A lot of us in Botswana are in uncharted territory trying to homeschool our own children. Eek! I certainly know it can feel very overwhelming, but a great place to start is a homeschooling schedule.
Why Go With A Schedule?
So it’s not just me that likes a list. Schedules are actually good for your kids. Younger children have no concept of time but instead, rely on a sequence of events that happen every day.
A regular schedule gives children a way to order and organize their lives.
https://www.education
Basically, because your kids know what’s coming next it decreases anxiety. In fact, a timetable for homeschooling is known to reduce anxiety for everyone in the household. Bonus. Anything at the moment that reduces stress is a good thing.
Some Things To Remember
Before embarking on a schedule don’t forget to consider what the 2 most important things are:
Don’t stress. Nothing is written in stone! If your home school schedule is intimidating you, then throw it away and start again. Seriously bin it!
Be flexible. Remember life does happen and going off course is fine too.
Types Of Schedules
Loop Method
A loop schedule is where you have one big list of things you can do, but no day or time to do them. Instead, you and your kids spend time on each activity as its turn comes up on ‘the loop.’
For example,
If you want your kids to do free play, P.E., art, cooking, and music, but you don’t have time everyday, add them to a loop schedule. Then, determine how many days you want to include loop schedule subjects. Make sense?
Block Method
A block schedule is simple. It’s when one activity is given a span of time.
For example,
Mondays and Wednesdays – 1.5 hours for art
Tuesdays and Fridays 1.5 hours for baking.
Block scheduling can allow kids to fully focus on a particular subject without over-scheduling the ‘school day. However, always remember the average attention span of a 3-year-old is up to around 8 mins. Block scheduling and loop scheduling can work well in partnership. It seems complicated, but actually, once you’re in your stride it’ll be easy.
Daily Method
This is my favourite so far, but like I said I like things super organized. This is your moment by moment schedule. See the below example of a daily timetable that Brookhill Montessori School has kindly given us a for you to work with.
For Toddlers
Age 3 Years And Above
Let me know how you’re getting on, I’d love to see your schedule. Seriously I would for more inspiration.
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