If you already homeshool, then you are aware of the awesome flexibility it offers. You know how great it feels to be in control of your own schedule and to do things, including life, according to your family’s needs. The benefits of homeschool over public school are numerous, and homeschooling children with disabilities such as ADHD just makes sense. If homeschooling is so flexible, why are we so pressured to stick to a traditional 9-month school calendar? Why not try a year-round homeschool?
Think about it. You must include 180 instructional days in 365 calendar days. But, when to include those days is totally up to you!
My First Homeschooling Year
Let me give you a little bit of background information. We had just finished our first year of Kindergarten and I was really looking forward to a summer break. I was a former teacher for 14 years and was spoiled with the highs of knowing I had an 8-week break of sunshine and stress-free days ahead of me. I had plans of crafting and Cricut-ing (if that’s a word) while my kids just played and enjoyed being kids. Sounded good, right?
Our summer break started around the second week of June. Although our homeschooling was officially done for the year, I still made sure the kids had a somewhat structured schedule sprinkled with learning activities (mostly fun science experiments), lots of outdoor fun, and plenty of reading! I tried to enjoy myself, too….upcycled crafts, baking, a little bit of work here and there. This went well for about 2 weeks.
However, factors beyond my control began to take over! My ADD/ADHD 6-year old needed more stimulation and structure and she longed for friends. We weren’t able to go to the zoo, parks, or even grocery store due to Covid-19. The heat indices made playing in the backyard impossible after 10 a.m. (although here’s a list of 25 indoor activities for children besides watching TV). Getting new books from the library was too difficult with Covid-19 restrictions and twin 2-year-olds who liked to touch everything. After just a couple of weeks of summer break, my outlook changed. I quickly realized my children would not be able to handle this less unstructured time for long.
Summer’s Over (or I’m over it!)
After one particularly frustrating day, I decided I had enough. The kids had most of all (4 weeks of) summer arguing with each other, complaining about being bored, and whining. I wasn’t able to anything on my summer wish list because I was busy disciplining kids, cleaning up messes, and trying to entertain bored children. We were all spinning our wheels. I decided we would get right back to homeschool mode the following Monday. So what if it was July 13th!
As soon as we started homeschool the following week (which equated to structured activities for everyone, not just my 1st grader), everyone’s attitude changed drastically! No more whining. No more complaining. We all had a purpose and the missing structure that my children so desperately needed. It was the difference of night and day!
What About My Time?
The funny thing is I was actually able to do a few things I wanted to once we started homeschool again. After the structured time of homeschool, usually in the morning, my kids were ready to play outside, play with their legos in their rooms, or take a nap. This freed up some time for a break for me.
We are now about to complete our sixth week of the homeschool year, and my household has been running so much more smoothly. I decided that my children would not really need another extended “summer” until they are old enough to handle the less unstructured time a little better. This led me to thinking about ways to adopt a year-long homeschool schedule. There’s no way I wanted to go through another summer like that again!
My husband and I decided that we would follow a homeschool schedule of 6 weeks on/2 weeks off. We actually want to avoid a summer break! This schedule works for us because we don’t use a curriculum that requires daily attendance (like K12.com). Also, this schedule will stretch the school year into June so that we don’t start every new school year earlier and earlier each year.
Benefits of Year-Long School Year
Considering a year-long school year could have many potential benefits for your homeschooler. Here are some of them:
1. Reduce the Summer Slide
Many people believe that the traditional school schedule was created so that children could help their parents work the fields during summer. This belief is a common misconception, however. In the 19th century, schools were actually closed due to lack of air-conditioning during the sweltering summer months. The impact of learning was not considered when the calendars were standardized later that century, however. Children began to experience academic loss due to the extended academic break (also known as “summer slide”). Many children today, especially those from lower-income families, still experience significant learning loss during summer breaks.
Why not alleviate the affect of the summer slide by adopting a year-round homeschool schedule? You can decide how long (or short) you want your summer break to be. In my case, we have worked our schedule so that our “summer” break is a little over 4 weeks. If I structure these 4 weeks with several learning activities and field trips, I surmise that little learning loss will occur!
2. Improve Learning for ADD/ADHD Children
One of the most beneficial learning strategies for ADD/ADHD children is to break up larger tasks into smaller pieces. So why not do the same thing for the school year? Breaking up a seemingly insurmountable task (i.e., 180 days of instruction) into smaller, more achievable chunks (30 days) seems much more manageable to a child with ADD/ADHD.
Additionally, shorter time periods are sometimes easier for children with ADD/ADHD to reach their goals. While daily behavior charts certainly didn’t work well for me, I do like to offer my children incentives to help them reach their academic (or behavior) goals. If my daughter masters a goal within a 6 week time period, then she earns a larger reward (within parameters) for her mastery. Breaking up the school year into six week increments gives us a natural time to pause and reflect on progress, but it’s not too long for her to lose her focus on the prize!
Also, breaking up a longer summer break into a shorter rest period throughout the year helps refresh your child consistently. Your ADD/ADHD child (or any child) will be more prepared to learn throughout the year with this strategy.
