Why There Are No Typical Homeschool Days

I often talk with new homeschooling moms and one of the first things they ask is “What does a typical homeschool day look like?” I try not to, but I have to laugh. Once upon a time, I asked that, too. Now, starting our 5th year of homeschooling, I realize there are no typical homeschool days. And that’s a good thing.

By Marci Goodwin

There are no typical homeschool days because…

Sometimes math (or whatever subject) just takes longer. There are days that the kids need extra time to understand a concept and that extra time might eat into your time you had planned for another subject or two. That’s ok! That’s why we homeschool. We want to be able to take the extra time to ensure our kids understand concepts before they move on. So, you might have to push spelling or grammar to the next day. No big deal.

Sometimes the kids want to dig deeper. A couple years ago, our curriculum scheduled us to do a week of study on ancient Egypt. My daughter got so interested in pyramids, hieroglyphs and mummies that we expanded our study to almost a month and there were days that our study and projects took us all day to complete.

To this day, my daughter talks about that study and refers back to it as “the best” of our homeschooling journey so far. Did it through our “typical” schedule out the window? You bet. Was it worth it? Oh yeah.

Often the best lesson times are in the middle of the day. We have learned that if you want to take lessons like piano, ice skating or art, the best times to take them are in the middle of the day. Why? Those classes are less crowded. During the after school hours, those classes fill up with the traditional schooled students.

Smaller class sizes mean more one-on-one time with the instructor and often smaller classes can move at a faster pace. Of course, having classes in the middle of the day means that sometimes we have to stop what we would normally do at that time of the day to pack up and leave.

Sometimes it’s just too nice outside to stay inside. This is especially true in the spring. After being trapped inside all winter because of the cold, wind and snow, we all can’t wait to get outside to a little warm sunshine. The books can wait. Sunshine is good for morale and sanity.

Sometimes you get a better offer. This week is going to be a hot one and a friend with a pool invited us over for an afternoon swim. There won’t be many more swim days this year. We’re going swimming whether we have school done or not. There’s always the evenings or tomorrow.

Sometimes dad comes home for lunch. That means all lessons cease. The kids are so excited, as it should be.

Sometimes someone gets sick.

There are so many reasons that there are no typical homeschool days. Mainly, because there are no typical days in our life. Home education is wonderful, because it is part of our life. It doesn’t dictate our schedule. It goes with it. Don’t get stuck on trying to create that idyllic, typical homeschool day. Make it part of your life and go with it.