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5 Simple Schedule Tweaks Can Make a Huge Impact on Your Homeschool

April 24, 2018 By Kris Bales

Let’s be honest. Sometimes homeschooling feels like drudgery – for our children and us. Did you know that just one or two simple schedule tweaks can have a huge impact on your homeschool?

I’ve seen in play out in our homes time and again. Just a slight change can result in a huge improvement in my kids’ attitudes, the flow of our day, the quality of their work, and our general satisfaction with school.

5 Simple Schedule Tweaks Can Make a Huge Impact on Your Homeschool

So, if there has been too much grumbling in your homeschool lately (from you and the kids), try these simple schedule tweaks to see if attitudes improve.

Give Your Kids Control of Their Schedule

Yeah, I know it sounds crazy. Giving kids control of their schedule sounds like the recipe for too much screen time and sleeping in. But give it a try. You might be surprised.

Letting kids take charge of their schedule will look different depending on their age and maturity level. For young children, it may mean giving them choices by asking, “What do you want to do next – math or spelling?”

For upper-elementary to middle school ages, you might want to try giving them daily or weekly assignment sheets and allowing them to choose the order (or the days) in which they complete their schoolwork. Some kids may opt to devote an entire day to a single subject, such as science, with the goal of finishing all their work by the end of the week.

Work crates are ideal for allowing kids to direct their own schedule. I used a milk crate with hanging file folders for each subject. I’d load up the crates before school each day or at the beginning of the week, and the kids would work through the assignments at their own pace. My oldest used her work crate all the way through high school.

Most high school students should be able to use either the assignment sheet or work crate method responsibly or use a planner to write out their own weekly schedule.

Sync Your Schedule with your Kids’ Rhythms

Sometimes our schedules don’t work because they’re not in sync with our natural cycles of alertness and productivity. It took me awhile, but I learned that our days were much more productive if I let my kids sleep in and planned the majority of our school day for after lunch. They would get up and do subjects that didn’t take a great deal of concentration. Then, after lunch, we’d tackle the other subjects.

I also learned that read-alouds after lunch were pretty much a sure-fire recipe for putting us all to sleep. Early afternoons required active learning. Read-alouds worked best before lunch when everyone was still trying to get their brains going.

My teens have the freedom to set their own hours as long as they complete their work each week. Megan, my night owl, prefers to work late at night when the house is quiet. Josh listens to podcasts on his breaks at work and prefers to complete written assignments when he comes home from work in the mornings.

Use Block Schedules

Block schedules can work great for subjects that require more time such as lab sciences or hands-on history projects. Instead of spending a little time on these subjects each day, you break them up into two or three longer study periods each week.

We used to do history on Mondays and Wednesdays and science on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Block scheduling meant that we could delve into a subject without feeling that we had to rush through it so we could move on to the next thing and not be doing school at midnight each night.

The time to focus on just a few subjects a day, rather than trying to cram in a little bit of everything helped us all to feel less stressed, scattered and rushed. And the kids were willing to invest more time into each with little or no complaint.

5 Simple Schedule Tweaks Can Make a Huge Impact on Your Homeschool

Add in Loop Schedules

Loop scheduling is a fantastic solution for all those little extras that you want to include in your homeschool. Just keep a running list of the activities you want to complete and set aside time for them in your weekly schedule.

You might have art, cooking, music, photography, poetry, and geography on your loop schedule list. Then, you have an hour set aside on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. You would do art on Monday, cooking on Wednesday, and photography on Friday. If you wind up going on a field trip on Friday, you can bump photography to Monday and pick up with poetry on Wednesday.

Loop scheduling allows you to create room in your schedule for the fun studies and activities that you want to include in your homeschool without the stress of trying to squeeze them in every day.

Try a Four-Day Week

Don’t quit reading yet. I’m not suggesting that you knock off school one day a week or do school all year long to get your state-required days in. I am suggesting that you only schedule core subjects four days each week. You can still count five days toward you attendance schedule because you’ll still be doing educational activities on that day.

Use the fifth day for field trips, enrichment activities, co-op classes, or a catch-up day. It took so much pressure off of us when I started scheduling a catch-up day into each week.

If the kids get behind on their work, they can use Friday (though the catch-up day can be whichever works with your schedule) to get caught up. If they are caught up, they can do other things like read, pursue hobbies, do enrichment activities, or we can take a field trip.

When they were younger, Josh and Megan had music class on Wednesdays and Brianna had an art class. I didn’t schedule any core classes on Wednesday, but we did go to a nearby nature preserve in between classes for nature study. We’d also squeeze in other fun, educational activities. It was our enrichment activity day back before I had a name for it.

