Homeschool Schedule
Based on subject priority.
— November 9, 2024
Do your homeschool days run smoothly? Does everything you want to accomplish have a satisfying check mark next to it? I know mine didn’t, not with three kids all 5 and under. I used to be constantly frustrated. The subjects we completed regularly didn’t always align with our priorities, our curriculum’s schedule would be thrown off, consistency seemed unattainable, and feeling satisfied with our efforts was foreign to me. I finally refocused on our family’s priorities and tried a new way of doing things, the Subject Priority Approach.
The Subject Priority Approach is excellent if you are an eclectic homeschooling parent. To read more about types of homeschool methods, you can visit the Homeschooling Methods post.
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Why the Subject Priority Approach might be the best fit for your homeschool schedule.
The season of life you’re in is unpredictable due to being a young family or other reasons.
Homeschooling is unpredictable. Someone is sick, injured, regular checkups, rescheduling of lessons, a new addition to the family, vacations, family visiting, and so on. Some homeschooling lifestyles tend towards a more consistent homeschool schedule while others will have additional stressors that can cause days to be inconsistent. Such as new additions to the family, homesteading, military family or family that moves for a job frequently, a child’s extracurricular demands, or a parent’s business obligations just to name a few.
Ultimately, seasons of life change rapidly. Basing your homeschool schedule on subject priority can help you navigate unpredictable times and still be reassured your child is learning what is important.
You’re an overambitious planner when it comes to your homeschool schedule.
Is your planning-self overoptimistic? In my head I have an ideal version of the subjects I want my children to learn. And if I plan our homeschool schedule well enough, we will get in all the things. Cue sickness running through the house for 2 weeks straight, impromptu urgent care visits, rescheduled piano lessons, unexpected hens added to the flock, or family visiting. The list goes on and on. It’s not a question of if something is going to come up to throw our homeschool schedule off, it’s a matter of when.
By using the Subject Priority Approach, your planning self can be overambitious. The difference is that at the end of the day, even if you didn’t get to all the things, you still have the feeling of reassurance because your child still learned what is most important.
You find it difficult to fit everything into your homeschool schedule.
Your homeschool schedule is filled to the brim most days when homeschooling little kiddos because age matters a lot. Young children rely heavily on their parent’s to be the teacher and spend every subject, every minute guiding them through their lessons. However, as your child grows and their reading level rises they become more independent in their studies.
Additionally, the number of kiddos you have matters. Each child will either need help with their own lessons or need attention from Momma. Household duties, maybe the homestead chores, and finding personal time all require your attention as well. In a day, our time cannot be all dedicated to teaching all the subjects to one child.
Subject priority approach helps you analyze the most important subjects to fit into your homeschool schedule. Which ones will set your child up for learning independently in a few years so they can study all the things with less demand from you as the parent.
Determine priorities based on your family’s goals.
Now that we have analyzed why your homeschool schedule might benefit from the subject priority approach, it’s time to determine your family’s priorities. I cannot give you a prescriptive formula for what will give you that feeling of reassurance at the end of the day. This will look different from family to family because every family is different, with different aspirations, desires, and wants. But I can present you with some questions to help get your started and determine it for yourself. I have included these questions as a free printable if you wish to print it off. Having your spouse fill it out separately from you and then conferring on answers can be helpful.
Ask yourself these questions and answer in an ideal world.
- If someone were to ask you to describe your ideal homeschool environment in 3 words, what would those be?
- When your child looks back on their homeschool time, what are the three words you hope they would use to describe it?
- When your child leaves the house to begin their own life, what are the top 3 things you want them to hold above all else?
- At your child’s current age, which four subjects stand out as the best to set your child up for success in learning in a year or two?
- At your child’s current age, putting aside foundations for immediate future learning, what would you like them to be well rounded on? Write down as many that come to mind.
- What subjects are difficult to pick up after an extended break?
- Ask your child what interests them.
- If your homeschool schedule could only fit one subject, what would it be? Choose one answer from question 4.
How to use these questions.
Questions 1 and 2 are specific to help you determine the quantity of subjects you should place in Priority A Subjects and B Subjects. If you included words like peaceful and relaxed then you may want to choose less subjects overall. If your words closely resemble rigorous and well-rounded then you can choose more.
Question 3, 4, and 6 are setting you up to determine your A subjects while questions 5 and 7 are for B subjects. Unless your family places a greater emphasis on your child’s interests or their age, then question 7 may be in A subjects and need to bump something else down.
Lastly, question 8 should pull from one of your answers from question 4. Whichever this answer is, that subject holds the gold medal in your daily homeschool schedule.
Establish Priority A Subjects for an optimal homeschool schedule.
Priority A Subjects are completed 4-5 times per week. How many times per week is based on your own preference and curriculum requirement. However, you should keep in mind that these are most important in your child’s education and succeeding in feeling accomplished by day’s end.
I would not choose more than 5 academic subjects for this category because otherwise you’ll set yourself up for failure. Unless you have older children who are capable of independent learning.
Dividing priority A Subjects to fit into your homeschool schedule.
We complete morning basket almost daily. And my answer to question number 3 fits snuggly into a morning basket routine at the beginning of our homeschool schedule. We read Aesop Fables, The Book of Virtues, and The Bible to encourage sound moral character and wisdom. Singing hymns and learning memory verses set a solid foundation for loving Jesus and God. We attend church twice a week and involve ourselves in church. And we’re homeschooling which is already setting a strong foundation for family.
