"Do you have a schedule for your homeschool day?" Now there's a question that can bring out a lot of strong responses! It seems as if you either are a scheduler or you aren't. So many people think that they just can't home school with a strict schedule. What I advocate in my book, "A Plan for Joy in the Home", is a plan for your homeschool day that allows you to be flexible but still keeps you on track. Obviously I'm on the pro-planning side of things. I do believe, however that everyone can benefit from being that way. That being said, here is what I feel are the top three benefits to planning your homeschool day.
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There are Benefits to Planning Your Homeschool Day
Your Kids Know What to Expect
This is the #1 reason why I wrote my book! When I had a mere three students in my homeschool, it would drive me to distraction to be working with one child only to have the other two standing next to me saying, "Mommy, I'm done, what do I do now?"
Day in and day out this kept happening and I was quickly losing my cool. It wasn't there fault that they were done and didn't know what to do next. My lack of scheduling their day and planning out their tasks was my fault, and I needed to do something about it; and fast.
That's when I started doing research about planning my homeschool day out. I needed time to work one-on-one with my young students. They needed to know what to do next if I was busy.
My schedules were pretty exact in the beginning because we were all learning how to work with a routine. Over the years, though, I turned to more of a loose plan because everyone knew what to do during the allotted school time.
If you're being driven crazy by kids getting done with their work and asking you what's next, I would highly recommend creating a schedule that they can follow. This makes everyone far more productive and allows you to finish school in a timely fashion.
It Saves You Time
There is a two-fold aspect to this one.
First, having a plan saves you time during the day because you don't have to stop and figure out what you're going to do each day and when you're going to do it. I have a hard enough time remembering who is doing what. Having a plan for the day allowed the kids to know what to do and when to do it so I didn't have to take the time, and the brain-power, to figure it out.
Secondly, because you aren't wasting this time each day, you tend to finish school earlier. This allows you to accomplish other things during the day since you have more time for them to be accomplished in.
If I can shave an hour off my school day because I am organized and have a plan, why not, right? That precious hour can be used for so many other things like chores, errands, free-time, quiet time, etc.
Your time as a homeschooling mother is gold. Why not have a plan so that you can maximize that time?
A Plan Allows for Variety
Some people think that planning things out stifles variety. I beg to differ. Your plan does not have to be a minute by minute description of what will get done that day. If that's what helps you, then that's fine. If something like that would box you in, then consider block scheduling or loop scheduling, both of which allow for variety in your day.
Also, the key point to working with a plan is to be flexible. Being flexible allows you to take that spur-of-the-moment field trip or to throw in a short unit study. When you're ready to get back to your regular schedule, you know where to jump back in. Whether you're sidetracked for a few hours or a few days, having a plan allows you to easily find your way back; just like any good road map will do.
Don't think that just because you have a plan for your homeschool day you will be stuck in the same boring routine day in and day out. Nope. You're still free to take side-trips. Having a plan just allows the everyday kind of days to run much more smoothly.
Do you have a plan for your homeschool day? If not, why not? I'd love to hear how that works for your family. Being a person who is drawn to organization, the thought of not having a plan gives me anxiety. I'd love to hear from someone who feels they live better without a plan. Feel free to comment below!