These are just a few simple tweaks that we made to our homeschool schedule that had a huge impact on saving our sanity.

What tweaks have you made to your homeschool schedule that have made schooling a smoother process?

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5 Ways to Encourage Independent Learning

March 27, 2018 By Kris Bales

There are many different types of homeschooling parents. I have always been the type to enjoy getting in there and learning alongside my kids. But, I also always looked forward to having more independent learners. I used to daydream about all the things I could get done if I had just an hour or two a day when all of my kids were working independently.


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The daydream has become a reality, y’all. I do sometimes miss the years when I was more involved, but I’m not going to lie. The freedom of homeschooling teens is pretty awesome.

I’ve updated an older post with some tips on how we got to this point. I left the photos of my sweet babies back in the day purely for the cuteness factor. Because {sniff} I miss those sweet little faces.

Middle school is when I really like to start really encouraging independent work. In addition to the benefit of more time for the teaching parent, independent learning also allows for a more personalized education for the kids. They can more easily follow their own interests when they’re working on their own at least part of the day.

So, how do you encourage independent learning?

1. Spend plenty of time laying the foundation.

It’s counter-productive to push independent learning too early. Spending lots of time working one-on-one with your kids when they’re young gives them the confidence and ability to work on their own when they’re older. Making sure kids are strong in basic skills, such as reading, writing, and math computation, sets them up for productive independent learning throughout life.

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2. Start simply.

Let your kids start out working independently in areas where they’re confident. The first work my kids started doing on their own was their Explode the Code books. They made a fantastic starting point because all the lesson formats are the same. So the kids were familiar and comfortable with what the lessons.

After Explode the Code, we’d usually move on to math because once new concepts are explained the review problems are familiar.

And, then {cue the hallelujah chorus} we discovered Teaching Textbooks.

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3. Keep a system of accountability in place.

I give my kids assignment/check sheets. They check off each assignment as they complete it.

When the kids were younger kids and first started working independently, I would check their work early in the evening. That allowed enough time to sit down and finish it rather than watch a favorite TV show {gasp} if their work didn’t get completed.

An even worse fate than missing a TV show was having to do their work at the dining room table with me the next day instead of taking it to their rooms or the living room.

They quickly learned that it was better to get their work done during the school day. (No, I wasn’t a complete ogre. There was always leeway when needed.)

4. Provide incentives.

Sometimes, in the early stages of learning to work independently, having an incentive program in place can be useful. I used a sticker chart with Brianna. I’d set a timer for a reasonable amount of time. If she finished her math (the subject in which she liked to drag her feet) before the timer went off, she got a sticker.

She could collect the stickers for a week and turn them in for a small prize or save them for a month for a big prize. It doesn’t work for every kid, but sometimes it’s helpful to show a kid that if they just get busy and do their work, it’s done.

5. Provide resources.

Often when a child is just learning to work independently, it’s hard because there’s just so much to remember. Providing tools to help overcome obstacles and get to the business at hand can really go a long way in helping your child learn to work on his own.

We’ve used math mini-offices, a writing mini-office, and learning centers to accomplish those goals. You might also try your own version of workboxes.
Brianna used workboxes all the way through high school.

What tips have you discovered that have helped your kids move toward more independent learning?

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10 Ways to Display or Recycle Kid Art

February 1, 2018 By Kris Bales

From the moment your first child scribbled a mark on a piece of paper, you’ve probably been enthralled with your kids’ artwork. As much as we love our artists and their handiwork, saving every little creation just isn’t feasible. It’s tough to figure out how to display kid’s art – or recycle it.

What do you do with all those masterpieces without feeling guilty or hurting your artist’s feelings?

how to display kid's art

Easy Ways to Display or Recycle Kid Art

1. Make a calendar. Scan your children’s drawing. Then, use a photo-printing site to create calendars with the pictures. These make great Christmas gifts for relatives.

2. Laminate it. Laminate your child’s larger pieces of art and use them for placemats. The placemats will give your child a sense of pride and create a lasting keepsake.

3. Make cards. Use kid-art to make greeting cards for grandparents, aunts, and uncles or to brighten the day of a nursing home resident, shut-in, or sick neighbor or friend.

4. Make puzzles. With your child’s permission (because this idea could be a disaster without it), glue their artwork onto heavy cardboard or cardstock. Then, cut it apart to make homemade, personalized puzzles.

