When we first began homeschooling, I made the rookie mistake of emulating public school. I would spend five days a week, juggling my multiple roles:
- homeschool mom
- housekeeper
- bookkeeper
- chauffeur
- pastor’s wife
By Friday, I was absolutely frazzled.
Rather than looking forward to the upcoming weekend, my kids had learned to dread Fridays as a day that would be too full, too rushed, and too disconnected. When I began to refer to my frazzled Friday personna as “Friday Mom,” I knew it was time for a change.
The Four-Day Solution
The answer was to switch to a four-day homeschool week.
1. A Four-Day Schedule Makes Time for Homeschool Co-ops
Despite the benefits of homeschool co-ops, having a full day of co-op squeezed onto a full day of schoolwork is overwhelming for both parent and child. Thankfully, Sonlight’s four-day option provides a complete curriculum that makes room for a full day of homeschool co-op each week.
2. A Four-Day Schedule Allows for Rest
Sports, music lessons, and extra-curricular activities are a blessing but also keep a homeschool family incredibly busy. One of the great travesties of our modern society is the lack of down time to recharge one’s emotional batteries. I found that a four-day schedule gives me and my children the margin we desperately need in our frantic, go-go lifestyle.
3. A Four-Day Schedule Allows for Life Skills
On Fridays, my oldest son often shadows his dad at work, gaining valuable interpersonal and practical skills. On these same days, my younger kids get an ample dose of life skills, working as a team to
- clean the house
- wash, dry, and fold the mountain of laundry
- plan menus and do food prep
- complete other household chores
“Many hands make light work,” is a saying that you will often hear around my house on Fridays.
4. A Four-Day Schedule Gives Mom a Day Off
Okay, okay…we all know you won’t get a complete day off even with a four-day homeschool schedule! But you will get a day off from being the teacher. Your fifth day is an opportunity to reconnect with your kids as mom, without the added pressure of schoolwork.
5. A Four-Day Schedule Provides a Catch Up Day
Do you have a slow, plodding worker in your homeschool? I do, and it’s frustrating for both of us when the work doesn’t get finished in the allotted time period. A four-day schedule lets us roll unfinished work onto that fifth bonus day so we are able to stay on schedule instead of feeling behind.
6. A Four-Day Schedule Allows for Field Trips
If you are passionate about your children exploring the world around them, a four-day homeschool schedule may suit you perfectly. Whether it’s Story Time at your local library or a visit to the zoo, you’ll have time for an outing every week!
Whatever day is your bonus day, you are sure to find a myriad of benefits for your mental health, time management, and family bonding. As for me, Sonlight’s four-day homeschool schedule gives me relief from “Friday Mom” and transforms our fifth day into “Fun Friday” again!
Is a 4-Day Schedule Right for Your Family?
If you wonder how to fit in the extras—whether extracurriculars, hands-on projects, or outside activities—a 4-day homeschool schedule could be a great choice for you.
With Sonlight’s specially designed 4-Day curriculum, you can be assured that all your academic subjects are scheduled, leaving you freedom and flexibility one day a week.
About the Author
Deana Wood is a homeschooling mother of four precious children, ages 10, 9, 6, and 4. She has been married to Tim, a plumber and Children’s Pastor, for 13 years. She blogs about homeschooling, adoption, and family life at Redeeming the Days Blog.
Christa Stites
I absolutely love reading your stuff. But yes switching to a four day schoolwork schedule was the best thing I absolutely did for my babies! They look forward to their free day each week for field trips, physical activities, walks in the woods, picnics, and just family days. It just made it a better flowing family school.