Are you struggling to get everything done in your homeschool day? In this episode of The Homeschool with Moxie Podcast, homeschool mom and podcaster Leigh Nguyen shares essential homeschool planning tips to help you organize your day for maximum productivity. Join us to learn how to create a homeschool routine that works for your family and get practical advice on making your homeschool day more efficient and enjoyable!
Homeschool Day Planning: How to Set Up Your Day to Get Everything Done
Listen to this episode with Leigh Nguyen of Little by Little Homeschool.
Leigh is a homeschool mom of three, which includes two graduates. She is the founder of Little by Little Homeschool, which seeks to encourage families to create and embrace the homeschool lifestyle that is best for them. Her thirteen year home education journey has been very diverse and she uses this to uniquely inspire homeschool moms to begin and stay the course.
You can connect with Leigh of Little by Little Homeschool in these places:
The Number One Focus for Planning Your Homeschool Day
When it comes to planning a successful homeschool day, the focus should be on setting realistic goals and prioritizing what truly matters. It’s easy to get caught up in the desire for perfection, but Leigh encourages homeschool moms to center their planning around what can be accomplished without overloading themselves or their kids. Whether it’s reading, math, or a family activity, determining what is most important helps guide the day without overwhelming everyone.
So the key here is setting your expectations correctly. This is hard for us as homeschool moms, isn’t it? Listen in as Leigh unpacks this point.
Balancing Homeschool Lessons, Housework, and Personal Tasks
Homeschooling isn’t just about lessons—it’s about managing the entire household and all that comes with it. Leigh shares her approach to juggling homeschool tasks, housework, and personal to-do lists.
One key strategy is to break down the day into focused chunks. For instance, using time blocks for specific activities (like a 2-hour homeschool lesson block) and assigning housework tasks to either early morning or afternoons can help keep everything on track. Communicating clearly with everyone helps reduce stress and ensures that things get done on time.
The Two Crucial Times of the Day: Maximizing Productivity
We’ve all experienced those times of the day when everything seems to fall apart. According to Leigh, there are two key times that can make or break your homeschool day.
First, setting yourself up for success the night before is the most important thing you can do for the next day’s productivity and peace. Listen in to this episode as Leigh explains what she likes to do the night before to make sure her house and her homeschool has a good reset each day.
Next, you’ll want to make sure you capitalize on the morning time with your kids to get a lot done with multiple ages efficiently and effectively.
Avoiding Overwhelm from the Never-Ending List
Homeschool moms often carry a heavy mental load, with lists of things to do never seeming to end. So how can we avoid burnout?
Remember that you don’t have to do everything! Be smart when planning your away-from-the-house activities and create a weekly flow that works with you and your kids and your family priorities.
Then, choose ways to simplify your homeschooling. For example, you may be overwhelmed because of the sheer number of homeschool resources and curriculum sitting on your shelves. You may feel like you have to get to each and every one – but you really don’t! Go ahead and set them aside for a season while you simplify.
Handling Disruptions: How to Stay Flexible
Life rarely goes according to plan, especially with kids at home! When disruptions happen—whether it’s a sick child, a family emergency, or just a bad day—it’s important to remain flexible.
Leigh brings a great reminder that a lot of your homeschool peace comes down to mindset and expectations. Getting clear on those things will help you still remain productive without feeling discouraged during times of interruption.
Remember, homeschooling doesn’t have to follow a strict routine because we know that learning happens all the time through life’s ups and downs, even if you don’t get to your formal homeschool lessons on a given day.
Simple Action Steps for Homeschool Parents
At the end of the day, it’s all about taking action. Leigh’s advice for homeschool parents looking to implement some of these tips today? Start small. Pick one strategy to focus on— and her tip is to start with focusing on your morning and evening routines. Spend the time needed the night before with prepping your home and homeschool for success. And then create a workable morning routine for your family to start the day off right.
This simple action will give you the confidence and momentum to continue improving your homeschool day.
