If you’re craving a schooling routine, check out these sample homeschool schedules.
They will help you go from pandemonium to productive in no time!
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Homeschooling Schedules
If you are new to the homeschool game (or if your homeschool needs a reboot), you might wonder how to structure your school day.
How much time should you spend on school?
What’s a good time to start or finish?
Should you do a homeschool block schedule or just wing it?
These are all great questions to ask, especially if you are coming from a traditional school mindset.
Here are some major differences between school and homeschool schedules:
Homeschooling Takes Less Time
In a traditional school, much of the 9-3 day is spent on transitions.
Dropoff, homeroom, attendance, passing out papers, forming lines, etc.
All of that is eliminated by homeschooling.
The homeschool day should be shorter, especially for the early elementary grades.
You’ll still need a homeschool planner to make sure you’re staying organized and on-track, but it just won’t take you all day to get everything done.
Homeschoolers Need Breaks
All children need breaks (and kids in classrooms take them all the time), but homeschoolers need them especially.
This is because homeschool is almost all focused on learning.
This is mentally tiresome for kids, so you need to plan for frequent and brief brain breaks.
Homeschool at the Best Time of Day
When is your student at his best?
Perhaps he is an early bird and would benefit from starting school at 7 am (just clutch your coffee, Mama).
Perhaps he moves slowly in the morning and starting later works best.
Maybe he benefits from doing a physical activity before studying.
Plan to start the day with chores or exercise.
Teach your child when he can learn at his best. It’s the key to strength based homeschooling and a more peaceful homeschool routine!
Samples of Possible Homeschool Schedules
Here are some sample homeschool schedules by grade. These are all basic, so feel free to tweak, add, or subtract. The right schedule is the one that works for you. Read some of the schedules, not just the one for your child’s grade. Each has its own scenarios that you may want to adopt.
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
Kindergarten Homeschool Schedule
Kindergarten is my favorite homeschool schedule because it is so short.
Cover reading, handwriting, and math.
Those are the essentials.
Fill the rest of the school day with read-alouds, craft projects, and nature walks.
This schedule looks long at first glance, but you will see it is chock-full of free play and fun activities
- 7:30 am Breakfast and get ready for the day
- 8:30 Handwriting practice (15 minutes)
- 15-minute break to play
- 9 am Reading lesson (15 minutes)
- 15-minute break to play
- 9:30 Hands-on math (30 minutes)
- 30-minute break and snack
- 10:30 Nature walk or outside time (Play I-Spy, take photos, or collect “treasures”) (30 minutes)
- 11-12 Free time for creative play and fun learning apps
- 12 Lunch
- 1 pm Read aloud (classic story, poems, history, or science-related) (20 minutes)
- 1:30 Fine motor practice like mazes, coloring books, beading, play dough, tiny Legos or Plus-Plus (20 minutes)
- Cap off the day with a family or bedtime read-aloud book (20 minutes)
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
1st Grade Homeschool Schedule
A 1st grade homeschool schedule is much like the kindergarten schedule, except you are adding in a few subjects. Remember to plan for frequent breaks!
- 7:30 am Breakfast and get ready for the day
- 8:30 Spelling (15 minutes)
- 15-minute break to play
- 9 am Reading lesson (20 minutes)
- 10-minute break to play
- 9:30 Math (30 minutes)
- 30-minute break and snack
- 10:30 Nature walk or outside time (30 minutes)
- 11 am Handwriting (15 minutes)
- 15-minute break to play
- 11:30 History (30 minutes) alternates with science each day during this block
- 12 Lunch
- 1 pm Read aloud to child or independent reading time for child (20 minutes)
- Cap off the day with a family or bedtime read-aloud book (20 minutes)
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
2nd Grade Homeschool Schedule
Here is a 2nd grade homeschool schedule that starts a bit later in the day.
- 9 am Math with parent (30 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 9:40 Reading lesson (20 minutes)
- 30-minute break and snack
- 10:30 Spelling (30 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 11:10 Handwriting (20 minutes)
- 30 minutes outside time
- 12 pm Lunch
- 1 pm History and Science alternate days (40 minutes includes hands-on activity)
- 10-minute break
- 1:50 Read aloud to child or independent reading time for child (20 minutes)
- 2:10 Learning apps or music practice (20 minutes)
- Cap off the day with a family or bedtime read-aloud book (20 minutes)
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
3rd Grade Homeschool Schedule
Here is a 3rd grade homeschool schedule that puts independent work at the beginning of the day so Mom can work with a younger sibling.
