Structuring Your Home School Year
Once you’ve decided that home schooling your child or children may be a viable option, your next step may be to begin preparing your home schooling schedule.
Some questions that will arise are if you should you study continuously throughout the year (5 days a week, 52 weeks per year) with a series of short breaks throughout, or if you should take a long vacation (such as the traditional two month summer break). Consider as well the long weekends, public holidays, or longer home school days and a four day week.
The answer to these questions are highly personal and are generally determined by whatever suits your family best. This freedom is yet another of the appealing benefits of home schooling. You are not governed to follow a system or pattern. You are not forced to take that summer or Christmas break, or a lengthy summer vacation. Flexibility is a bonus.
In fact seasoned ‘unschoolers’ seldom set a definite curriculum – although un-schooling is a step aside from average home schooling. With un-schooling, schedules and structure are not necessary because lessons are a part of their day-in, day-out lifestyles. You may not be comfortable with that freedom however, especially not in the beginning of your home schooling journey.
Questions to Ask About Home School Schedules
Therefore, before you begin planning the structure of your classes and schedule (daily or annually), consider some of the more important issues. What method of home schooling will you follow? What is your teaching style? Your child’s learning style?
What Are Your Family Members Work and Vacation Schedules?
Some families plan small 1-week vacations at different times of the year and plan their trips around study activities. Other families prefer to go away for a month or more for a real break from stressful lives.
You may decide not to ‘throw out the baby with the bath water’. There are, after all, some positive benefits in following the traditional summer vacation schedule.
First, your children can benefit from various summer camps, sports activities, and classes if their summer months are free. Also, your child or children’s schedule can coincide with that of his school-going peers. When they are older, a summer job might be a possibility. And finally, a long summer break from home schooling also means that both parents as well as children get a break from their daily lessons in the best weather.
Our Home School Schedule
Our small family enjoys many mini-vacations throughout the year and we tie these breaks into learning activities – relating to earlier lessons. This way our daughter feels she has more rewards to look forward to, does not get bored with strict lesson plans and schedules, and has more time to explore personal interests.
Furthermore, our family trips save money are they happen during less popular periods of travel. This also means that while on holdiay we aren’t as over-whelmed by crowds at attractions, museums, and amusement parks.
As far as home schooling is concerned, you and your family are in complete control. Taking care of the individual needs of the child within your family unit is the primary focus of home schooling. Tailor the school year to suit your particular needs. Set some realistic goals and see if you are able to achieve these goals with the schedule you choose.
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