How many hours a day to homeschool with depend on your state requirements and also your family’s homeschool schedule, your homeschooler’s age and what you want your homeschooling day to look like. You will see many different homeschool hour requirements advice and recommendations, but the truth is you should start with your state homeschooling laws and requirements and then go from there!
HOW MANY HOURS A DAY TO HOMESCHOOL
HOMESCHOOL HOUR REQUIREMENTS
It’s a myth that home school hours need to be 8 hours a day for 5 days per week! Homeschool schedules and home school hours will vary based on:
- State laws
- Homeschool requirements for your area
- Topics / school subjects you cover
- Number of kids you homeschool
- Different ages and stages of kids
- Outside classes and activities
Some families may homeschool in an hour a day, while others may homeschool for a few hours throughout the day. Others may find that they can homeschool one day a week effectively and allow the other days for outside the home learning and field trips.
So… how many hours a day is homeschool?
How many hours a day do you have to home school?
A common question is how many hours a day do you homeschool? Most homeschooling families find that they can effectively homeschool for 2-3 hours each day, in 3-5 days per week (depending on the age/number of children). To determine how many hours you have to homeschool, first start with your state’s homeschooling laws.
While many states don’t have home school hour requirements, you may have number of day requirements to meet. From there, you can determine legally what number of hours you must meet for home school (at a minimum).
Spend less time worrying about homeschool time by grade and more time observing how your child learns. This will help you understand how much time your child needs each day and determine how many hours a day should you homeschool.
How many days a week do you homeschool?
How many days a week should you homeschool will depend on your family. Homeschoolers have the flexibility to build a homeschool schedule that works best for their family. In many cases, you can effectively homeschool in 3-5 days each week for just a few hours each day. Unlike traditional public school days, you will only be schooling a few kids with more of a focus so it will take less time.
Can you homeschool 2 days a week?
YES! You can homeschool for as few or as many days each week that is necessary and comfortable for your homeschooling to meet your state homeschool requirements. You may find that you spend 2 days each week covering subjects at home and then the other 3 days going on field trips that supplement your book learning from the week.
How many hours a day to homeschool high school?
You may find that you need more homeschooling hours a day to homeschool high school. At this level, topics and subjects tend to be more detailed and intense, so it may take your high school homeschool student longer to complete their school work. Instead of 2-3 hours of school work, you may find some days of 3 hours or more, depending on the day and subject.
How many hours a day to homeschool kindergarten?
Homeschooling kindergarten (and preschool) is completely different than other grade levels. The majority of a kindergarten preschool day should be spent in play-based learning (instead of at a desk doing worksheets). Let your child lead at this age and don’t put hour requirements on kindergarteners!
A resource that may interest you is: What can kindergarteners gain from play-based learning?
What counts as homeschool hours?
Any time your kids are learning, it can be counted as homeschool hours. Remember: learning doesn’t necessarily mean sitting at a desk with a textbook. Learning is also going to museums or a nature hike to reinforce what you’ve learned earlier in the week!
How many hours a day for homeschooling will be based on the homeschool laws for your state (or area). Check to see if they define specific requirements for homeschool hours. While they probably won’t define homeschool hours per day, you may see a total number of hours you must meet for the year.
What is a good homeschool schedule?
Because homeschool schedules are flexible, a good homeschool schedule is one that works best for your homeschooling family! Many home school parents find that covering 1-2 subjects on specific days is a successful weekly schedule. For example, you may cover maths on Monday, reading on Tuesday, and so on.
It’s hard to follow homeschool recommendations from others because you should be creating homeschool schedules and following homeschool hours that work for your family.
Whether you choose one hour a day homeschooling or homeschooling several hours for just a few day, just be sure to do what works best for your family! It’s less about how many hours a day do homeschoolers work and more about doing what it takes to cover the topics.
AND…
Asking how many hours of homeschool per day is actually the wrong question. Instead, think of it as, What homeschool schedule works best for my child and our family? and then you won’t worry as much about how long to homeschool each day!
Determining homeschooling how many hours a day will be based on how your child learns!
How Many Hours A Day To Homeschool Is Completely Up To Your Homeschooler’s Schedule and Needs!
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