Finding the right weekly homeschool routine is key to maintaining a positive homeschool experience – especially with little learners! After a few years of testing and tweaking, we have finally found what works best for our family. And today, I’d like to share it with you along with 3 tips for creating your own!
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Step 1: List your weekly non-negotiables
The first thing I do anytime I’m creating a routine for our family is make a list of our non-negotiable activities. These are activities that always take place at the same time, and that we’re committed to prioritizing. This can include church activities, extra-curricular classes, sports teams, etc. Once these activities are on the calendar, I’m better able to assess the amount of time I have to work with.
Step 2: Choose your weekly homeschool days
One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the flexibility to “school” as many days as needed! Our family doesn’t follow a strict 5-day school week, but we do try to stick to at least 3 solid days at home for school time. We have found that planning the bulk of our school time on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday helps us enjoy a long weekend with family! Once you’ve figured out which days work best for your kiddos to focus on school, jot them down on your routine!
Step 3: Pick days for extra weekly activities
In addition to listing our non-negotiable activities and homeschool days, I also like to include planned homeschool outtings on certain days of the week! This helps me make sure we’re getting out of the house for special learning time. It also insures that our family is making the most of our paid memberships at places like the zoo, museum, etc. It’s so fun to have these outtings to look forward to each week! And this helps with lesson planning if I know we’re taking a fun “field trip” that week!
Our Weekly Homeschool Routine
Still need a little inspiration for creating your family’s weekly homeschool routine!? Look no further! Below you’ll find the routine our family as used for the last couple of years, and plan on using again!
MONDAY – (HOME DAY) We LOVE “home days” after busy weekends. We begin our week with a day at home full of homeschooling and chores focused on the main living space.
TUESDAY – (HOME DAY) Tuesday is at least another “half” home day. We spend the morning working hard on school activities. If we’re feeling a little cooped up, we’ll head out in the afternoon for a fun activity like hitting the trampoline park or an outdoor park if it’s not crazy hot out!
WEDNESDAY – One Wednesday evenings, we host our Community Group from church at our home. We love this time each week! In the morning, we focus on completing the bulk of our school work for the week. Then, we spend the rest of the day grocery shopping and prepping our potluck dinner for the evening. It’s such a fun time to welcome others into our home!
THURSDAY – Thursdays are for finishing up school! I like to have our “assigned” work completed by this day so that we can move on to extra activities like seasonal studies and review games. Then in the afternoon, we venture out again for a fun activity or some time with our family who lives nearby. I also like to use Thursday as our grocery day. It may seem random, but shopping on Thursday allows us to spend Friday out with friends and then not worry about groceries over the weekend!
FRIDAY – (FUN DAY) Fridays are for fun! These are the days I save for play dates, field trips, and extra family time!
SATURDAY – (HOME DAY) One of my absolute favorite things about homeschooling is that we’re able to get out of the house for lots of fun activities during the week while everything is less busy. Then on Saturday, we stay home for family time and chores! I love to make a big Saturday brunch, enjoy movies during the day. It’s also a great day to take care of household chores in the bedroom.
SUNDAY – Sunday is church day! This is LG’s favorite day! We spend the morning and early afternoon at church and lunch with friends. Then the rest of the day is spent resting at home, prepping for a new fun week!
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Let’s hang out!
Well, friends. I hope these tips help you create the best weekly homeschool routine for your family! Keep in mind that one of the BEST things about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible and make school fit around your life, not the other way around. So feel free to use your routine as a guide for your week, rather than a set schedule!
I’d love to chat and hear about the routine that works best for you! Come hang out with with us in some of our favorite places for lots of fun info on learning with littles! Click on the buttons below to join us!
I love the flexibility of homeschool and I love how you are so transparent!!
I’m so glad this was helpful for you!