Learning in homeschool requires the right balance of educational topics and leisure activities. Not only do you want your child to come away with a comprehensive education, but you also want to make sure they don’t get so overwhelmed they dread their learning sessions. As a homeschooling parent, you need to not only understand the concept of having enough but not too much when it comes to your child’s homeschooling day but also how to practically structure their day and what subjects to include.
Why You Should Consider Homeschooling
When you decide to homeschool your child, you get to choose the schedule, lesson content, and learning style that works for you. Homeschooling can provide an excellent education for your child, and it can also increase their family time, allowing them to spend extra quality time with their parents at home.
Additionally, homeschooling presents the benefit of having an individualized education tailored to your child’s pace and learning style. Parents who choose to homeschool have more control over their children’s academic subjects and activities and can address their academic needs more efficiently.
How Many Subjects?
When it comes to selecting how many subjects you should include in your homeschool day, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on your child’s age and educational needs, the number of subjects may vary — and the number of subjects should be based on how you will be addressing those needs. For instance, if you have a really advanced student, you may need to include more complex material, or you may want to customize their curriculum according to their interests.
As a starting point, you should ensure that your child is being exposed to all the necessary core academic subjects such as language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. In addition to the core academic classes, you should also consider providing your students with a balanced curriculum that includes specialty topics like art, music, physical education, world cultures and history, foreign language, and technology.
You should also consider including fun activities to prevent your student from getting overwhelmed, such as outdoor education, field trips, and hands-on projects. Keeping the curriculum interesting helps promote learning enthusiasm and encourages exploration — two essential ingredients for a successful homeschool experience.
How Much Time?
The amount of time devoted to each academic subject should depend on the age of your child, the level of difficulty, and the type of learning taking place. In general, younger students may require more instructional time than older students, and more challenging classes may require more time than less challenging classes. To get a better idea of how much time to devote to each academic subject, consider creating a daily schedule for your student that includes instruction, review, and practice time for each subject.
Then, adjust the time spent on each subject according to your student’s age and academic level. In order to maximize learning time, you may also want to consider implementing a block scheduling system, which allows students to concentrate on a single subject for an entire day or a multiple-day period, depending on the material to be covered.
Additionally, by incorporating an eclectic mix of reading, writing, math, science, and other topics, you can prevent your child from feeling overwhelmed and ensure that they are thoroughly exposed to all aspects of the subject.
Correcting Homework
After your child has completed their work, you will want to review it and provide feedback. You should check their work to ensure that they are truly understanding what they are learning, rather than just memorizing facts or formulas. This will help ensure that your child is gaining a true understanding of the material and that they are constructing a well-rounded education.
In addition to this review, you should also provide your child with both positive and constructive feedback. Try to think of your feedback as a way to motivate your child to reach higher levels of achievement, and never be overly critical.
Remember that your child may be more discouraged if you are overly negative or demanding.
Fitting Everything in a Day
When you first begin homeschooling your child, fitting all their required subjects into one day can be daunting. However, with a bit of time and a well-planned schedule, you will soon be able to build a balanced day that works for you and your child. Start by incorporating instructional time and then add in themed activities, such as a morning writing lesson followed by a nature walk afterwards.
You will also want to make sure you fit in breaks throughout the day, since breaks are essential for learning. Breaks should include physical activity, brain restorative activities, socializing, or an opportunity to pursue your child’s individual interests.
Additionally, you should look for creative ways to incorporate fun activities, such as playing games or taking part in art projects, that can aid in learning.
What Subjects to Pick?
When selecting subjects for your homeschool curriculum, you will want to think about a variety of topics that can both stimulate and challenge your child. Start with the core subjects and then pick a few differrent topics from one subject to diversify the learning. Math can include a mix of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, for example.
In terms of electives, you will want to pick topics that can offer your student a new perspective and encourage curiosity and exploration. Foreign language, computer science, art, music, and music should cover a range of topics that can both keep their interest and foster a growth mindset.
You should also look for opportunities to teach your child life skills, such as cooking, money management, and shopping.
Conclusion
Choosing how many and which homeschool subjects to teach your child per day is an important decision. With a well-balanced curriculum composed of the necessary core academic and specialty topics and enough breaks and leisure activities, you can help ensure that your child is getting the quality education they need while avoiding feeling overwhelmed. At the end of the day, your child’s educational needs, interests, and learning preferences should determine the number of homeschool subjects and how much time should be devoted to each one.