What's the Best Time to Homeschool?

If you’re new to homeschooling, you might want to know the best time to homeschool. When I started out in 2017, I certainly wanted to know!

I also wanted to know how I was going to fit homeschooling into my busy day – a day that also contained work, chores, exercise, down time and much more.

As a working homeschool mom, thinking about the best time to homeschool can be tough because it should be when you’re working, right Normally, kids go to school and mom goes to work.

But being a working homeschool mom is not a ‘normal’ way to live your life. In fact, it’s much, much, much better than normal! It’s extraordinary! It just takes a bit more creativity and patience to get there.

In this post I’m going to give you some ideas for finding the best time to homeschool. And the great thing is that it will be the best time for YOU and your unique working homeschool mom life.

Start with Unlearning

Before you can even start thinking about the best time to homeschool, you need to unlearn everything you know about what education should be.

A big part of what we think education should be is based on time. It starts at 8 and finishes at 3. It runs for a couple of months and then there’s a break. There is one long holiday each year.

But if you’re working and homeschooling, a lot of these timings just won’t work! In fact they’ll probably clash! So one of the steps of unlearning, is to rethink when homeschooling should happen.

And that’s the beauty of homeschooling! It’s so flexible! You can shape your homeschool to suit your life. But first you need to let go of what you’re used to so that you can be open to all these awesome possibilities.

Get Creative with Your Schedule

Now that you’ve unlearnt when homeschooling should happen, you can start getting creative. But there are a few things you need to keep in mind…

What are your non-negotiables?
When are your kids the most energetic?
When are you the most energetic?
How long does it take to do everything in the day? Use my time audit to figure this out.
Are there any tasks you can outsource or let go of?

Once you’ve got this figured out, you can start figuring out when the best time is the homeschool. And as you can see, it really depends on both you and your kids.

Being a working homeschool mom means that your work has to be part of the decision. Otherwise it’s quickly not going to be sustainable!

In terms of scheduling creatively, you need to grab the times when you and your kids have the time and energy to homeschool. If this means evenings, weekends, early mornings, then take them.

Because there is no rule that says homeschooling should happen at a certain time!

Extra Tips for Finding the Best Time to Homeschool

I want to give you some extra tips and things to keep in mind when finding the best time to homeschool.

IT’S OKAY TO OUTSOURCE

There’s no shame in asking for help. And there are so many options out there! You can send your child to a co-op or they can use online homeschooling programmes. If it makes your life easier and your kids are happy, then go for it!

When you outsource, it opens up your schedule. And it means that it’s much easier to find a good time for you to work and your kids to homeschool.

GET GOOD AT TIME MANAGEMENT

As a working homeschool mom, you need to get good at time management. Read all the productivity books and put those tools and concepts into action. I certainly do and they help so much!

When you’re using your time effectively and efficiently, it once again gives you more options for homeschooling. I also find that these tools help me to work less but get more done!

HOMESCHOOL YEAR ROUND

Starting with year-round homeschooling was a game changer for us! It means less homeschooling every day and taking breaks are no big deal.

In fact, we only homeschool 4 days a week for a max of 1 hour a day. But to show that it works, my kids did two math grades in one year! It’s much easier to find one hour a day and four or five, right?

MEET YOUR KIDS WHERE THEY’RE AT

Another way that you can be do less homeschooling but have kids who are engaged and learning, is to meet them where they’re at. Let them lead, give them the reins, and listen to what they want and need.

This is going to allow your kids to tell you when the best time is the homeschool, how they like to homeschool and what they’re interested in. And homeschooling will be much more enjoyable for everyone!

TEST AND TWEAK YOUR SCHEDULE

You’ll find that the best time to homeschool changes. And that’s ok! In fact, it’s perfectly normal! But it can be hard to get used to this at the beginning.

As I said above, you need to be open to testing and tweaking. Because that’s how you’re always going to be able to craft your homeschool so that it suits you and your kids perfectly.

Final Thoughts on the Best Time to Homeschool

As with so many things related to working homeschool mom life, the beginning can be overwhelming and messy. But I can guarantee that you will figure it out eventually!

And remember that I’m always here to help you figure out the messy beginning. I’ve been through it so that you don’t have to! Reach out and let’s have coffee! Let’s figure out the best time to homeschool together!

Follow me Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more homeschool shenanigans, advice and resources. And please check out my working homeschool mom coaching if you need some extra help and support.