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How To Create A
Homeschool Daily Schedule



Create a homeschool daily schedule that works for your family! I found out after homeschooling my 8 children these many years, that I do not have to follow the public school schedule! Homeschool scheduling can be what ever works for your family.

One of the greatest challenges for the new homeschool parent is learning how to put together a school schedule, and then keeping it.

However, I must make a confession. I  like a homeschooling schedule. I like my life organized and run by some sort of routine.  Because I like to know what is going to happen next, I assume my children want to know what is happening next! :)

When my first four children arrived one right after another, for my sanity, I had somewhat of a schedule.

Now that I have 9 children AND we are homeschooling, AND I need to be teacher AND mom, AND manager of the home. Having a homeschool daily schedule is even more important to me.

Start by dividing the year into four simple categories:

1. Choose a Annual Schedule

Follow the Public or Private School Schedule

This is probably the most traditional and easiest schedule to follow. Start the school year when your local school starts and end when they end. Vacations and holidays are already marked in their calender.

Simple and Easy...

This is how I set up my school the first few years of homeschooling. I knew how many days of school I needed by just looking at my local school calender.

Labor Day to Memorial Day

This gives you a longer summer...Ya!!

However, you have to take fewer breaks through out the school year to make up for the longer summer.

That may mean only one week of Christmas break and no snow days!! :)

Six Weeks On, One Week Off

With this schedule, summer break is only four weeks. This schedule also gives everyone several mini breaks throughout the school year.

This might be great for kids who might more easily forget everything over a long summer vacation.

Year Round Schooling

This gives a more flexible schedule. For those who need a steady routine all year long, this might be the schedule for you. It allows time for field trips, special events, and family gatherings.

That means you will be doing homeschool in some form all year long, even on holidays or weekends and not taking a long summer or winter break.

You definite WON'T be doing 7 hours of seat work a day! :)

How do you know when a school year is done?   

First, have a single sheet of paper with numbered boxes to check off for 180 days. That is the typical required school days.

Second, Find the general guidelines for the amount of work you need in each grade level for the state-mandated subject areas. When those guidelines are completed, then you promote your children to the next grade.

I’m all for doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t!

Four Days a Week

This was the homeschool daily schedule I chose this year. Why? Because with music lessons, laundry, boys work schedules, doctor appointments, and my girls cleaning job, it was easier to schedule all this on the fifth day and do school on the other four days. This made sure we were not out of the house every single day...just once a week.

This schedule is also great for staying caught up on cleaning and household projects throughout the school year.

January 1st- December 31st

You could always start school at the new year. :) Some homeschool curriculum like Bob Jones Press, will have a one class sale at the beginning of the new year...saving you over $200 dollars.

To contact a Bob Jones Consultant, for more details, call 1-740-261-6363.

Sometimes thinking outside the box can give you better deals...

This is a great idea, but easiest to put in place if you start when your kids are young.

Create Your Own Schedule

My husband is a pastor, so he works Saturdays. Because his days off are Thursdays, we do not have school that day...rather, choosing to spend it with Dad. This means we do school on Saturday. This homeschool daily schedule works great for family!

Does dad work nights or weekends? Is October or April the best months of the year in your area? Create a schedule that works for you.

2. Choose a Monthly Schedule

monthly homeschool schedules

The monthly schedule is to break down the schoolwork to be completed in that year into monthly goals.

This will help the student stay on track for the year.  The benefit will be a continual goal for the student to work toward each month, and assurance for the parent that the student can complete the year when planned.

Use this monthly schedule to get organized.

3. Choose A Weekly Schedule

weekly homeschool schedule
weekly homeschool schedule






The weekly schedule will show what schoolwork is to be finished weekly.

In a curriculum-based program, textbooks and workbooks have a specific number of chapters or pages in each book.

If the you divides the total number of pages  by 36, the number of weeks in a school year, you would know how much your child should accomplish in on school week.

My high school students write down an entire weeks assignment and stay organized for the week. Tests, quizzes, homework, and reading assignments can be seen at a glance!

We use these weekly schedules.

4. Choose a Homeschool Daily Schedule

homeschool daily schedule
homeschool daily schedule






The homeschool daily schedule is really the most important schedule of all. This will determine your success in your homeschool experience.

Although is takes up time to get it organized, in the end, you will be so grateful you took the time to help your students stay on track every day.

Set a "starting and ending time"or a "start this project and end this project".

The daily workload is determined by how much schoolwork was designated for the week, and if there will be a four- or five-day school week.

The shorter week will make for a heavier daily workload for the student. In our day, we set the fifth day as either a day to clean the house, work, music lesssons, doctors appointments, or a catch-up day for school, depending on the need.

This homeschool daily schedule was helpful for me.

Stay Flexible!

Remember: Your homeschool schedule is just a guideline. You don't have to stick to rigid time restrictions, unless that's how your children work better. Be flexible and willing to move projects and lessons around as necessary.

That is why you homeschool!!

Have you found a homeschool schedule that works for your family?
Do you take regular, planned time off, school year round, follow the public school schedule, or do something else all together?

Share it with us!

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