It is so easy to let our days get away from us. Especially when you are homeschooling. I have found the best way for me to accomplish the most out of my days is to have a schedule to follow and to use a checklist for me to check off as each of my children does their work each day. Even if your kids are not at home during the day, you may need a checklist for after-school homework and activities that need to be accomplished on a daily basis.
In years past, I had my minutes planned carefully for every day and we were at home more because my kids were a lot younger. Nowadays, I have teenagers. We are coming and going in the afternoons. We no longer study in our big schoolroom together. They have each moved to their own study spots in their rooms.
I have also lightened up a little on what I intend for us to get done each day. I used to have 3 columns on my checklist and now I’m down to just two! I have come to the conclusion that doing a few things really well is better than doing a plethora of things at an average level and consistency.
Also, I’ve learned that I have to be more intentional to check my teenagers’ work and make sure we are still accomplishing the important tasks each day. It’s easy to just assume that when they said they did it, they did. But HOW did they do it? Checking with them and reviewing it together will help me make sure they are staying on track and accomplishing their school work and chores in the MANNER that I would like it to be done.
Here is a sample schedule I used when my kids were in grades 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th
Daily Schedule 2014 (3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th) – Overall
Here is a checklist I used years ago when my kids were in 2nd, 4th, 6th & 9th grade.
Homeschool Weekly Checklist July 2013 – Kids Checkoff Sheet
Here is a weekly checklist I used when my kids were in grades: 6th, 8th, and 10th. I checked this daily to see that we had finished all the tasks for each day. An easy way to do this is to slide it into a page protector and keep it on a clipboard.
Newbold Home School Weekly Checklist 2017-2018 – Kids Checkoff Sheet
Another thing that helps me so much is setting 90-day goals.
I hope these scheduling ideas help you in making your plans for the school year. We have to be intentional with our kids. We can do this by making wise choices about how to spend our time.
Michelle
