Understanding The Balance

This time of year I often find many new Home Educators beginning to worry about how much time their children should be spending on academic activities. Some are panicking that their children are flying through the work and some are worried it is taking over the whole day. When we first began I also wondered about these things. Now we Unschool but the “How Long?” question still comes up, even though we no longer separate learning as being something we have to get done and out of the way.

One of the key advantages of homeschooling is the opportunity for parents to take an active role in their child’s education. However, this privilege comes with the responsibility of finding balances. Educating your children at home is an extension of parenting, and the time spent together should be both enriching and special.

1. Home Education as an Extension of Parenting:

The decision to homeschool is, in many ways, an extension of the parenting journey. When a child goes to a traditional school, they spend a significant portion of their day away from their parents. Staying home instead offers an alternative path where parents are intimately involved in their child’s day-to-day learning experiences.

2. Quality Time at the Heart of Home Education:

One of the beautiful aspects of homeschooling is the opportunity for quality time. When a child returns home from school, parents often make a concerted effort to spend time with their children in the evenings and on weekends. What home educating allows, is for the integration of quality time throughout the day. Learning and family life become intertwined.

3. Finding the Right Balance:

The question then arises: How many hours a day should home education take? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The reason for this is that no two families or children are alike. If you’re like me and Unschooling your children then the answer is ALL DAY! All the time that you are thinking about, doing for or spending with them. Most people are surprised to hear that. If you choose to do more of a school at home style then the ideal balance between academic time and quality family time will vary from family to family. Some families may find that shorter, more focused academic sessions work best, while others prefer longer, more flexible learning periods. Some start early. Some not until the afternoon.

4. Twice the Time, Twice the Enrichment:

One of the key advantages of homeschooling is that it allows for a more personalized and efficient learning experience. This often means that “learning” or “project time” can be completed in a fraction of the time it takes in a traditional school setting. As a result, your children will indeed spend more time with you.

However, it’s not just about the quantity of time spent together; it’s also about the quality. You can tailor the curriculum to a child’s interests and learning style, leading to more enriching and meaningful learning experiences. Trips out or craft days at home with baking and movies. There’s no school run to rush for. Whatever you do, the time spent together is doubly special.

In the world of homeschooling, there is no rigid formula for how many hours a day home education should take. If you covered an hour of English and an hour of maths three or four days a week would would already be exceeding the amount of time a schooled child actually spends on these subjects in a week. You can read more about this and find a breakdown of what makes a school day on my podcast post here and in even more detail in my book.

Typically a home educated child will be receiving intense, one to one lessons in a block. It is not always practical to spread bookwork out over the course of a day as home life will prevent it. Many homeschoolers for example will work for a few hours each morning and then continue their learning through living for the rest of the day. Indeed Unschoolers will only hit the books if their child requests to do so, yet their life is so rich with endless opportunities to follow their passions as their parents present ideas whenever possible. It is realistic to expect that study is done in a few hours but hands on learning will continue, often well past bedtime!

The key is to strike a balance that works for your family. If you can get away from feeling everything has to be academic, you will start to relax. You will be delighted to find that your child is learning all the time. In everything they do. Try doing nothing for a day and you’ll see. Ultimately, it’s about creating a unique educational journey that is as special and rewarding as the parent-child relationship itself.

© 2023 Juliette Proffitt