Plan a summer homeschooling schedule that works

With the end of the formal school year upon us, I have started planning out a new schedule for our summer months. We are year-round homeschoolers, but I like to alter our schedule a bit to allow spontaneity throughout the week.

Having something written down in a central location of the house will help in implementing your summer schedule. Children do well with a visual schedule to give cues about their daily activities.

I find that when I have no plan or schedule, even if only a loose schedule, we end up losing the day without accomplishing much of anything. Plus, when children have too much time on their hands, they usually have more time to get into trouble or quarrel.

The first thing you’ll want to do when creating your summer schedule, is make a list of your goals for the summer. If you don’t plan on homeschooling during the summer months, you could still write out your goals for the things you would like to accomplish. You might want to tackle cleaning, organizing or gardening — and a summer schedule could help you complete your list of summer to-dos.

Our family uses a homeschool summer schedule Monday through Thursday. I like to focus on math, science and free-reading time during the summer months, along with any other topics the boys might be interested in. We also take time for trips to our national parks, the beach and always include plenty of time for spontaneous fun. Our boys know that if they play well, get along and share, I will allow them as much creative play-time as they like. I have been known to skip a formal lesson when I find the boys working together to create a LEGO masterpiece.

Summer homeschool schedule ideas

Basic list – This is the schedule of choice for our family during the summer months. A basic list to check off each day allows plenty of time to tackle the day’s activities without any time constraints.

A basic summer homeschool list schedule could include meals, chores, playtime and extra-curriculars, as well as the basic subjects you want to cover — math, reading and science.

Block schedule – A block schedule can also allow plenty of time to complete a subject or to plug in the activity of your choice. Simply draw a chart with blocks with 30 to 60 minute increments, then assign each family member a task during each time block.

By day – For a really loose schedule, you could plan and organize activities by day. Assign a subject or activity to each day of the week.

Be flexible

Remember, a summer schedule need not be rigid — it should assist and support a productive summer of learning. Your schedule does not have to be set in stone, either. I change our schedule often depending on field trips, play dates and outside activities. Whether you decide to use a schedule this summer or not, make the most of your days and don’t let the summer pass you by.

More about homeschooling

Homeschool guide to family vacations
Free and frugal homeschooling
How to homeschool through the summer