3. Refresh or Restart
Sometimes, we hit a rut when homeschooling and we wish we had a restart button. Homeschooling is a full-time job, on top of the full-time job of childcare and the other full-time job of household management. And, if you also work from home? Forget about it! We all get burned out. It’s ok to admit it!
By following a year-round homeschool schedule, I allow myself (oh, and my kids) a 2 week break every 6 weeks of homeschooling. This has saved my sanity. I don’t know why I thought I had to instruct all 180 days consecutively, save for the major holidays and occasional sick day. I guess I’m still not used to the freedom and flexibility of homeschooling after teaching in such a restrictive environment (aka, public schools) for so long!
If you begin to feel burned out, or if your children begin to seem less motivated, consider a year-long schedule. The name sounds counterproductive, I know. But by following a year-long schedule, you aren’t teaching more. You are simply allowing yourself more breaks throughout the year. Use some time to do things for yourself that you would normally not do during homeschooling days. Do what you do to get yourself re-energized. Maybe the unpainted bathroom is bugging you (totally not me or anything). Maybe you’ve been wanting to bake (once again, not guilty). Family vacay or stay-cay? Go for it!
By planning deliberate breaks in your school year, you will help avoid burnout for you and your children, and everyone wins!
4. Review Learning Materials
One of the most challenging aspects of homeschooling, in my opinion, is finding appropriate curriculum. I’ve used a mixture of resources from teacherspayteachers.com, Scholastic classroom magazines, major educational publishing companies, and finds at Goodwill. For the most part, I’ve been happy with what I’ve used. But every now and then, I have to adjust my course.
For example, I bought a first grade geography curriculum book from Evan-Moor publishers. We’ve been using it for a few weeks now and it’s okay, but it’s honestly a little too easy for my little girl. I’m going to use our upcoming 2 week break to re-evaluate this resource and try to find something else. Shopping for curriculum takes time, and that’s just what I’ll have!
With a year-round homeschool schedule, I have time to re-evaluate my curriculum every six weeks if I want to. I may not need to. But if I decide to make a change, I can take the time to research, buy, receive, and review it before our break is over.
5. Keep Children Engaged in Continuous Learning Activities
One of my favorite reasons for a year-round homeschool approach is that my children are continuously engaged in learning activities. A year-round school year means that my children will learn about topics that are probably not included in a traditional school year. Like why we celebrate Juneteenth, Memorial Day, or Labor Day. Or they can take swimming lessons as part of PE!
Many of you may be thinking, “I don’t want to take summer break away from my children!”. Yes, well….the heat, ADD/ADHD, and Covid-19 did that for me! Be honest with yourself here. Summer often starts off great, for the first few weeks. But by the end of it, kids are bored, watching way too much TV, and completely wasting their time and brains. So why not adopt a year-round homeschooling model and build in more frequent breaks to avoid the summer boredom of next year? It makes sense to me!
Takeaways
Year-round homeschooling is beneficial for parents and children on so many levels! If you decide to adopt this model, here are a few things to consider:
Remember to Plan
Losing track of non-instructional days may cause you to scramble to complete the academic year. Planning out a year-round homeschool year is imperative. Sit down with a calendar and decide how you want to do it. Some options might be:
- 6 weeks on/2 off
- 4-day weeks
- 3 weeks on/1 off
- Breaks based around unit studies, weather, holidays, family vacations, etc.
Yes, your schedule may change a bit, but you will have a rough idea of your beginning and end dates, and how much wiggle room you have in case you miss a day or two. Keep in mind that children still need some sort of structure and schedule so they know what to expect when it comes to their schooling.
Be aware of any deadlines and important dates
Deadlines are especially important if you report to an association or have a graduating senior. Be sure to adjust for this information when planning out your year-round homeschool year. You also want to be sure to report grades at required reporting times and consider test dates. Would your child do well on a scheduled SAT or ACT if you are on a current break from homeschool? These are all necessary factors to consider as you map out your year-round school year.
Year-round homeschool has given me a new perspective on homeschooling. I am almost giddy as we prepare to enter our first “break” in the school year in a few days! We’ve had a great first six weeks of first grade, but it’s time for a change of focus. I have a project or two planned for myself, and the weather is finally starting to cool off so my kids can enjoy outside again. I’m super excited about this year!
Any success stories with year-round homeschooling? Please comment below. I would love to hear them!
I resonate with this, the 4 weeks into summer and witnessing the meltdowns from that lack of structure from an emotionally unstable stepson and ADHD daughter. I started dabbling with small Bible lessons, and then it turned into full on summer curriculums. the thing we do different in summer is of course only 4 day weeks, and the kids pick the study. They love to pick famous artists, inventors, anatomy, and so much more that I give myself two days to cram, study, become familiar with and develop four days of focused activities.
LOVE THIS!!!
That sounds like a great idea! I’m so glad you found something that works for you. I wish I had a year-round option when I was teaching in public school, but now I don’t have to worry about it! Thanks for your comment!