BJU Press Blog

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Finding Your Balance

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balance of mind and heart
One of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is the freedom to plan your school schedule to best fit your family’s needs. You get to decide how to arrange your school year, and you also get to set your daily school routine. But as you do, remember two essential components—structure and flexibility. As a battery needs both a positive and negative charge to work, so your homeschool needs both discipline and flexibility to run smoothly. The key to a successful school year is a balance of both structure and flexibility. If you’re like me, you will tend to lean more toward one than the other, so it can be challenging—but not impossible—to incorporate both structure and flexibility.

Order, Order!

Some families err on the side of structure. They have a specific school year start and end date, no exceptions. They begin school at the same time every day, no exceptions. The children do their subjects in the same order every day, for the same amount of time every day, no exceptions. Every minute is planned, even during break times. There’s nothing wrong with being organized, but having such a rigid schedule can create frustration for both parent and child and even hinder a child’s learning process. For example, a mom who feels pressure to stay on schedule may push her children through a subject they’re struggling with when they need extra time to fully understand it. Too much structure can create monotony and stifle educational growth.

Free-for-All

On the other hand, some families are too lax when it comes to school. They have no specific start/end date for the school year. There’s no set daily starting time; school begins whenever everyone finally gets around to it. The children may or may not complete all of their subjects.  Mom may choose to ditch school for the day and take a field trip instead. She figures she can always make up for lost time later; but that, too, can cause frustration when she realizes just how far behind they are toward the end of the school year. In scrambling to catch up, a child may skip important foundational concepts that are crucial for future learning. Too much flexibility can create chaos and stunt educational growth.

Happy Medium

Aim for a healthy balance of structure and flexibility. Set goals for your family’s school year and come up with a reasonable schedule. Then stick to it as much as possible. Try to start around the same time every day, and follow a daily lesson plan. Set aside several days to use however you want; that way, you won’t feel pressured to make up for missed days due to sickness or other unexpected interruptions. Nor will you feel guilty for taking a field trip or a few days’ vacation. Maintaining an orderly yet flexible schedule will help you stay on track and make your school year much more enjoyable.

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

How to Homeschool with an Infant Without Losing Your Mind

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baby girl with blue eyes

When my husband and I started homeschooling our oldest daughter last fall, we knew it was not going to be easy. I wondered if we were crazy—here I was, mother of three children under the age of seven trying to educate my oldest daughter, keep my five-year-old and toddler out of too much trouble, keep my house reasonably clean, and make sure my family had clean clothes to wear and food to eat. And to top it all off, I was pregnant with our fourth child and struggling with morning sickness for a good part of the day.

I was more than a little worried that our household would fall completely apart once the new baby came. And I wasn’t sure how or if we would get any homeschooling done. I pictured our family going into survival mode—and never coming out. Maybe some of you can relate.

But we did survive. Our fourth daughter arrived in the middle of December, and the transition was remarkably smooth. We did (and still do) have some rough days. But I learned some things along the way that I wanted to share. I hope these tips will be a blessing to you if you are facing a similar situation.

Planning Ahead Helps

Thankfully, I had many months to figure out how our family was going to make the transition. Since our little blessing was due in the middle of the homeschool year, we chose to start early (the first week of August) so that we would have ample time to take off if we needed to. Even though we haven’t had to take off nearly as many days as I thought we might, I’m really glad that we prepared for the possibility.

I also tried to minimize our commitments for the spring. We’re doing the basic subjects plus a weekly piano lesson—and no more. The lack of clutter on my calendar keeps the stress from creeping in.

I also took the time to plan out a basic daily schedule. Our schedule is not as tight or rigid as it used to be; I’ve learned that a little flexibility helps me not get overly stressed. Instead, we follow a flexible schedule and divide up our time into chunks. (Read more about this scheduling method from Kim at Not Consumed.)

Other People Can Help

Following the birth of my daughter, I had a lot of extra help. The fact that my daughter was born around the holidays meant that my husband had some time off. My parents and my in-laws also came to visit. They helped clean and cook and babysit. We chose to take advantage of the extra help and kept on homeschooling through those early transition days.

Distance Learning Can Help

Distance Learning is a big reason why homeschooling has gone so smoothly for us this year. My second grader watches Distance Learning daily video lessons for three subjects: science, English, and Bible. Because she can do these subjects almost completely independently, homeschooling doesn’t have to stop while I’m nursing the baby, fixing the toddler a snack, or starting a load of laundry. (You can learn more about BJU Press Distance Learning here.)

Homeschooling with small children and an infant is challenging. But it is doable and very rewarding. If this is what the Lord has called you to, He will enable you by showering you with wisdom, strength, and grace to meet the daily challenges you face.  And remember that you’re not alone! If you’re in need of a big dose of encouragement, check out some of my other posts.

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How Long Should a Homeschool Day Last?

