How long is a typical homeschool day? For as long as you scheduled it, even using video classes.
Folks ask me this all the time, “How long is a typical homeschool day?” My homeschool days were as long as the time I scheduled them for, typically. I had a cut off time. My kids needed time to be kids. Constantly doing academics will drain a child of adventure and creativity. They will be mentally too tired to foster their creative side. Throughout our homeschool journey, my kids thrived on a schedule. They wanted to know what was expected and how long they were expected to do certain things. So, I set out every year to create a schedule for our school time to get us through the academics and be sure to have time to be a family, play and have fun too. Those are the memory-making moments that will last a lifetime.
If you know me, then you know that we used BJU Press Distance Learning Video Classes. The distance learning option gave us even more time in our day too. I had that faculty at my finger tips for the classes I liked to teach, I had a substitute teacher ready to go when life happened on certain days. This made it so much easier to stay on a schedule.
No subject time, in my opinion, should be more than one hour. Move on to a new subject after an hour. Plan an hour later in the afternoon to pick up and do just a few problems or questions not done during the morning hours.
Misconception about Video Classes
A misconception about teaching a lesson and video class is that we must finish all the lessons. NO, we are not trying to finish the lesson! We are trying to teach the material within the lesson. Therefore, if it takes two or three days to teach that lesson, that is fine. If it only takes 10 mins to teach that lesson, that is also fine. Teach to learn the lesson, not to get to the next lesson. If you plan an hour and your child isn’t finished in that hour, that is okay. Just stop and move on to the next subject. Pick up the next day where you left off during that subject’s scheduled time. Stop stressing to finish. This only frustrates you and your child, and at that point, learning begins to shut down.
If you are using a textbook, remember that the beginning is always a review of the previous year to get your child back engaged into the new year. The middle is the meat of the learning, and the end is advanced work. We are not expected to finish every page of every book. BJU Press provides enough material to engage our student no matter the level or maturity.
Video Classes are not a School
How do you do that with the distance learning classes? A friend of mine once reminded me that distance learning classes are not an online school. They are video classes taught from a curriculum. The teachers are not replacing you, but instead, are supporting you. You can still teach a lesson, chapter, or subject yourself. You determine if an assignment is right for your child or needs an adjustment. With that said, note you are still in charge and in control. You say when to start and when to stop. Distance learning is a tool to use in our homeschool and an amazing one too. Don’t let it control you. Jump in and use it to help you.
Our school days were typically done at 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon. Our schedule included chores, music practice, lunch time, and breaks. No subject time was longer than 1 hour. I usually scheduled a max of 50 minutes, and some subjects were only 30 minutes. Sometimes it depended on the child and sometimes the subject. It takes three weeks to set a routine. My husband reminded me of this every year, and it was very true every year. The first three weeks are the hardest, but they are worth it.
Hang in there as you work through your homeschool journey. Don’t get discouraged. Ask for help and encouragement. I didn’t make it through 20 years without calling and chatting with my mentor from time to time. We all need encouragement. Remember, if you have questions, I am always willing to try to schedule a chat, so contact me. Happy to help.
Are you having a Fantastic homeschool day? Are you frustrated with Long homeschool days?
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