In our current season of life, based on ages, the academic A Subjects are as follows. My 6 year old’s lessons are reading, math, piano, writing, and spelling. For my 4 year old reading, math, and writing.
Why you might choose the same A Subjects.
The written word: Reading, writing, and spelling.
My answer to number 8 is reading. Reading has always been our number one priority. And not just being able to read but have a love for stories. Why is reading so important in our home? Once a child can read, the entire world is open to them. Every subject, any interest is accessible to them. They no longer have to wait until Mom or Dad can sit down to read them a book on The Stone Age or alligators. They can read classic children’s literature like The Railway Children on their own or their favorite picture books, and to their siblings no less!
After reading comes writing and spelling. There are two reasons we hold writing in high regard. One it strengthens hand muscles and improves hand-eye coordination for leisurely endeavors like art. Two, it is important to be able to communicate one’s ideas in the written form. Spelling is the last priority of A subjects because it is already in reading. However I include it in our A subjects because on a typical day we have no issues including it and consistency is optimal with this subject.
Subjects that support and enrich: math and piano.
Next, comes math. Elementary math is important for functioning in normal daily life. Measuring and counting, fractions and shapes. All these are important for daily activities.
Additionally, piano sits in A Subjects because practicing everyday is important for retention and progressing. We also chose piano because reading music is like learning another language. It is important to begin young. And as a side note, being able to perform in front of an audience is important which is where recitals and playing in church comes in.
Establish priority B Subjects for the optimal homeschool schedule.
B Subjects should be narrowed down to 4 subjects or less, depending on your child’s age. These do not need to be subjects that you have a direct hand in teaching or have a set curriculum for. For instance, science in the younger years can simply be spending time in nature and reading books.
On an ideal, typical homeschool day you could complete two of your Priority B subjects. Then the next day would be two different subjects. Depending on the number of subjects this would result in 2-3 times per week completion of a subject. However, B Subjects are special. Your top B Subject may be completed 3-4 times per week while the others are only completed 1-2 times. It is entirely up to you and the difference in priority and curriculum.
Why you might choose the same B Subjects.
Top B Subjects can branch off of concepts from A Subjects and be student-interest led: history and art.
History is the first priority of B Subjects because this falls into wanting our children to be morally sound and have foundations in wisdom. There is much to learn from the past. Art is next, because my eldest loves art. He loves learning about art and creating his own.
Some subjects are naturally being taught in your lifestyle: Spanish and science.
Learning a second language at a young age sets a child up for future language learning so we sprinkle this in through books, songs, occasional movies in Spanish, and basic vocabulary. Science at this age is integrated into living rural, having a homestead, the occasional science experiment, and attending nature group once a week. Rarely does science require my attention to specifically teach anything.
Occasionally you may have to let a subject go until you’re in a different season of life. When your child is learning independently or all your children are school aged and learning in tandem.
Things to consider when structuring your homeschool schedule using subject priority.
- Every year the subject’s priority should be reevaluated. You’ll be in a new season of life. Your child is older, has new skills and interests. Reassess your priorities and rework your homeschool schedule in accordance.
- Take the time to determine the best way to organize subjects for your family’s lifestyle, the age of your child(ren), number of children, etc. Some subjects will be best suited for a morning basket. Others may follow a more traditional lesson format. What can be taught as a family? What needs individual attention? The curriculum you have chosen can help determine this.
- We will occasionally make up a missed A subject on the weekend. Another option is if two short and/or easy lessons are consecutive we will double up.
- It’s okay to be flexible. Say you haven’t missed a day of A subjects and you’re feeling guilty that B subjects aren’t getting the attention they need. It’s your homeschool! Set aside A subjects or just a couple and complete your B subjects. Boom! You feel better already.
- Tracking the priority approach is not complicated. I have a post coming out on November 13th, 2024 that includes a free printable for you to use. The post covers all you will need to know for keeping track of subjects for portfolios. Especially using the Subject Priority Approach.
Subject priority allows your homeschool schedule to be flexible.
Some days aren’t going to go your way. You may only get in two A Subjects because of extenuating circumstances, or possibly none at all. Nothing will be the cure-all but this approach has worked for us and at the end of our days, weeks, and months I feel satisfied with my children’s progress in their lessons and studies. This is because we have identified our family’s top priorities and are remaining consistent within those subjects.
If you’re struggling to complete all A subjects even on what you would deem a typical homeschool day, then you may have been overly optimistic for your family’s season of life. Remove a B subject that makes sense to remove because it requires your time and attention. Then move the least necessary A Subject to the top of the B subjects.
For instance, in our current set up for my 6 year old. If we were not completing all the A subjects on a semi-normal day then Spanish would be removed entirely and spelling would be bumped down into B subjects.
If something isn’t working for your homeschool, change it.
Experimenting is the name of the game. Learning how others structure their homeschool schedule is beneficial because you can take that and make it your own. Determine your priorities as a family. Then choose your subjects wisely and take a hard look at which ones are most important to completing for you to feel like it was a successful homeschooling day. Be open to changes and keep trying until you figure out what works for your family.
Share in the comments struggles you have had and what adaptations you have made to help your family in your homeschooling journey. You may inspire and help another. If you continue to struggle to find peace and reassurance in your homeschool Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie is an excellent read. Blessings to you and yours!
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