{Day 21} Designing Charts and Schedules For Every Need

{For an overview of the 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE}

Lots of homeschool families enjoy using schedules and charts. Somehow, just putting something in writing and hanging it on a wall, makes for a smoother, more productive day.

Schedules can be used to plan everything from breakfast to bedtime, and everything in between. Scheduling for homeschoolers is a great way to make sure that everything that needs to be accomplished is given priority, then hung in plain sight for all to follow all day long.

Different kinds of schedules work for different homeschool families. Some families create a very loose schedule of activities for each day that resembles more of a list. Others like a very detailed, block format schedule, assigning specific times to activities from morning until night. Schedules can represent one day, one week, a month, or even longer. The work of developing a schedule pays off when families notice that more is accomplished and nothing important is forgotten.

Charts are handy for specific, unchanging tasks. Charts are useful for listing things, such as chores, supplies, procedures, and ingredients. Charts are also immensely helpful for explaining things, like how-to do something, such as clean a bedroom, scrub a bathtub, solve a linear equation, reach a parent at work, or anything at all. Many parents also use charts in places where children are likely to need reminders, like a bathroom sink, shoe drop-off area, or a refrigerator.

As a life-long charter and scheduler, I believe these simple tools are the key to an orderly household, a focused family, more peaceful relationships, and many more hours in the day. My theory has always been, “If it isn’t on the schedule (or the chart), it probably won’t get done!” and I know this to be true.

In this age of smart devices, some may feel the temptation to record lists and appointments on a wireless device. This is fine; however, I assert that charts and schedules yield the best results when the entire family is involved. Therefore, no matter which method is used to schedule and chart activities, keep in mind that every chart and schedule must be plainly visible to every member of the family (even non-readers), any time they are needed.

Although no family is perfect, using charts and schedules can revolutionize many aspects of family and homeschool life. Follow the links at the end of this post to learn more about several different systems that may work for you. Also, pick up a copy of THIS BOOK to receive an entire chapter full of charts and schedules for homeschool households.

Further Reading:

Scheduling non-readers

Block scheduling tutorial

Chore chart with weekly rotations

15 minute organization saves time and sanity later