Faith-Based Homeschool Highs & Lows Series Part 3: The Gift of Time

Welcome to my article series on faith-based homeschooling! I am so glad you're here! Let's jump right in!

When I first began my homeschooling journey six years ago, I was overwhelmed trying to figure out how much time I would need to spend teaching every day to raise intelligent children. I only knew the public school schedule, which consisted of roughly seven hours of instruction. How on earth would I teach my kids for seven hours straight? How much time should I be spending teaching them? What were the requirements for the amount of time you had to spend teaching your kids? Obviously, in my stress-filled panic, I didn’t realize there was no time minimum for a well-rounded education. However, there are state requirements that tell you how many hours homeschooling must be conducted each day, so check your state’s requirements. As a former public school student, I remember how much time was wasted during the school day. It was never seven hours of straight instructional learning time. We had a lot of “extras” such as library time, physical education (P.E.), and more. Side note: In the state where I live (TN), you’re required to have 4 hours of instructional time per day, and this includes outdoor time, library visits, and field trips. Not only can we make learning count (no pun intended), we can also enjoy the time we spend teaching our children. 

Time is precious, and it is fleeting. We’ve all blankly stared at our calendar in total awe at how fast the months and years are going by. I think a lot about time, specifically what I am doing with it. Dedicating our days to schooling our children is certainly a sacrifice, but I believe it is one that we will never regret. Why do I believe this? Because some of my most treasured moments have been while homeschooling my children. To spend my mornings sipping coffee, teaching algebra, and watching my kids work together as they put a Dollar Tree puzzle of the United States together is a gift. As they read aloud with confidence and sit on the edge of their seats while I read the next chapter of our read-aloud book, I am thrilled to be the one sitting with them and soaking it all in. Now, certainly, we have difficult days, but even on the difficult days, I am so thankful to be the one getting back into the ring with my children and helping them learn about God and how the world works. 

You might be thinking that this sounds great, but how do we maximize the daylight hours we have to homeschool our children? Here are three ways we can maximize our time each day. 1. I plan lessons that are thorough and not just “busy work”. We want to learn the concepts and master them before moving on, not just complete worksheets. 2. Learn everywhere. If you have doctor’s appointments or a playdate to attend, put on an educational podcast in the car or review concepts you have been learning as you drive. 3. Plan out your lessons each week. Keeping your lessons planned will help you stay focused on the weekly concepts and give you a picture of the concepts you need to master for the entire school year. Following your lesson plans will ensure that you don’t have any gaps in your learning throughout the year. 

The Heart of It: We can be wise with our time when homeschooling our children by incorporating learning at every turn, planning our lessons, and providing thorough lessons that help our children master the concepts. 

Psalm 90:12 (ESV) “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” 

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