One of the most difficult questions to answer for a homeschool parent is if they are scheduling their homeschool student’s time in the classroom productively each day. Are they doing enough? Will they be too overwhelmed with all they have to accomplish today? What all must they accomplish? These are questions that do not have a one size fits all answer. Things are different for each homeschooling family and each homeschool student. All the homeschool teacher can do is to give due consideration to the interests of the child before setting up the schedule. Here are some aspects to consider.
Studies
While a number of homeschool teachers like to follow the morning studies pattern like regular school, there is enough flexibility in homeschooling to pick the hours that you actually want to teach your children. You could do an afternoon study period, or mix and match on different days of the week depending on sports and other socializing activities.
Play Time
Just as important as studies, play time must make it’s presence felt each day. It could be watching a movie, reading out a book aloud, painting a cup, going on a field trip, or simply throwing ball in the back yard. There must be some down time for the homeschool students to relax and have fun. This does not need to be the same everyday, but it must be scheduled in each day.
Exercise
The mind and body need to be fit. While the homeschool students will find that their minds are covered by their studies, the homeschool teacher must ensure that they exercise their bodies regularly as well. Jogging, yoga, football, basket ball, swimming, pilates, or aerobics, it doesn’t matter what the form of exercise is, the homeschool students should ideally be physically active for at least an hour each day.
Errands and Chores
A sense of responsibility is built up by performing errands and chores around the house. Have a list of stuff that needs to be done, and have the duties rotated among the homeschool students. This is helpful in taking the pressure off the homeschool parent, while helping the children develop life skills.