5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents: Tip #1 Find the Best Time to Homeschool (for your OWN family)

Welcome to the kick off of the first Schoolhouse Review Crew blog series of 2016! A whole bunch of us are working together to bring you posts galore all related to the umbrella theme of 5 Days of Tips for Homeschooling Parents. There is so much to explore under this theme--so let's kick it off here with my first post this week. Today I'm going to be talking about Finding The Best Time to Homeschool.

Tip #1- Find the time to do school that works the best for YOUR family

There are a lot of people who WANT to homeschool, but declare that they don't think they could do it because of the time it would take each and every day. They seem to have a vision of homeschooling where it's a set time every single day during the week. It's what a public school or private school does, so it must be the same for homeschoolers. They envision a 6-8 hour day stuck at a table or desk with their kids as they do school. Every single day. 

Nope. Nada. Not true.

Every single family that chooses to homeschool finds their own perfect homeschooling time. It doesn't matter the size of your family. It doesn't matter how genius your children are (or aren't! LOL).
It doesn't matter the age of your students. Every family has their own routine. Every family makes their own school schedule. It is NOT a cookie-cutter routine. Remember? That's what public school is. NOT homeschooling! And when it comes to finding time to homeschool, you can even be a full time working parent and still find time in your day to homeschool.

What? You didn't you know that there are many parents who work full time...and still homeschool their children? 

Oh yes. And that number is growing!

If you are one of these parents who would love to homeschool, but aren't sure where to find the time because you work--make sure you check out this blog post by Unschool Rules about this very subject.

I have a friend in California who made the decision to enroll her daughter in an academy that only has on-campus hours twice a week--just a couple hours each of those days and only three subjects. She and her husband are responsible for all the other subjects, after school projects, and schooling time. Easy right? Except she and her husband BOTH work full time. How do they do it? They help their daughter when they come home. They send her to her grandma's house with assignments to work on. And they dedicate hours on the weekend to get school done. And guess what? She is THRIVING and EXCELLING even with this odd schedule.

Another family has a work-at-home-mom with a business that requires a lot of time on the computer and phone from her. But she's homeschooling her three chidlren. They simply school throughout the day. No real schedule. Just making the most of the moments that come up as the day goes. Her children? Passed with flying colors their required state testing. 

There are families that school only in the morning. Some only school in the afternoon. Some grab bits and pieces throughout the day--making the most of the hours when their kids are in the learning mode. And yes, there are some that begin in the morning and keep a "normal" school schedule that goes throughout the day. 

We are one of those families. 

Because it is what works for US.

This is the beauty of homeschooling. As long as you get in your state's required days/hours--it doesn't matter WHEN or HOW schooling happens! You do it when it works FOR YOU. 

Guess what?

This is going to change.

Yes. You will probably find as your homeschooling experience continues that the "best hours" to educate will vary. I have it on good authority that teens seem to do better starting school closer to lunchtime. And parents with Pre-K to 2nd graders, seem to find that their child is done giving their attention to school subjects by lunch. Have a new baby? Yeah, that "perfect time" to homeschool is going to definitely change! LOL!

Homeschooling is about making school work for you...not the other way around. If you are discovering your child isn't as attentive during the morning--maybe try afternoon school. Do you have a night owl teenager? Sometimes they do their best work right before bed! 

When it comes to finding time to homeschool, be flexible. And don't compare your schedule to that of someone else. You don't know their children. You don't know their routine. What works best for them, might not (and probably won't) work for you. 

And for all those who are working parents--you who would love to homeschool, but don't think you have the time? It is possible to do. Think OUTSIDE the box. Remember--you don't have to do 6-8 hours of school each day like a public school. If you want to homeschool bad enough, you WILL find the time and make it work for you!

Don't let time run your homeschool. 
Don't let the thought of lack of time, prevent you from choosing to homeschool.
Don't forget to adjust your time as your children get older and their attention span changes.

It is possible to find the best time to homeschool your children...and you are going to have to make that decision based on what works best for YOU!

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This week's blog hop is brought to you by the team at Schoolhouse Review Crew! We have come together to give you a whole week of posts under the umbrella topic of Tips for Homeschool Parents. The door is wide open on what each blogger is going to share, so make sure you visit the anchor post to find who else is blogging! I'm sure you are going to find some awesome posts and I am looking forward to exploring them myself!

Here are a few of the bloggers participating in our blog hop this week--maybe you could start with them!

Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Latonya @ Joy in the Ordinary 
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World 
Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road
 Lori @ At Home: where life happens
Meg @ Adventures with Jude 
Megan @ My Full Heart
Melanie (Wren) @ finchnwren
Melissa @ Mom’s Plans 

Want to read some of my previous years 5 Days Of series? Here they are for your viewing pleasure!

*5 Days of...How Do I Teach and Still Fulfill My Role as Wife and Mother?
*5 Days of...Favorite Family Recipes
*5 Days of...Homeschooling Essentials
*5 Days of...Debunking 5 Common Homeschool Myths

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Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will continue to check back on over the course of the week as I explore other tips that I would give homeschool parents. Maybe some never even though of!