What Do Homeschoolers Do All Day?
There are a few myths floating around about homeschooling. Some people wonder what homeschoolers do all day. They’re convinced we spend 6 to 8 hours sitting at desks at home completing worksheets.
So what do homeschoolers really do all day? Answering this homeschool myth can be challenging. What we do each day varies.
Whether you’re gameschooling, world schooling, learning at the kitchen table, or reading books snuggled up on the couch, homeschooling days are unique and flexible. If you’re new to homeschooling and you’re not sure what to expect, check out a day in the life of our homeschool and get some helpful tips for the journey below.
Myths Associated with Homeschooling
There are so many myths associated with homeschooling! Many people think we don’t do anything all day and many others think we push our children to complete 6 to 8 hours of lessons every day. Both of these scenarios are far from the truth of any homeschooling day we’ve ever experienced.
We’ve all heard the myth that homeschoolers aren’t socialized. The myth is that homeschoolers are isolated and lack basic social skills. However, most homeschoolers frequently participate in co-ops, sports, activities, and community events.
Homeschool families interact with people of all ages regularly. They have many opportunities for socialization and developing relationships outside of a traditional classroom. If you find yourself asking, “What about socialization?” Check out my tips for more ways to incorporate social learning experiences in your homeschool.
Other common homeschooling myths are about the length of a homeschool day. We don’t follow a traditional school schedule, we don’t always spend the same amount of time on every subject, not everything happens at a desk, and we can learn a lot in a short amount of time. This can lead to a lot of confusion about what a homeschool day entails.
What Do Homeschoolers Do All Day?
What do homeschoolers do all day? That can be a difficult question to answer because we do a lot and one day rarely looks like another.
We have the freedom to be flexible. Homeschoolers often don’t have a strict start time or end time. We adapt our schedules to fit the rhythms of our lives. Some families learn in the morning and some choose the evening or even the weekend for homeschooling lessons.
A day in the life of a homeschooler changes depending on our schedules and the ages of our children. It’s one of the great blessings of homeschooling that we can tailor our homeschool day to meet everyone’s needs. We can move slowly from one subject to the next or focus on just one task each day.
Would you like to see a day in our life as a homeschooling family? We don’t have a strict schedule. It would be too rigid and drive me insane trying to keep up.
Instead, we have a general routine to follow each day. Our days have a flow so no matter what time we start, we just flow from one thing to the next and no one ever feels rushed or behind schedule.
We begin with breakfast together. Then, it’s time for our morning basket. Our morning basket is filled with activities, books to read aloud, trivia, and games.
Next, we start table time. Table time is when we do lessons and activities that require more focus and concentration. This is usually the time we focus on math and language arts lessons.
Then, it’s learning lunchtime, one of my favorite easy ways to sneak in homeschool learning. Lunch serves as a break time for me when I can get other chores around the house finished or spend some time on self-care activities. While my focus is elsewhere, Emily watches videos and documentaries or uses one of our discovery decks for independent learning.
In the afternoon, we have some fun with hands-on learning activities. This is the perfect time for science experiments, crafts, art projects, poetry teatime, and STEM challenges. We rotate through these fun enrichment activities regularly.
Finally, we spend the evenings together as a family. This is a time when we can have family game night, engage in a friendly Wii competition, or watch movies together before bed.
Interested In Homeschooling But Not Sure Where To Start?
If you’re interested in homeschooling but you’re not sure where to start, check out my free grade level checklists. These checklists will help you make sure you’re meeting certain skills and topics each year you homeschool. They cover key language and math skills from preschool through high school.
I have lots of great resources for families who are just beginning the homeschool journey too. Check out some of these fun activities and printables:
- Guides & Resources for Homeschool Parents
- Literature Based Unit Studies
- Homeschool Geography & History Studies
- Science & Nature Studies for Homeschooling
- Discovery Decks for Curious Kids
- Free Learning Resources
What does homeschooling look like for your family? I’d love to read about a day in the life of your homeschool in the comment section. It’s so cool to see what works for different homeschooling families, because we are all unique.