5. Frame it. The Canada goose drawing that won Brianna 1st place in the National Junior Duck Stamp contest when she was in 6th grade still hangs in our home. There was a drawing I did when I was in 6th grade that hung on my parents’ den wall for decades. And, there may or may not be one of my first-grade creations still hanging in my mom’s office.

Don’t wait for the spectacular stuff to frame your child’s art. Kid art is whimsical, colorful, and wall-worthy in all its imperfection.

kid art

6. Take photos of it. Since it’s not possible to keep every piece of art our kids ever create, taking photos can be a great space-saving solution. Have your child pose with his creation and a notecard card showing the date and/or his age. What a fun keepsake to look back on when they’re older!

7. Cull it. When my kids were younger, I used to save all their creations in a copy paper box. Whenever it got full, I’d go through and cull it – keeping my favorites or the pieces that had some special memory attached. It worked well, and I’ve got some wonderful keepsakes to sift through in years to come.

8. Bind it. If you’ve got many pieces of similar size, consider having them comb- or spiral-bound. If they’re sturdy, you can bind them as is. Otherwise, laminate them first. You can let your kids make their own art book cover. Be sure to include their name and age.

ways to display kid's art

9. Turn it into bookmarks. If you’re anything like us, you’re always using bookmarks. It might be a universal homeschooling thing. Choose some of the narrower pieces to turn into bookmarks. Next, glue the art to cardstock and laminate it to make a creative, sturdy bookmark – and another great gift idea for relatives, nursing home residents, or shut-ins.

10. Share it. If you sponsor a child through an organization such as Compassion International or you, pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, encourage your child to share her artwork with a child overseas.

What creative ways have you found to display or recycle your kids’ art?

updated from an article originally published February 12, 2013

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The Importance of Building Downtime Into Your Child’s Schedule

November 9, 2017 By Tara Mitchell

Written by Tara Mitchell of Embark on the Journey.

Are your kids involved in a multitude of extracurricular activities? Do they attend Sunday School, youth group, and a homeschool co-op, as well? Do you feel as if you’re in your car more than you’re not?

If so, your kids may be struggling with overload. They may have a hard time switching from on-the-go to stay-at-home mode.

Kids need downtime built into their days. They need time to play and time to relax. Their bodies need to rest, and their brains need a break. Downtime allows them to recharge so they can be at their best for everything else they want to accomplish.

Now, I say this as a big reminder to myself. I have to purposely schedule downtime into my teen’s days. If I don’t, she will burn out. She has such a hectic schedule with Nutcracker rehearsals, co-op classes, and volunteer work at the animal shelter. With all of this craziness, her downtime is a precious commodity!

Why Kids Need Downtime

Mindless activities help them regroup.

It’s important for kids and teens alike to have time for mindless activities. These activities could include watching an episode of their favorite show, playing a video game, or scrolling through social media if they’re old enough.

The point is to have a little time to disengage from their schedules and to-do lists. Mindless activities provide time to rest and relax and take a brain break.

They need time for unstructured play.

On days when there are no activities scheduled, I encourage play time. For younger kids, this could be playing with the neighbors or siblings in the backyard, at the park, or in the playroom. Older kids may want to invite a friend over to hang out.

This time is meant to be engaging but not structured. The children are using their imaginations and building social skills, but still relaxing. It’s not intended to be an organized activity, homework session, or practice.

Kids need time to invest in hobbies.

Not a sport or dance. Not a speech or debate. Kids need to have time to discover hobbies and explore their interests. Whether it’s baking, sewing, building LEGO models, or dog grooming, time for hobbies is essential.

When kids have time to explore new things and work on new projects, they learn to relax and take pleasure in the things they create or do.

Kids need to unwind and calm down before bed.

Several nights a week, we don’t get home until close to bedtime. If your kids are involved in sports or dance, your schedule may be similar.

When they come home, kids may be keyed up. They may be hungry or excited about the activity in which they just participated.

We tend to have a little “unwind” before it’s time for bed. Prepare a nutritious bedtime snack and let your child tell you all about his day while they eat. Taking a quick shower may help them relax enough to head to bed. Maybe, like my daughter, they need to read in bed for a bit before it’s lights out.

The key here is to allow them to unwind, unload their excitement, and settle in for a good night’s sleep, so they are ready to face a brand new, sometimes busy, day!

We need to make sure that our kids have downtime. We don’t need schedule every minute of their lives. As the mom of a competitive dancer, I have seen just how precious every moment of downtime that we can squeeze into a day is.

What do you do to ensure that your children have downtime in their busy days?

