Time Mangement Tip 26: How To Create A Homeschooling Plan That Encourages Independent Learning

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Our family homeschooling goal is to raise independent learners.

When the children were little, I spent 3 to 4 hours a day, teaching  them to read and write.

Now that all three children are successful at both those skills, homeschooling takes up 1 to 2 hours of my day.

A lot of our success of being “hands off” homeschoolers is in the planning. Each summer I spend approximately 20  hours planning out the following year.

During planning I :

1. Create a written daily plan for each child:

This includes when the school day starts, when breaks are, how long each subject should take, what to do in each subject, and what to bring to parents for marking.

2. Research curriculum

I want curriculum that works with the child’s learning style, and is user friendly.

3. Seek out audio and visual additions

We use textbooks that come with an audio book version and have our children listen along as they read. Not only does this help their comprehension but it frees up my time as I no longer have to help them with words they don’t know how to pronounce. Two audio sources our family loves is the CD versions of Mystery of History, and Exploring Creation (upper grades only).

4. Seek out virtual flash cards and workbooks

I love apple apps. for i-touch that replace the need for route flash cards in math and other memorization areas such as state recognition.

Our family also uses Spelling City to give spelling tests,  Critical Thinking Co. software instead of grammar workbooks and Teaching Textbooks instead of math books. All of  these programs do the marking for me.

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Dig Into The Time Management  Series Using The Links Below

 

Introduction: 31 Days Of Time Saving Tips For The Work-At-Home Mom

Day One: Perform a Time Audit

Day Two: Night Owl Or Morning Bird?

Day Three: Where are Your Largest Windows?

Day Four: Making the Most of Small Windows

Day Five: Daily To Do Lists

Day Six: Maximizing The To Do List

Day Seven: Say No

Day Eight: Eliminate Poor Yes Choices

Day Nine: Put Your Time Offenders On a Budget

Day Ten: Combine Joy

Day Eleven: Making Effective Use of Waiting Time

Day Twelve: Making Use of Travel Time

Day Thirteen: Making The Most of Mom Taxi in Waiting Time

Day Fourteen: Take Time to Rest a Few Moments Each Day

Day Fifteen: Tag-Team

Day Sixteen: Involve the Kids

Day Seventeen: Mechanical Slaves

Day Eighteen: Outside Help

Day Nineteen: Timer Magic

Day Twenty: Take a Rest Day

Day Twenty One: Less Stuff, Less Mess, More Time

Day Twenty Two: Hold A Family Work Bee

Day Twenty Three: Keep Gatherings Simple

Day Twenty Four: Saving Time in The Kitchen

Day Twenty Five: The Self Cleaning Home

Day Twenty Six: Streamlining Your Homeschooling day (you are here)

Day Twenty Seven: Create an I Did It List 

Day Twenty Eight: Create a Simple Cleaning Routine

Day Twenty Nine: Create To Go Bags

Day Thirty: Making Minimum Standards

Day Thirty One: Treat Life Like a Marathon Not a Sprint

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headphones like these ones have been an essential tool in our homeschooling over the years. This allows several children to listen to their different lessons at once  without distraction.