Real Mom Series: 5 Tips for Homeschooling as a Working Mom
So many people believe that if they are working full-time they are unable to homeschool their children. This isn’t always true! The beauty of homeschooling is that it is flexible and can be organized to fit every family. While parents who have to work full-time outside of the house may have a much harder time figuring this out, parents who can work from home can absolutely homeschool too!
We have a good friend who is a full-time lawyer working mostly within a 9-5 workday construct, often more. She has a 1st grader and a preschooler and has homeschooled or been a stay at home mom from day one. She’s a superstar and such a great example of, “if there’s a will, there’s a way.” She didn’t let the need and desire for her to work interfere with her conviction to homeschool her children. She chose both.
We asked this superstar to come up with 5 tips to share with other working moms who want or need to homeschool:
1. Know your child’s needs
Knowing what your child needs and how they learn best helps organize your day. My son does independent work out of his workbooks in the morning. He asks questions, and I can walk over and help him and then go back to my work. My daughter likes to write and copy words and letters and numbers, so she usually wants to share with me when she is done. I have a standing desk that helps me get around more easily rather than sit and be situated, then have to get up. Standing makes everything flow more smoothly. At least for me. I can step aside and help them, then I can step back. It’s not a big transition to go back and forth.
2. Organize, organize, organize!
Plan your work around homeschool or plan to homeschool around work. It depends on your work day really. For me, I organize my calls and appointments for the afternoon when my husband comes home to tend to the kids. I set up their work station the night before, which takes the brain work out of the curriculum for the next day. This will definitely take some time and training for both parent and children as you both get to know each other’s schedule. Be consistent.
Check out our post on independent activities for your kids that allows you to go solo for a time in the morning!
3. Use screen time
I definitely give my kids a window where they can choose between a documentary, Khan Academy, or ABCmouse. They can pick one and look forward to it during the day. I use this time to get work done. Usually about 45 minutes to an hour if it’s a documentary. I do this after lunch because they are a little tired and would not mind sitting down and relaxing. This same idea applies to painting or craft time. It’s independent work, and they listen to music and zone out.
Check out our post on one of our favorite YouTube channels!
4. Understand you will have good days and bad days
Just like everyone else, working or not working, you will have good days and bad. A challenging day does not stem from you working necessarily. I have good days and bad days; I expect my kids are human too and also may have good days and bad. There’s nothing better for me than to step away from my work area and snuggle with the kids. Same with them, if they feel like they need a hug or they’re tired, they come and ask me and we take a minute to stop, hug, and just hold one another. This helps me with work, and helps my kids. We get through it together.
5. Take time for yourself to refresh for the next day.
I like to schedule their fun activities (swim, parkour, piano, basketball) after 3 pm when my husband can come home and take them. I use that time to get more work done then hit the gym or go for a run outside. The kids come back after a few hours and I come back after a few hours, feeling refreshed. It’s good for all of us really. We need a small break from one another to keep it productive overall.
Thank you superstar mom!! We love these tips even for non-working homeschool parents.
What are your best tips for balancing work and homeschooling? Comment below!
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