Homeschool doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming. After 12 years of homeschooling our four kids, the thing that helps me most is having systems, so I’m not making the same decisions over and over every day. In this video I share five practical systems that simplify our routine and help our days flow more smoothly.
What you’ll get from this post
- The five systems I use, from routine to lunch to chores
- Where each one starts in the video
- Ideas other homeschool moms shared in the comments
Chapters
- 0:00 Intro
- 2:12 System #1: Build a default homeschool routine
- 4:52 System #2: Prepare lessons and gather supplies
- 7:04 System #3: Set up the environment to support the routine
- 10:28 System #4: Create a default lunch system
- 12:16 System #5: Chores
The five systems
- A default homeschool routine. A go-to plan for how our school day flows, so we’re not deciding from scratch each morning.
- Weekly lesson prep and gathered supplies. Getting lessons and materials ready ahead of time.
- An environment that supports the routine. Setting up our space so the routine is easy to follow.
- A default lunch system. Taking the daily “what’s for lunch?” decision off the table.
- Chores. Kids pitching in so the house keeps running. Our full setup is in our chore system for kids that works.
Which part of your day creates the most friction?
That’s the question I asked at the end of the video, and the comments were full of great ideas. One mom gives each of her two oldest a six-drawer workbox with their workbooks and a laminated Monday-to-Friday routine. Another found her biggest friction was not knowing the curriculum ahead of time, so she now preps the bulk of it on Sunday with a quick refresh on Wednesday.
What viewers say
I love to use systems in my homeschool. I learned quickly that we needed a better way for my kids to work independently as there is only 1 of me and 3 of them. For independent work my two oldest each have a 6 drawer workbox. Along with their workbooks in each drawer is a laminated Mon to Fri routine. They are able to do their work without having to ask what's next. Also on the outside of each drawer is a tag and two velcros. They move the tag from left to right when they are done with a drawer. Also they can skip between drawers if I'm not free to help them. Its really helped them to work more independently.
My youngest doesn't like the workbox system for his independent work. After trying a flex binder with Mon to Fri tags we figured out that he prefers a simple clipboard. So the night before I set up his clipboard with anything I know he can do independently the next day. That has worked great so far!
When you are homeschooling multiple kids, independence is key and family-style learning!
@vparker4960 on YouTube
I'm learning but my main friction was not learning the curriculum before hand. So I've decided to use a Sunday to do the main bulk and Wednesday for quick refresh. Also having an uncluttered table. So got a soft tablecloth to put over table once cleared.
Also having whiteboard available for routine and also smaller one for any learning rules equations etc. Also having a doodle pad next to her stops her drawing over worksheets etc.
@tracysmith0202 on YouTube
Things we mentioned
- Chore system for kids that works
- Our reward system for homeschool that actually works
- How to teach your kindergartener
- Our curriculum picks for 2nd grade, 4th grade and 6th grade
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FAQ
What homeschool systems save the most time?
The five I share are a default routine, weekly lesson prep with supplies gathered, a space set up to support the routine, a default lunch system, and chores.
How do I reduce decision fatigue in homeschool?
Make “default” choices ahead of time, like a set routine and a set lunch plan, so you aren’t deciding the same things every day.