Looking for a functional daily homeschooling schedule? Look no further! Today I’m sharing our basic daily routine with you!
While each day can bring on a chaos of its own, we do have a basic routine that we try to stick to. Obviously things don’t always run smoothly around here, and some days are crazier than others. But I like to at least have a basic guideline to get me through the day. Hopefully it will help you out as well.
- Download the BLANK Printable Homeschool Schedule here
- Download the PRE-FILLED Printable Homeschool Schedule here
Did you know I have FREE HOMESCHOOL SCHEDULES for each grade too?
- Kindergarten Daily Schedule
- 1st Grade Daily Schedule
- 2nd Grade Daily Schedule
- 3rd Grade Daily Schedule
- 4th Grade Daily Schedule
- 5th Grade Daily Schedule
- 6th Grade Daily Schedule
- 7th Grade Daily Schedule
- 8th Grade Daily Schedule
- 9th Grade Daily Schedule
- 10th Grade Daily Schedule
- 11th Grade Daily Schedule
- 12th Grade Daily Schedule Coming Soon!
Help by Grade Level
Stop by my “Help by Grade Level” page for more information on your specific grade!
Here is our schedule in a little more detail….basically…provided nothing unexpected happens…like life.
- 8:00 am – Devotion/shower/get dressed
- 8:30 am – Breakfast & Kitchen clean up
- 9:00 am – SCHOOL STARTS! We usually break for lunch around noon-ish, then finish our group studies like history, geography, art, etc. after lunch.
- 2:00-3:00 pm – SCHOOL ENDS! (Well you know, technically it ends…realistically my kids are subject to my constant pop quizzes all day long.) At the end of each day I re-fill workboxes while the kiddos clean up their areas and make sure the school room is all nice and pretty like it was when we started.
- 3:30 pm – Chore time: Everyone does what they can from their chore chart assignments or whatever I ask them to do. We all take turns doing daily chores like folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, taking out trash, etc.
- 4:00 pm – I usually work a little bit, check email, blog, etc. The kids get some free time.
- 4:30-6:30 pm – Dinner Prep, Eat, and kitchen clean up. Some nights we have sports and extra-curricular activities, so we work our dinner around those.
- 6:00pm – Dad enters & asks “So, what did you do all day?” I say “Not much, just lounged around and ate bon-bons.” Dad quizzes kids to make sure I’m kidding.
- 7:00 pm – I usually try to exercise or go on a walk during the calm between dinner and bedtime. I find that it helps my mental state tremendously to get out and get some fresh air! When it’s too cold, I hit our elliptical trainer, however I usually get bored on that, so I prefer outside I whenever I can.
- 8:00 pm – 10 Minute Tidy & Bed Time! – This is where I set a timer and everyone runs around like maniacs cleaning up anything can they find so mom doesn’t blow a gasket at the mess we’ve created in just one day. Oh, and since our laundry room is upstairs now, I toss in a load of laundry, then swap it to the dryer when ready. Then yes, I let it sit overnight until we do chores the following day. Crazy I know, but that’s just how we’re rolling this year. A little bit wrinkly
- 8:15 pm – Bedtime Prep (Clean up rooms, put away laundry, take baths, brush teeth) Yes, our older kids go to bed around this time as well. They usually read, take showers etc. If they have any homework to do, this is the time to get that done too!
- 9:00 pm: Free time for mom and dad….sit down for first time today and sigh…blog…make cool printables to share…check emails etc. and praise God we made it through another homeschool day without burning down the house!
Hopefully after seeing our daily schedule you’ll be gracious with me. If you’ve emailed me during the day, you probably won’t hear back until the evening! Please be patient with me, I really do try to get back to everyone by the end of the day, but there are a lot of you and one of me ;o)
Some of the tools I use to help keep me organized:
- Chore Chart
- Monthly Meal Plans
- Homeschool Tracker
- 10 Days of Homeschooling Enrichment (A 10 day series of how I get started, pick curriculum, and get organized!)
More Resources
If you are new to my website, I offer a ton of free resources, help by grade level, and tips on how to get started homeschooling. I also have a very helpful Homeschooling 101 book and several eCourses on homeschooling. I also have a store where my book and many other useful resources can be found.
My mom does not have a schedule for us. We just get done when we can and do as much as we can in one day. I’m actually using your blog for a homework assignment. thanks for letting me use it! It’s always interesting to see what other people do for education purposes. I myself am a student and my mom can never wait for the summer, just as we do. I will admit there are times when I wish we had a schedule, but I am terrible at math. I would have to work REALLY hard to get it done in time. 🙂
I’m really great ful to find your blog! This is my second year trying out homeschooling my 5th grader. She struggled in public school and they did her a disservice by pushing her through each year even though she was not ready. It has taken quite some time to get her at her own grade level ( she was behind 3 grade levels!) And now we are stuck! My daughter is 11 and very unmotivated when it comes to her school work. Small tasks take ALL DAY LONG! It has become very frustrating for my whole family. How do you make sure your kids get their work done in a certain amount of time??
Thank you. Your blog has helped us a great deal.
When do they get free time to play outside? Or active play indoors?
We have free time at lunch, then after school, and they do sports in the evenings.
Thank you, youve helped me keep structure and sanity through our state of emergency! I appreciate your PDFs for my kiddos and my family
Hi.
I am planning to home school my kids this year. I am working full time, night shift. Is this doable?
Thank you.
Hi Deborah,
That sounds like you may be a bit tired, but I think if you can be flexible with when you do school you can do it! Here’s a post I did on homeschooling and working that may help: https://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2014/09/homeschooling-101-homeschooling-and-the-working-parent.html
i think they should go outside before lunch!
You’re certainly welcome to do whatever works best for you 🙂
About how much does your homeschooling cost?
It really depends on what curriculum you purchase and how many kids you have. I try to get most of my curriculum used if I can, of course you have to purchase consumables new. We spend a few hundred dollars a year. It is more for us now that we’re using some of the BJU Distance Online programs for high school though.
Thanks for sharing – new to homeschooling here. I find the bonus of homeschooling is they have plenty of free play time which I think is wonderful for their imaginations, brain development and mental health. I don’t see a lot of time in your schedule for free play, I was just wondering why that is – purely interested! I’m very new to all this! 🙂
Hi, I totally agree! It really depends on the ages of your kids as well. When they were younger we had a lot of fun activities, outside time, etc. This year I have three in high school, and one in Jr. High. We do still do fun things during school as much as we can. But as they get older it definitely gets harder, and truthfully they prefer to just get their work done, so they can have the afternoon free.
Homeschooling for the first time next year and this is a great schedule to glean from. Most that I have l’ve seen don’t break it down with practical tips and tricks that I think will work for our family. Then I came across you blog and was like a breath of fresh air! I can relate to simple 10 minute madhouse cleanups and tackling folding laundry and having them put away right before bed. Thanks, I will be following you and your family’s journey