Over the past year or so, a whole lot of people started homeschooling in some fashion, perhaps temporarily or to supplement what was offered in virtual learning. Even for those that were already homeschooling, things changed. I said at that time that it was a new normal for all of us, and we weren’t sure how long it would last. Here we are a year later and things are still different. There are other crisis situations that prompt an unanticipated start to homeschooling too – personal health or injury that keeps a student from attending school, a move out of school district, or even the decision to pull your child out of school for their well-being. Whether you’re doing school at home just until your school reopens or you’ve jumped in for another reason, it’s a major adjustment. I don’t pretend to know everything about homeschooling or about starting homeschooling all of a sudden without any prep time, but what I have learned I’m willing to share.

No matter what prompted this Suddenly Homeschooling change – school closing or personal reasons – or if you’re making significant changes to your existing homeschool – it’s a change to whatever you had been doing, so you’ll need to get used to new routines. And make no mistake, you will need routines, and you’ll all benefit from putting some thought into what those routines will look like. 

Establishing a New Normal

I’m generally pretty comfortable with making decisions on the fly, and even with being spontaneous, but without some kind of routine, I won’t get anything done. Even the most freewheeling personalities need some kind of structure. Even kids. Especially kids! We already know this if we’ve lived through very many school vacations or successive snow days. Oh sure, the first little while it’s awesome to sleep late or binge-watch favorite shows or just be lazy, but that gets old and everyone eventually winds up on edge and on each other’s nerves. We do better when we have routines.

Take a break and start fresh.

By the time you read this, it’s likely that you’ve already had your break and are now figuring out how to keep up with online classes or whatever your routine may be. When starting a new routine, I’ve found that it’s really helpful to have a bit of a break, maybe a day or two to get the lazies and crazies out of their system, and then settle down to work.

If you’re reading this because you’re pulling your child out of school on your own, I do suggest taking some time off to “detox” them from whatever was problematic at school. This is especially important if something about their school experience was stressful for them. 

Treat it like a job or like regular classes.

In 2020, many colleges switched all their classes to online interactions, meaning that students need to log in during their regular class time for a virtual class. Some K-12 schools did something similar. If your situation is something along that line, you already know that your student needs to be in front of the computer for the scheduled live instruction during certain hours. This will turn out to be a big help in giving your days a predictable structure.

If you are not participating in live instruction during set times, or don’t plan to be, I strongly recommend that you settle on a daily routine and do school during that time frame. Math is at this time, followed by English, followed by History. Or whatever. If you have the ability to make those decisions yourself, put things in the order you think will work best for your kid, and tweak as needed.

If you are working from home in some capacity or have kids in different age ranges, you’ll need to decide whether students can work on their own with you nearby, or whether you need to actively supervise. Schedule accordingly.

Don’t try to multi-task. It’s so tempting to think it will work, but it seldom does! While your kids are doing school, they need to focus on school. They will be distracted by their phones, by YouTube and every other tab they can possibly open on their computer. Honestly, so will you. Take steps to limit those distractions for you and for them.

Have kids help around the house.

If your kids already do chores – great! But I know a lot of kids that are in public school that don’t do a lot to help out at home, for various reasons. Often it’s because their time is taken up with being at school and then doing homework and sports and band and whatever else they do. When you homeschool, school takes up less time overall, and can be scheduled differently. We all know it takes work to keep a household running, so have kids participate in some of those tasks as a regular part of the day.

School won’t take the entire day!

It shouldn’t, anyway! It may take a bit to settle into your routine, but you should find that doing the actual lessons and learning activities does not take up all the hours that your child would typically spend at school. Hopefully you’ll also be able to spend the extra time on a subject that needs more work or sparks more interest, and get through the “easy” stuff quickly. For more about how much time we spent on typical homeschool days, take a look at this post over at the original Homeschool Coffee Break blog:

How Much Time Do You Spend on Schoolwork?

Need resources? Have questions?

If you are doing school at home because your school is offering virtual learning, you most likely have the curriculum and worksheets and the standard resources from your child’s school. You may want or need some supplemental curriculum or resources though, and you’ll probably want to be careful how much you spend. Many libraries, museums, zoos, and other places offer free resources anyway, and many started offering even more during the 2020 school closures. If you’d like to check out full curriculum and supplemental educational material, take a look at the list of my reviews of homeschool products: My Reviews page (Please be aware that some links may have changed since the original posting) or go have a look at a favorite homeschool resource, SchoolhouseTeachers.com. It’s a very affordable option with about 500 courses for all age and grade levels, and one membership gets you access for your entire family. There are options for every subject and for all kinds of homeschooling styles! For a limited time, use the code: OUTSIDE to pay only $179 for an Ultimate Annual Membership (regular price is $224.97). When you purchase during the Get Outside and Homeschool Sale, you’ll also receive a free insulated 4 Pillars Tote. (New members only, no refunds, totes are publisher’s choice and US only) So much there – it is worth it!

If you have specific questions, I would love to help! Please leave a comment and let me know!