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This year we had a LOT of busy life changes going into the school year… a new baby for one! As a homeschooling momma with now FIVE little ones, it is my goal to make schooling as effective and easy as I possibly can! Here is how I revamped my schooling schedule to do just that!
The Break Down
To simplify school, I made two major changes- first, I simplified my School days by minimizing the amount of subjects we complete each day. Instead of trying to do everything each day, I made a new schedule where we focus on only a few things each day. Second, I do several classes as a group- Bible/Scripture memory, Physical Education, Safety, Music, Reading, History, ASL, Art and Critical Thinking.
Simplified Schedule
Here is a look at our simplified school schedule. By choosing only a few focus areas to work on each day, I limit my prep time and can put more effort into my teaching. For example, I can spend a few minutes preparing lessons the night before rather than spending an hour or more setting everything up for each class. Also, I found found that by focusing on one major subject each day (English, Math, Science, History) attention span, understanding, and receptiveness has increased. We can stay focused on just one idea/concept/thought train and get more actual learning retention than we did when we tried to cover all the classes in a day. Also, we have found that with our new schedule, we can complete 3-5 lessons in each subject in a shorter school session than we had if we tried switching from subject to subject every day.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
| Memory Verse | Memory Passage | Books of Torah/OT | Memory Passage | Memory Verse |
| PE with Dad | English | Math | Science | PE with Dad |
| Music | Spelling/Vocab | Reading | Reading | History |
| Handwriting | Critical Thinking | Safety | ||
| LIBRARY! | ASL | Art |
Group Classes
By changing several classes into a group setting, we are able to explore together on various levels. This allows the older children to help the younger children, which teaches various social skills and unity. Group lessons also help me teach on each child’s level, making review for older children and testing comprehension of younger children. Overall, it has been greatly beneficial for all my children, AND for me as a teacher!
Schooling Success
As we are a good way into the school yer, we have seen our children thrive with this new system. School and learning can be fun! It doesn’t have to be stressful for the teacher! Find what works for your family and don’t be afraid to explore alternative methods!
