Maybe you have already come across a chart or infographic online that lists the recommendations for how many hours a day you should homeschool based on grade level. Many claim that most homeschoolers only need to homeschool for about 2 hours a day.
Can that be right?! Seriously, only two hours a day? How is that possible? How can that be done?
Such charts and others like it are a great starting point for planning your homeschool schedule. Be aware though that there are other factors to consider.
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State Laws
In the US, each state has its own laws about homeschooling. It is important to check the laws for your state, as most states have laws dictating how many hours a day you should homeschool.
You can find your state’s laws here.
While here, be sure to check out these other posts in “Homeschooling”:
How to Homeschool for Free (or on the cheap!)
What Counts as “Homeschooling”?
This is where things get fun and why homeschooling has the potential to produce very well-rounded students!
When you see these claims that homeschooling only takes 2 hours a day, usually what they mean is that homeschool students only spend about 2 hours a day on bookwork.
“Homeschool” doesn’t just mean bookwork. Homeschool hours can include read-alouds, art projects, game-schooling, even cooking, or grocery shopping.
How Many Hours a Day to Homeschool – Example Case Study
Let’s create a sample homeschool schedule for a 5th grader in the state of Georgia.
5th graders only need up to about 2 hours of homeschool (bookwork) a day, yet Georgia law requires 4.5 hours a day.
A typical homeschooled 5th grader might spend about 30 minutes a day on Math and another 30 minutes on Language Arts (reading, writing, grammar, and spelling). At most, they will probably also spend about 20-30 minutes on each Social Studies and Science.
There are your two hours a day. But, that is only the bookwork.
So how do you fill the other 2.5 hours of the 4.5 hour state requirement?
Ideas to Fill the Rest of Your Homeschool Day
As mentioned before, this is where homeschooling gets fun!
Get in the habit of thinking that learning happens all the time, not just when completing bookwork.
Live a life of synergy, where life, learning, socializing, doing chores, playing games, and spending time together as a family all blend together. De-compartmentalize your life.
Planting a garden is both science and health.
Cooking is both math and art.
Hobbies like sewing, building birdhouses, or making clocks are all learning experiences that often require reading comprehension and math skills.
Create a homeschool PE class.
Buy or create a unit study on one of your child’s favorite topics: Horses, Tornadoes, or Chocolate.
Find a book series like The Chronicles of Narnia and spend time reading aloud. If they are young, you can read to them, or, if they are older, have them read a few paragraphs out loud.
Look up fun science experiments on YouTube and try to recreate them.
Introduce a foreign language using DuoLingo’s free app or website.
Have them write their own stories or plays to act out.
Use Khan Academy’s free computer coding lessons to introduce your child to programming.
The possibilities are nearly endless!
So, getting back to our fictious Georgia 5th grader… her schedule might look something like this: Math from 9-9:30 (ish), Language Arts from 9:30-10, from 10-10:15 a break, snack and/or a quick chore, from 10:15-11:15 she completes Social Studies and Science. Maybe then an early lunch with a few more chores. The afternoon can then be spent running errands with mom, doing homeschool PE, working on her short story, helping her siblings build a fort in the backyard, and helping mom cook dinner.
Who wouldn’t enjoy a school day like that?!
Final Thoughts
Choosing to make the switch to homeschooling is daunting, I know. But, don’t overthink it. Knowing how many hours a day you should homeschool is a great place to start, then let your’s and your children’s creativity take over!