Do your homeschool days feel like a race that’s never-ending? Do you worry you’re not doing enough? I’ve felt both the rat race and worry I’m dropping a ball. What I’ve found is the need to simplify my homeschool day. Simplifying your homeschool day doesn’t mean cutting out all the fun or letting go of the subjects you feel are important. Simplifying asks us to focus on less quantity and add in more quality. It helps us prioritize and make the best of the time we have.

I’ll never forget bumping into a colleague shortly after my oldest was born. Her child was several months older than mine, and sensing the overwhelm I was feeling, she told me she found if she accomplished one thing a day other than taking care of her baby, she was doing great. One thing? That didn’t seem like enough. I felt confident I could do more. I could do all the things and have a newborn. I could and did, but what followed were years of overwhelm and a lot of struggle. Joy was present, but some days it was hard to find. When my second child was born, not wanting to repeat what clearly had not worked, I listened, and what a difference slowing down made.

There are many ways to homeschool. Individually tailoring how our children learn is one of the true gifts of learning at home. I’m grateful there is no one way. That being said, homeschooling, like being a new mom, can feel overwhelming. There are a lot of choices to make, and then we have to execute them. When I was new to homeschooling, I realized the advice I’d received years before could apply. I didn’t have to do everything every day. Instead, to set us up for success and simplify our homeschool day, I focused on our top three.

Simplify Your Homeschool Day- Top Three

What are the top three? They are three things your homeschooler wants or needs to learn today. The top three can change each day or stay the same. We typically do math every day, and my homeschooler’s top three always include reading and writing in some capacity, but the way she practices these skills changes.  

Can we do more than three things? Sure, and sometimes we do, but one of the things I love about homeschooling is we don’t have to rush or fill our days up to the brim. By focusing our efforts on three things each day, my daughter has plenty of time to dig into her interests and lessons.

It comes down to our why. I homeschool so my kids can follow their interests and learn at their own pace. When I try to get us through every subject every day, our time together is rushed. I work from home; my kids want to play, have other activities and chores, and want and need downtime. Rushing leads to an unnecessary struggle, which makes learning feel like a chore.

No thanks!

Choosing Your Top Three

In order to keep our homeschooling day simple and focus on our top three, I make sure the things we’re doing include a wide variety of skills. So many subjects overlap and are often better taught together.

For instance, right now, my daughter is putting together a Bookshark lap book on U.S. Elections. She is learning about our country’s government and history, practicing reading and writing, and learning presentation skills. On top of all that, it’s a creative project. She gets to cut things up and play with glue and glitter.

Add a math lesson (mini-lesson, multiplication game, and practice pages) and language arts unit (pair/share reading, a creative writing project related to the book, editing for spelling/grammar), and she’s accomplished and learned a lot!

By focusing on just three things, like creating a lap book, math, and language arts, she has plenty of time to engage in learning, dive down rabbit holes and find answers to her many questions. Tomorrow it might be math, journaling together, and reading about her latest obsession, space. Without fail, when our time learning together is over, she has plenty of interest and energy to keep engaging independently.

Worried it’s not enough? Only you know if your child is getting enough practice and exposure, but it’s important to consider that just because a child is doing a lot of things doesn’t mean they are learning a lot of things.

I’ve always found the best way to help my kids learn is by focusing on quality instead of quantity. My child may not be going strong from 8-3, but I feel confident she’s learning just as much, if not more, in the 2-3 hours we spend one-on-one and in the other hours she spends independently or with mentors.

Looking to simplify your homeschool day? Focus on three things and blend the skills your children need to practice with those that interest them.

• Practice writing and math by having them create a math board game or comic book covering the lessons they’ve learned.
• Practice reading and math by playing math games or reading fun books about math.
• Practice reading and math by cooking together and having your child follow a recipe.
• Practice science and reading by reading books about a science topic they’re interested in.
• Practice writing and science by having your kids keep a science journal.
• Practice history, reading, and writing by creating a lap book, brochure, children’s book, map or timeline.

I’m sure you get the idea.

By choosing three things, my homeschooler has plenty of time to explore and learn. We’re not going through the motions or rushing to get our lessons done. Simple does not mean easy. There is plenty of rigor and healthy challenge to my homeschooler’s day. Focusing on our top three and keeping our homeschool day simple means our time together has purpose and intention, and our days are pretty fun.