When I researched how long I should be homeschooling my son, I was amazed. Even though traditional schools have students in classrooms for up to 7 hours daily, research shows that it is not necessary, and may even contribute to a decreased zest for learning.
On average, homeschooled children spend 3 hours daily completing their studies. Research has shown that the average amount of time a child should spend homeschooling daily depends on their grade level as well as what type of curriculum the child is using. For example, Charlotte Mason-style curriculums are more hands-on, requiring more time to teach and complete. Typically, these curriculums work well for younger students. Independent style curriculums are often faster to complete and usually work well for older students. Homeschooling multiple children in the same home can increase the amount of time homeschooling takes to complete. One option for homeschooling multiple children is to choose a curriculum that teaches some subjects together. Unit studies are great for combining classes for many students in different grades. The hours spent homeschooling will also depend on which homeschooling schedule you choose. Students who only homeschool 3 days a week may have longer days than students who homeschool daily. In addition, students who homeschool year-round may have shorter days than students who follow a traditional schedule having summers off school.
Next, I will break down how many hours most homeschool parents find work best for their children depending on grade level and schedule, why traditional schooling takes all day, and explain how field trips and extra classes count towards a homeschool day.
How Much Time Should My Child Spend Homeschooling Daily?
A general rule of thumb is that it takes approximately 1 hour per grade level daily to homeschool. This applies to young students.
Grade 1 – 1 hour daily
Grade 2 – 2 hours daily
You get the point.
But every kid is learns at a different pace.
The main thing to focus on is goals, not hours spent learning English. For example, let’s say your goal is to make sure your child can recognize all uppercase letters.
This can be accomplished in many ways:
- going on a walk and pointing out a STOP sign and asking your child to recite the letters
- reading a book together and pointing at specific letters
- drawing letters with a stick in a sand box
- playing a learning game such as Matching Letter Game for Kids
Make a checklist of all the goals you have for your child to learn this homeschooling year. Don’t focus on hours spent as much as goals reached.
Most homeschool moms say that homeschooling takes a lot less time than they expected. This gives children time to play, learn hobbies, and have much more freedom.
When we first started homeschooling several teachers recommended that I not keep my son sitting in a chair more than 20 minutes at a time, but in 10 minute increments throughout the day.
What great advice! I immediately saw a difference in how my son learned.
Keep in mind that in traditional schools, teachers must move along with their curriculum, even if a student is struggling to understand the concept.
That is the beauty of homeschooling. We have the flexibility to decide if our child needs more time on a given subject, or is ready to move along.
Don’t focus on the hours. Focus on the goals.
Hours Spent Homeschooling Daily Depends on Grade Level, Curriculum, and Schedule
On average, homeschooled Pre-K and Kindergarten children should spend 30-45 minutes, 3 days per week. Most young students will focus on reading, writing, and math.
Most homeschooled elementary-age students will spend on average 1-2 hours, 3-5 days per week. The increase in time is due to adding history and science to the curriculum.
By middle school, the amount of time needed to complete schoolwork will increase to roughly 2-3 hours, 4-5 days per week. This is because the child is completely more difficult material.
High school homeschooled kids typically spend 3-4 hours daily, 4-5 days each week. This is due to much more difficult material and the need to study. In addition, many homeschooled kids in high school will sign up for college courses to complete while still in high school.
Is your child going to homeschool year-round or more traditionally, having summers off? This may impact how much time your child spends doing homeschooling daily.
| Pre-K and Kindergarten | Elementary | Middle School | High School |
| 30-45 minutes daily 3 days/week | 1-2 hours daily 3-5 days/week | 2-3 hours daily 4-5 days/week | 3-4 hours daily 4-5 days/week |
Some curriculums may have the child working hands-on, such as unit studies, unschooling, and Charlotte Mason styles. This will increase the amount of time preparing for homeschool as well as teaching and learning the material itself.
At the same time, unit studies can save a parent time if there are multiple children in the household. If everyone is learning about icebergs, it will be much faster than helping teach about 3 different science topics.
Some curriculums, such as independent studies can significantly reduce the amount of time the parents spend teaching 1-on-1 with the child. This typically works best for older students who have learned study skills.
Flexibility is my favorite part of homeschooling. Some weeks, we may homeschool 3 days, 2 hours daily and the following week we may homeschool all 5 days, for 1 hour. It all depends on how we feel, what material we are covering, and if the topic specifically interests my son.
Why does traditional schooling take 7 hours each day?
Traditional schooling takes much longer than homeschooling.
What is the reason for this?
The average student-to-teacher ratio is 16 students to 1 teacher. That seemed low to me, so I asked my nephew how many students were in his class. 28!
If you were homeschooling 28 children, it would probably take 7 hours every day too. But you’re not.
Here is a list of things that take time at traditional school that aren’t part of homeschool life:
- raising hand to wait to be called on
- waiting in line for lunch
- study hall
- switching classes
- waiting while 20 wiggly kindergarteners line up
- pep rallies
- fire drills
There are many more, but you get the point. Material can be covered faster at home with fewer children and less interruptions from learning.
Field Trips and Extra Classes Count Towards Homeschool Hours!
Field trips are the best part of homeschooling! They absolutely count towards your hours of homeschool.
Studies have shown that kids retain information best when it is seen with their own eyes. I still remember going on field trips as a child and learning how to make soap. It is much fresher in my mind because I experienced it instead of reading it from a textbook.
In the picture above, we are mining for gems. My son got to sift through dirt, find gems, identify, and learn all about different types of gems. This is the best way to learn for a 5-year-old boy. Dirty and hands-on.
Sending children to piano lessons, dance class, art lessons all count as homeschool hours. Do not feel that you have to do x amount of worksheets daily to meet your homeschool hours.
I hope that by reading this, you are able to build a daily homeschool schedule that works best for your family.
