Why We Have a Homeschool Routine Instead of a Schedule

It can take trial and error to figure out some things about your homeschool style. You might feel like a pinball, bouncing from one method to another, until you finally find a fit for your family….for this semester, anyway. For instance, you may have to experiment to see if your family functions better with a homeschool schedule or a homeschool routine.

There was a season of time in our homeschool history that we used a strict, by-the-clock schedule. I spent many hours with little sticky notes and charts, coming up with a schedule that meshed everyone’s assignments and responsibilities. I actually called out when it was time to switch to the next activity, and who was in charge of little ones for the next time slot. It lasted about two weeks. Rather than relieving stress, a schedule created stress.

Years later, the results of several personality assessments revealed that I don’t play well with strict schedules. Too bad I spent so many years beating myself up because I compared myself to Schedule Moms. Now I’m like, “You go, girl!” but I’m happy being a Routine Mom. (Read more over at Hip Homeschool Moms)