also took more breaks throughout the year than what our local public school took.
Next year I plan to start a little early again so that we don’t have to stress about taking an extra week or two off in the middle of the school year.
Homeschool breakdown
For your reference, at the bottom of the article I will list the curriculum that I’ve chosen for my 3rd, 1st, and Pre-K students.
Weekly outline
This is a simple look at what subjects we do on what days through the week.
Monday – LA, Math, Handwriting
Tuesday – LA, Math, History
Wednesday – LA, Math, Handwriting
Thursday – LA, Math, Science
Friday – History and Science (if we feel like it)
*At these earlier elementary ages history and science are taught but they are by no means our main focus. This is why we do them only 1-2 times per week – which is plenty!
Quick Tip: We do “Friday Fun days” this is where if the kids did their work with positive attitudes throughout the week we will do fun things like play board games, watch a movie before bed, or whatever other fun things we can think of. It helps incentivize keeping a positive attitude during school and chores.
Rough timeline of a typical day:
(Note: these are estimated times to give a general idea of time frame. We do not actually follow a detailed time schedule but we do follow this order of events.)
7am – We wake up, get dressed, and have breakfast.
8am – Start school (I start with LA and Math since I believe they are the most important core subjects)
8:00 – 8:45 —LA – We start with language arts because this is the subject that takes the most brain power for my kiddos to learn. It also takes the most time and my kiddos enjoy it the least. I have found if we start with other subjects by the time we get to LA their attention span is shot and they have no interest in doing their lesson. We knock it out first and they learn and retain the info well.
Quick Tip: While my 1st grader is doing her language arts my 3rd grader is doing her morning chore – watering the animals- and while my 3rd grader is doing her language arts my 1st grader is doing her morning chore – unloading the dishwasher. Keeping them busy during these teacher involved subjects avoids them from becoming a distraction. They do their chore while they’re waiting for me to help them with schoolwork – (bonus: chores are getting done!)
9:00 – 9:30—Math – My kids *usually enjoy doing math. My 3rd grader does an online math curriculum so while she’s doing that I work with my 1st grader in her math workbook. I found a curriculum for each child that is effective, challenging, and doesn’t take a lot of time. Check out our curriculum picks
9:30-10ish — Handwriting/Science/History, we hit one of these depending on the day.
10:00 -10:30 — Preschool! (My favorite grade to teach!) I know some people like to work with their pre-k kids before the older ones, which we’ve totally tried, but working with her last actually works best for my family! While her older siblings are doing school she’s usually playing with my toddler. #siblingbonding
See here for Free Dot Marker Worksheets that help with letter, number and counting!
DONE
Now, this is the schedule for days that go smoothly. Sometimes school takes longer and we don’t finish until closer to noon. However, we are always done before lunch and the rest of the day is filled with learning about their interests, learning through play, educational videos (an hour or so not all day) or activities outside the home.
Activity Schedule
Here’s an example of our out-of-the-home activity schedule for this year. Last year was a quite busy so this year we are cutting back on a few of the activities that didn’t justify the time/money/commitment we put into them.
Monday – Dance 4-5PM
Tuesday – AWANA 5-7PM
Wednesday – Free day
Thursday – Choir Practice 1-2PM
Friday – Homeschool group meet up 1-2PM
Of course there are other activities that come and go throughout the year (elective classes, sports, play dates, etc.) and so some seasons of life are busier than others. We do our best to just go with the flow while also trying to plan ahead. Being prepared helps the busy seasons not rule your entire life so much.
Summer School?
In addition, we do very light school through summer, like 1 math review lesson a week and reading everyday. We follow the kids’ interests for science and history. Last week my girls were surprisingly super interested in Benjamin Franklin and so we just talked and watched YouTube videos about him.
Simple Outline of Curriculum Choices
Check out a more thorough look at our curriculum choices here – Homeschool curriculum picks
I have tried out quite a few different curriculums, and these are the ones that I keep going back to and that really work best for my kids.
*No affiliate links here, we just love these curriculum and want to share them!
Language Arts – The Good and The Beautiful
Math – Teaching Textbooks, Math Lessons for a Living Education
Handwriting – The Good and The Beautiful
History – Notgrass – Our Star Spangled Story (I’m so excited to try this out, we did some of their sample lessons and my kiddos loved it)
Science – The Good and the Beautiful
We really like the TGTB unit studies! We’ve done and enjoyed: Water and Our World, Mammals, and Arthropods. We’ve used only the old versions of these and can’t speak to the new updated versions, although I’ve heard good things.
While I really do like TGTB science unit studies we don’t limit ourselves to one company and will also explore other unit studies throughout the year.
See a more thorough list here – Homeschool curriculum picks
Homeschool Breakdown, Final Note!
Whatever your homeschooling style looks like, remember – you have the freedom to adjust everything you do, and you do not have to follow exactly what anyone else does if it doesn’t suit you and your family. Breakdown your homeschool and see what works best for you!
Homeschooling = Freedom! Take advantage of your freedom.
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Join our brand new Facebook group!
Help build and become part of a community of homeschoolers where you can share resources, ideas, and advice!
