Best advice for homeschool parents who are new to homeschooling and starting home school, parents who want to try a new homeschool schedule with their kids, or homeschool moms and dads who feel like homeschooling isn’t working at all.
My Advice For Homeschool Parents On Homeschooling Schedules (From An Experienced Homeschooler)
Whether you’re starting homeschool new or you’re finding homeschooling isn’t working, this advice is for you…
One year, I asked my daughter why she still likes homeschooling so much.
“I think the freedom of it. Plus I can learn about weird things… like dendrology,” she said.
(Dendrology! HA!)
When I first started homeschooling my daughter at age 4 (she’s in high school now and almost done!), I made so many mistakes.
(Don’t get me wrong, I still do. I just know how to pivot and move on quicker now.)
But, back then, I was REGIMENTED.
Things were strictly SCHEDULED.
I had a binder.
It was COLOR CODED.
(Color coded, people!)
That lasted exactly 2 hours into the first day, where I promptly ended up hiding in our pantry and doing the ugly, snotty cry for being a failure.
(True story.)
(Never mind that you shouldn’t be homeschooling like that AT ALL for preschoolers or kindergarten, but that’s a different post.)
I couldn’t understand how I had spent months carefully planning and timing out the classes and activities that I was going to do with my preschooler.
I just forgot to take into account two things:
- People are human and human things happen (especially with little kids), and
- This is not how you should be homeschooling, like, at all. (There’s no need to mimic a public school schedule for homeschooling! I had to repeat to myself: if you want public school, just send them to public school!)
Homeschool Resources: How I Failed At Homeschooling Early On
Believe it or not, back then — even just 12 short years ago — there weren’t resources like there are today.
I didn’t know anyone — NOT ONE OTHER PERSON — who homeschooled.
Online groups were pretty much non-existent.
And, I didn’t know where to look for help.
So, for a long time I had to figure it all out myself.
It was rough.
It took me a couple of years of successes and failures (OK, maybe like 5), but I finally figured out that what works best for my daughter is FLEXIBLE HOMESCHOOLING / ECLECTIC HOMESCHOOLING.
About A Flexible, Eclectic Homeschool Schedule
If you’re not familiar with flexible homeschooling (also called relaxed homeschooling), it’s basically using a mix of homeschooling resources and allowing your child as much or as little time
We mix and match different homeschooling resources (online classes, in-person classes, and unschooling) — which is the eclectic part — and my daughter has as much time as she needs to complete each course or topic of interest—which is the relaxed part.
(FYI: People sometimes call relaxed homeschooling and eclectic homeschooling the same thing.)
These things together are, without a doubt, the reason that my daughter still LOVES homeschooling, even after all this time and even as a ::gasp:: TEENAGER ::gasp::.
Last year, aside from a few online classes, she spent almost the entire year exclusively in a local artist residency as a high schooler. I’m convinced in that one year she learned more to help her in life than if she had been at a rigorous private school.
It went from her creating art to planning and putting on a hugely successful community event and ended with her teaching classes to peers!
She learned and gained experience in:
- Planning, scheduling, and creating a big art project
- Working in a shared office space
- Communicating professionally (in person, emails, written correspondence, etc.)
- Planning and putting on a huge community event
- Volunteering
- Planning classes
- Putting together presentation slides
- Planning class projects
- Teaching 3 classes to peers
- (and probably some other things I’m not even thinking about at the moment)
She was even the first teen to have a permanent art installation there, which looks great on a resume or college application (no matter what she decides to do).
The truth is these kinds of opportunities are available to you and your homeschoolers — no matter if their “thing” is art, algebra, or agriculture.
You just have to be willing to talk to your kids about their interests, look for opportunities, and then make the connections in your community.
Then, spend a minute translating those things to “course speak” (you know, how they translate to learning). For example, my daughter spending time writing emails, creating presentation slides, etc. easily translates to Language Arts credits.
Does This Advice For Homeschool Parents Work For You?
Now, I’m not a believer of one size fits all for families.
A flexible schedule isn’t for everyone.
It can be a scary homeschool style to try, especially if you’re new to homeschooling and are already not feeling confident.
However, if you started homeschooling because you wanted to allow your child to more freedom to learn in the way that’s best for them or you’ve been feeling like your past homeschool years just weren’t working, try this.
If I hadn’t been willing to follow my gut and give my kid the flexibility to follow her interests, she would’ve missed out on that year of incredible experiences.
If you’re looking to change things up next year or your current homeschool method or style isn’t working, give flexible / eclectic homeschooling a try… especially if you’re looking to re-ignite (or create!) a love of learning for kids!
Remember, you can always pivot to prevent the ugly, snotty cry in your pantry or closet.
MORE HELPFUL HOMESCHOOLING INFO TO SEE MORE ABOUT OUR SCHEDULE:
Homeschooling Without A Schedule Tips (Step By Step Homeschool Scheduling Example)
What Are the Best Homeschooling Resources? (Top 35 Homeschool By Subject Tools We Use & Love!)
Can You Use Outschool For Homeschooling? Our Personal Experience
What is your advice for homeschool parents or what’s working for you? Share below to help other homeschoolers!