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Have you ever heard the question: “How long should a homeschool day last”? Maybe you’ve even asked yourself this question. You can relax because there’s really no right or wrong answer. But if you’re concerned, here are some things to consider about the length of your school day:

  • What criteria are you using to evaluate your school day to determine why it’s taking so long? Choose a schedule that works for your family—not one set by other families’ clocks.
  • Do your children learn better by studying the lesson and then doing all the homework immediately with concepts still fresh in their minds? Or is it better when they have a more regimented routine with “subject hours” in which to learn their lessons and then use the remaining time for homework? Remember that you are always in charge of the schedule (even when using Distance Learning). How you organize the day may vary depending on what works best for you and your children.
  • Are your children goofing off or really struggling? Evaluating their activities during lesson time by noting any distractions or excuses to get up from the lesson could key you in on how well your child is learning.
  • How involved are you with your children’s progress? It’s important to make sure they comprehend and properly apply the information they learn.
  • How are you balancing extracurricular activities in your regular day? Do music lessons or sports overlap with academic lessons, pushing them back and extending your day? Have your other children bring independent work to complete, or watch Distance Learning video lessons in the car.
  • How many breaks do you take during the school day? How long do you take for lunch? Making a meal every day takes time (for you and your children); try getting ahead with food preparation. If your kids are older, they can serve themselves with something like DIY Lunch Stations.
  • Are your children studying every subject daily? Keep in mind that each subject is a minimum of a full semester of study. So in order to stay on schedule, they may need to study a subject only two or three days a week rather than daily.
  • Do you have your children estimate the time they think it will take to accomplish a task? Both average and special-needs students often benefit from a physical timer to help them stay focused and to learn to complete tasks within certain time limits. If you give your child the responsibility of choosing the time limit and finishing within the allotted time, it can help him develop analytical estimation and scheduling skills.
  • Are you able to prepare ahead for material that will be covered? Being prepared is a major part in keeping you and your children on the track to academic success and regular routine.

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How Do You Plan Your Homeschool Year?

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Planning Your Homeschool

One of my earliest homeschool memories is that Mom had a plan. She might not have printed it out for me to read, but it was clear that our day followed an organized schedule. Some homeschool days we stayed at home; other days I took my textbooks with me while we ran errands. Some were longer; others shorter, like the Fridays I attended art class with other homeschool kids.

Having a plan meant Mom could leave the room to take a long distance call and expect me to do what was next on the schedule. It also was a way to make sure that I reached the academic goals that she and my dad had set for me. But the plan was also flexible enough to allow for events that interrupted our day, like days at the park or doctor appointments.

As you prepare for the new homeschool year, what thought have you put into planning a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule? Here are some tips and helpful suggestions to plan your homeschool.

Now please don’t fall into the trap of “over-planning.” Some people might argue there’s no such thing, but I have learned that there’s a balance that must be learned, and it looks different for every family. You might be a minute-by-minute-schedule person, but that kind of planning overwhelms me. The real key is to keep Isaiah 46:8–10 in mind. God is in control of all (including the “interruptions” to our plans) and always works out His good pleasure. There’s comfort in that truth.

What does your homeschool schedule look like?

Q&A: Should I homeschool year-round? 

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Year-round image

One of the great things about homeschooling is that you’ve got lots of options. One of those options being whether to follow a traditional schedule with the summers off or a year-round schedule with shorter breaks along the way. There is no right or wrong way to do it because each option has its advantages. Each family should decide what works best for them.

The debate about year-round “school” is too large to cover in a single post, but here are a few considerations that impact homeschooling specifically.

Advantages of a Year-Round Homeschool Schedule

  •  Avoiding burnout

Year-round homeschooling allows for frequent short breaks (typically a week or two long) as opposed to one long break in the summer. The advantage is that both child and parent (yes, parents can get burned out too) get refreshing downtime more often.

  • Less time to forget

Most summer breaks last about three months, and that’s a long time to remember concepts, which means that a lot of information is forgotten. Thus, a lot of review is required at the beginning of the next school-year. Homeschooling all year long minimizes these problems.

  • Normalizing schedules

By learning all the time without a large gap, homeschool becomes more of an accepted part of your family’s normal routine rather than an extra task that only has to be done part of the year.

Advantages of a Traditional School Schedule

  • Summer break

Who doesn’t like a three-month break? Spending a good deal of time indoors focused on textbooks and projects gets a lot harder when backyards, swimming pools, and beautiful summer weather are calling. Summertime is also typically accompanied by an increased number of extracurricular activities such as sports and travel, and it may be more difficult to squeeze those in around your homeschool.

  • Easier scheduling

Many homeschool curricula  and schedules are designed to fit a traditional school year. By following a traditional schedule, your child’s point of transition between grades is more clearly defined.

  • Coincides with conventional schools

By following a academic year calendar, time off will align with friends and family members who are in classroom schools with the same schedule or are planning to take vacation around a holiday.

If you’re on the fence about homeschooling year-round, I hope the information we’ve covered will be helpful in your family’s decision-making process!

What other advantages would you add to these lists?