If you are homeschooling kids in the elementary school age group, it is worth taking a serious look at year-round homeschooling. Some families like to use a three or four day school week along with year-round homeschooling. Other families opt for a traditional five day week with a six-week on/two-week off kind of situation. There are plenty of variations on these examples. Year-round homeschooling allows you a lot of freedom throughout the year and it helps homeschooling parents avoid burn-out.
How does year-round homeschooling work?
There are various ways to do it, but basically, you homeschool all year round. What works for some doesn’t work for all so it’s important to really understand what you can and can’t balance in your homeschooling curriculum.
It takes time and commitment to homeschool year-round so make certain that you’re able and willing to give it a go. The bottom line to remember is that you’re doing what is best to fit the needs of your family and children and what works best for them and their learning environment.
Should you homeschool all year long?
This is a “you” question and one that only your family can answer. Those who do it, love it. And those who don’t, often wonder about it. There is nothing wrong with trying it and seeing how it works with the flow of your family.
Why Homeschool Year-Round?
For most parents, school means nine months of classroom time followed by three months of free time. It’s how we grew up and why should our kids be different? Well, for one, our kids can be different. If you have them at home for school, why not adapt your school calendar to your life? Living in the south, can mean that August is too hot for anything outside – why not start school and take time off in January when the weather is perfect? If you run your own business and have a busy season, schedule school so that the kids have a break when you are at your wit’s end?
There’s an old joke that applies here. A newlywed woman was cutting the ends off of a perfectly good roast before sticking it into the pot. Her husband asks her why she is tossing the good ends. She shrugs and says, “This is how my mom does it.” The roast was delicious and the new husband stopped asking questions. Until the next time. As his wife was getting the roast ready to cook he asked her why toss the ends? This time his wife’s mother was in the kitchen. The newlywed’s mother-in-law laughed and laughed and laughed. Finally, she explained that she had only cut the ends of the roast because she did not have a pot large enough for the whole roast.
Homeschool is the same way! You are under no obligation to follow a traditional school calendar if it does not fit your family’s needs. 🙂
You might also like these homeschooling articles:
Start Homeschooling In 5 Easy Steps
Top 5 Homeschooling Books To Read
7 Homeschool Resources To Check Out Today!
How To Homeschool On A Shoestring Budget
