How to Help Your Students Get the Most From Homeschool

Summer break is coming to an end and many teachers and parents are faced with the reality of homeschooling this fall. As an educator, you may feel overwhelmed to create a schedule/routine for your young learner. You are not alone!

The first thing to remember is that every homeschool is different because every family is different. Typically, homeschoolers do not fit into an 8-hour day model. Public school often requires a lot of crowd control time which does not exist in the homes of students. So how long should structured learning (aka direct teaching or independent/small group work) be? ​

Suggested Timing:
Pre-school - 15 to 20 min
Kindergarten - 30 min to 1 hour
1st to 2nd Grade - 45 min to 1.5 hours
3rd to 4th Grade - 1.5 to 3 hours
5th to 6th Grade - 2.5 to 3.5 hours
7th to 8th Grade - 3 to 4.5 hours
Highschoolers - 3.5 to 6 hours

When it comes to the order of your curriculum schedule, you will have to find out what works best for your students. For example, it has been found that starting the day with Math helps the day go faster. However, that approach may slow your young learner’s day down afterwards. 

Student’s retention of information after learning is important. That is why structured learning combined with interactive activities is a great way for students to practice the lessons they are learning. By lessening teacher talk time and focusing on a student based approach, your student will gain a better connection to the lesson plan and an understanding of the material.

Furthermore, engaging students using project-based learning helps cultivate a growth mindset environment through research, collaboration, and presentation of their work. Students are empowered by their efforts and take ownership of their projects as a result. ​

​At Roads to Success, we believe in having a growth mindset and teach students the idea that intelligence can grow. Therefore, during lessons and extracurricular activities practice avoiding a fixed mindset.

​This includes thinking or saying things like: “I am doing this wrong;” “I don’t know what to do;” or, “This will never change.” Rather practice positive strategies of support, such as: “I can do things that are challenging;” “Practice makes progress;” or “I am still learning and it’s okay. Next time I will focus on...” By promoting a growth mindset, your young people will believe they can achieve the amazing goals in your curriculum!