Homeschool Schedule: Year Round or School Year?

Aug 17, 2011
Sara McGrath

School Break - S.McGrath

Is there a benefit to aligning your homeschooling schedule with local schools or should you homeschool all year long?

I've seen this question posed in homeschooling forums many times over the years. The majority of homeschooling families appear to homeschool year-round, taking breaks as needed.

Homeschooling Year-Round and Grade Levels

The obvious benefit of homeschooling year-round is flexibility. You can

take your time to leisurely explore topics of interest beyond a nine-month curriculum;
slow down to accommodate younger siblings;
schedule around family vacations, or emergencies; and
take time off when you or your children need a sabbatical break from focused study.

In my family, we've always homeschooled year-round in a relaxed natural-learning style. However, we used to set grade levels according to where the kids would be placed, by age, if they were in school. After a while of following our own schedule, we saw that this didn't make sense.

School kids in the same grade level range in age. Sometimes 6 months of development can be a detriment or boon depending. For example, my eldest daughter would have just squeezed into the same school year as her nine-months-older cousin. This might have put her at a slight disadvantage to the older kids.

Our flexible homeschooling schedule allows me to set my children's grade levels according to their birthdays. On their 5th birthdays, I call them kindergartners. This doesn't mean, however, that we work in that grade level. My kids have the freedom to work ahead or save topics for later as it makes sense to do so.

Following the School Year

Is there a benefit to aligning with the local schools? It makes sense to follow the school year if

your child wants to be on the same schedule as his or he school peers;
you're in a co-op that follows the school year; or
you follow a curriculum designed to follow the seasons, holidays, historical events, etc., along the course of a traditional school year.

Some families focus harder during the school year and catch up or homeschool in a more relaxed way during summers. I've heard many homeschoolers say that their "time off" days end up filled with crafts and fun interesting activities regardless.

Whether you choose to follow the school year or homeschool all year long, you have the freedom to change and adapt your schedule as needed. You can place your children at the grade level appropriate to them.

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