Some kids are independent and like working more on their own.
This is not true of every child.
At this age, you will likely begin formal writing assignments, if you haven’t already.
- 7:30 am Breakfast and get ready for the day
- 8 am Handwriting (20 minutes)
- 20-minute break or chore time
- 8:40 Math practice page (from yesterday’s concept) (20 minutes)
- 9:00 Independent reading time
- 10-minute break
- 9:30 Spelling activities (20 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 10:00-10:20 Music/typing practice
- 10:20-10:40 Learning apps
- 20-minute break
- 11:00 Time with mom for math instruction and help in other morning subjects (60 minutes)
- 12 pm Lunch
- 1 pm Writing assignment (20 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 1:30 History or science, alternating days (possibly with mom) (45 minutes)
- Cap off the day with a family or bedtime read-aloud book (20 minutes)
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
4th Grade Homeschool Schedule
This is a sample 4th grade schedule that starts mid-morning.
This gives you time to go to the grocery store or library and then start school (or just sleep in if that is what your family prefers).
- 10:00 am Handwriting and Spelling (30 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 10:40 Math (30 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 11:20 History or science on alternating days (40 minutes)
- 12 pm Lunch
- 1 pm Writing (20 minutes)
- 1:20 Independent reading (30 minutes)
- 20-minute break (possibly outside)
- 2:10 Music or typing practice (20 minutes)
- 2:30 Learning apps (30 minutes)
- 3:00 Chores and help with siblings
- Cap off the day with a family read-aloud or bedtime reading (20 minutes)
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
5th Grade Homeschool Schedule
This is a sample 5th grade schedule that concentrates the written schoolwork for the morning to save the freeform learning activities (art, music, PE, computer, and reading) for the afternoon.
- 8:00 am Breakfast and get ready
- 8:30 am Math (30 minutes)
- 30-minute break for chores
- 9:30 Spelling (20 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 10 am Writing (30 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 10:40 History (30 minutes)
- 20-minute snack break
- 11:30 Science (30 minutes)
- 12 pm Lunch
- 1 pm Independent reading (20 minutes)
- 1:20 Music/art (30 minutes)
- 10-minute break
- 2 pm Computer/typing (30 minutes)
- 2:30 PE (unless you have an organized sports activity later)
- Bedtime reading (30 minutes)
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
Middle School Homeschool Schedule
If you are starting to homeschool in 6th through 8th grades, here is a sample middle school homeschool schedule to follow.
In the middle grades, you often eliminate the subject of spelling and add in typing and a foreign language introduction.
- 9 am Math (40 minutes)
- 10 minute break
- 9:50 Typing (20 minutes)
- 10:10 Language arts: writing, grammar, and possibly spelling (70 minutes includes one 10 minute break)
- 10 minute break
- 11:30 Music practice (30 minutes)
- 12 pm Lunch
- 1 pm Foreign Language (30 minutes)
- 10 minute break
- 1:40 Independent reading of literature (40 minutes or 20 minutes now and 20 minutes later)
- 10 minute break
- 2:30 Science (20 minutes)
- 2:50 History (20 minutes)
- Bedtime reading (20 minutes, if not completed earlier)
Grab a free printable blank schedule in the Freebies Library!
Examples of Homeschool Schedules
These sample schedules should get you thinking.
How would you like to structure your homeschool day?
A wonderful aspect of homeschooling is your ability to tailor the content and schedule to what works for your student and your family.
Cindy
Monday 6th of November 2023
Your example made it so much easier than starting with a blank paper - thank you!
One Crazy House
Friday 27th of October 2023
I have been considering homeschool for a long time, but I have been worried about how my lack of time management skills might sabotage everything. This sample homeschool schedule is very helpful!
Cynthia
Friday 27th of October 2023
Whether you are new to homeschooling, or just looking to switch up your routine, this sample homeschool schedule is SO helpful!
Rita Joy
Thursday 26th of October 2023
I only homeschooled for a very short time, but having a shedule to stick to makes things so much easier! Thank you for sharing such great homeschool schedule examples.
cyndy
Wednesday 25th of October 2023
Building structure to the day can be so challenging but it is so incredibly essential. Thank you for these helpful homeschool schedule examples. It makes the task seem far less daunting.