An easy to follow weekly homeschool schedule for elementary kids. Includes a free planning printable to customize for your family!
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When I first started homeschool planning for my second graders, I knew the first thing to do was cover the basics: math and language arts. These were the subjects I wanted to include every day, but as I dove into curriculum research I knew there was so much more we could do. But how would I fit it all in without over scheduling ourselves?
As you probably know, I'm not a fan of time based schedules for kids. I prefer to look at our days and weeks in terms of routines, giving my kids a frame of reference for what we want to accomplish each day. I took this same idea to planning our homeschool schedule and after a bit of trial and error I've come up with an easy schedule that works for us. And I have it here with a free printable for your family too!
PS - want to see how I plan our entire year? Click here to check out my homeschool planner!
Our Weekly Homeschool Schedule
This weekly plan was designed for my second grade twins, but it is easily adaptable for all the elementary grades. It helps to create a routine for your homeschool week to cover all the basics of science, social studies, culture, history and arts, in a way that allows creativity and flexibility. Here's how it works.
Each day, we start with math and language arts. These are our core subjects, and it is important that we cover them each day. We normally start our morning with math, then move on to reading and phonics or writing work. Then we take a break and start our weekly routine.
Our Weekly Homeschool Schedule
Once we've finished math and language arts, had a good break and a snack, it's time to start our weekly schedule rotation. I designed this to be super flexible, to let us explore topics as my kids' become more interested in them, and to allow for more in depth unit studies as well.
Map It Monday
This is the day that we focus on geography and culture. For us, this is usually an extension of our Language Arts curriculum (we use Blossom and Root), which has a geography component built into each weekly lesson plan.
You can also choose to do activities through a geography based subscription box (we love Atlas Crate, and you can take 30% off with the code LEARN30 here), explore different cultures through literature, or do a travel based program.
Tinker Tuesday
This is our first day of science! We rotate between science units from Be Naturally Curious and Your Natural Learner. This is usually my boys' favorite day of the week as we do hands on activities like building our own robots, turning stuffed animals into sharks, and experimenting with potions.
Wonder Wednesday
Today is day two of science, and can also be used for a nature study day. This is a chance to expand on what we learned the day before, explore new science concepts, or take time to experience the nature and science around us.
Time Travel Thursday
This is the day that we focus on history. Since my boys are still in early elementary, we use our history day less as a timeline of events and more as an exploration of culture and changes through time.
We even use our time travel day to dive into the history of rock music with We Rock! Music Lab (I can't recommend it enough!).
Free Form Friday
Friday is our fun day! We start the day with art from Creativity Express, and let the creativity continue with music, videos, and games. It's also a great field trip day (COVID restrictions permitting).
Get the Printable Homeschool Schedule
My kids love to have a visual guide to keep track of where we are in our routine, so I created this colorful weekly routine chart for our homeschool room. And I have it as a free printable for your family too!
This 2 page PDF gives you the basic routine, along with a blank schedule page that you can customize with the activities you have planned each week. It's a fun way to stay on track and let your kids know what to expect each day. Simply enter your information below to get the printables delivered straight to your email.
Homeschool Planning Made Easy
Ready to dive into planning your homeschool year? Grab my printable Homeschool Planner to have everything you need in one place!