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How to Toss Your Homeschool Lesson Plans and Still Get Stuff Done: Practical Tips to Stop Over-Planning

October 12, 2017 By Adrienne Bolton

Written by Adrienne Bolton of The Mommy Mess.

The best first step in tossing your homeschool lesson plans is trying for years to stick to them to little (or no) avail.

I cannot tell you how many different ways I’ve tried to create useful lesson plans over the years. I’ve filled everything from trendy homeschool mom planners to basic spiral notebooks with my good intentions.

stop over-planning homeschool lesson plans

This post contains affiliate links. See full disclosure policy for more details. Email and RSS feed readers may need to visit the blog to access affiliate links.

No matter the system I haven’t found anything fool-proof. In nine years of homeschooling, there hasn’t been a single year that has ever gone as planned.

Why I thought this year would be any different shall remain a mystery, but the first few weeks of school have painfully reminded me that homeschool lesson plans are useless.

How to Toss Your Homeschool Lesson Plans

Are you like me in that you let overplanning or start and finish dates set the tone for your school year?

Do you feel defeated when you get off track or worry you’re “behind” when life gets in the way?

You are not alone!

What does tossing the lesson plan look like for me?

Usually, at the end of a long school day, I’m looking down at a list of plans I penciled in weeks earlier, blissfully unaware of whatever future interruptions would get the best of us on this particular day. The assignments are almost never complete, and I’m often left feeling discouraged.

Yuck.

After a long day last week, I set my planner aside out of frustration and decided to jot down some notes on what we had successfully covered that day, highlighting the positives, no matter how small.

It was an “ah-ha” moment for me. We had covered a ton of material, but seeing what we hadn’t gotten to on the lesson (over)plan was keeping me from celebrating our accomplishments that day.

Seeing what we hadn't gotten to on the lesson (over)plan was keeping me from celebrating our accomplishments.Click To Tweet

Keep a record of what you complete instead of a list of what you want to get done.

Because we all know what we wanted to get done isn’t going to happen!

Homeschooling happens at home. It’s not a brick and mortar building designated for one common goal. Plenty of other activity goes on inside a family home. There are daily interruptions, distractions, and challenges. Staying on track feels impossible some days.

Instead of lesson “planning,” think lesson…journaling.

Sit down at the end of the day and make a list of your accomplishments.

  • What subjects did you cover?
  • Where did discussion lead?
  • What sparked interest in your child?
  • Did you go anywhere? (Don’t forget learning happens anywhere!)
  • What worked great?
  • What time of day was most productive?
  • Did you have any nonschool related highlights? Include those too!
  • What subjects did you skip? (Plan to start with those the next day.)

As homeschool moms, we spend a lot of time worrying we haven’t gotten to everything or that we failed to cover this subject or that, but in reality, we’re covering plenty! Take note, moms. Literally.

stop over-planning homeschool lesson plans

Scrap the fancy planner.

Secondly, say goodbye to overwhelming detailed planners. Use a simple spiral notebook to journal your day or make notes about lessons as the day progresses.  Multiple subject spirals are perfect for this! I use a 5-subject spiral with pocket dividers.

Here’s my master plan: Try to cover each subject daily.

The end.

Of course, I have a general idea of where we should be in each subject, but I’m not wasting my time writing it down in two different places or putting a lot of thought into sticking to a specific pace or calendar anymore. We’ll go as fast as we can.

My son’s spiral is similar with a just a list of core subjects that he needs to cover each day. Whatever subjects we don’t get to will be where we pick up tomorrow.

Ignore the publisher’s plan.

Finally, let go of whatever the lesson plan is in your teacher’s edition!

Most homeschool curriculum plans are for a 36-week school year. It could take less or more time to complete depending on the subject. Subjects like reading and literature are relative. I know how much we’re supposed to read according to my TE, but what we can actually accomplish is another story.

Math? You can only go so fast. In a perfect world, we’d complete 5-6 lessons a week. In the real world, it’s more like 3-4 lessons.

What are you going to do? Stressing out about being behind isn’t going to make the work magically disappear or complete itself any faster. Don’t get discouraged if the teacher’s edition says you should be farther along. Work at your own pace!

Isn’t that what this whole homeschooling thing is about anyway? Flexibility? Freedom?

I still forget sometimes.

Have you ever tossed your homeschool lesson plans? Did it turn out to be a good idea or a bad one?

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Kris Bales is the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest voice behind Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She and her husband of over 25 years are parents to two amazing teens and a homeschool grad. Kris has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. She also seems intent on becoming the crazy cat lady long before she's old and alone.

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