When it comes to homeschooling, it really is wonderful if you can give your full attention to it full-time but not every family can do this. We are one of those. Now, I don’t work full time but I have a 20 hour a week job (thankfully the majority is from home) and I have this vlog/blog that I work on. There are times I wish for more hours to dedicate to homeschooling my girls, but we have learned to make it work for our family and they are not lacking. Some families have found ways to make working full-time and homeschooling work. Bravo! 

So, how can you be a working parent and a homeschool parent at the same time? It takes a bit extra in making sure the cogs are all running smoothly. I personally think it is easier to do if you are working from home. But I have seen full-time working parents, who work outside the home, have a nanny-slash-tutor who stays with the children and oversees their homeschooling. What a great option to have. 

Yes, it takes time to homeschool. But there are time-saving options like virtual classes, drop-off co-ops, and tutors. Perhaps you could do a hybrid option. 

HOW TO MAKE HOMESCHOOLING WORK AS A WORKING PARENT 

HAVE A PLAN

When it comes to working and homeschooling a schedule or a plan is a good idea. It doesn’t have to be the same every day, but to have a schedule you can work with will save some of the hassles. If you are working full time then a schedule is definitely a sanity saver. Know when you need to be focused on work tasks and when your children need to have down time. Stay on top of out of the house activities like sport and dance. 

BE FLEXIBLE

This is not the opposite to having a plan, but flexibility refers to the school year. When you are homeschooling and working you don’t have to follow the school year calendar. You can schedule around your work schedule. School does not have to be Monday through Friday. Make the most of your weekends. 

CHOOSE YOUR CURRICULUM WISELY

If you are working full time then it can be extremely helpful to have an all-in-one curriculum so you are not needing to find supplemental material or curriculum to meet all the needs. You can buy a book based box curriculum or maybe an online curriculum will suit your needs best. There are online public schools or other onlines schools like Alpha Omega Academy. These will provide the academic support that you might not have the time to provide. 

Also make the most of educational apps and online programs that can provide additional or supplemental learning opportunities. 

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN INDEPENDENCE 

In life and in play it is important that our children don’t need us to do everything for them. Even young children can play on their own. Set an area where they might be in eyesight that they can play or learn in. Use a video monitor if that provides peace of mind for you or them. It is a matter of starting small and building up. You can’t go from nothing to hours without practice. 

For me, teaching my girls to be able to play by themselves while I was doing a task started well before we began homeschooling. I taught them to play while I was exercising and then later to entertain themselves while I was in a meeting. Now they can play or do learning tasks without full-on direct supervision. I love that we are at an age where they can get their own breakfasts and snacks (though we are still working on the clean up after said getting). They will play for hours by themselves now (whether outside, in their room or in the bath) and know that I will check up on them sporadically. They are also welcome to come to me if they need something. But their independence is growing and that is a beautiful thing.

SAY NO WHEN YOU NEED TO

You can’t do it all. Saying “no” can be extremely challenging, but it is ok to have a To Do List and say no to several things. It is perfectly acceptable to say “no” to additional social engagements or activities. You can’t burn yourself out. And it is definitely good to say “no” to your children as they need to hear it too (especially if they are pushing all your triggers). 

Say no to the housework or the dishes if it feels too much.  Those dishes could wait another day. The laundry might pile up, but it is ok. (Hey, what a great way to teach responsibility to your children!)

UTILIZE SERVICES

Cleaning services, click-list and grocery delivery, prepped meal delivery – these are all viable options to use if you are working and homeschooling. One of the hardest things is to do everything. If you had the option to be able to get someone to come in and clean every other week (or even weekly) would that be of benefit? If you can’t find the time to get the grocery shopping done, then why not order it online and have it delivered. There are so many great options for working parents. It doesn’t make us less then. It just means that we are using our time and energy in a different way, and that could mean the difference between thriving and crashing-and-burning. 

CONNECT WITH OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS

When you find like minded people you can relate to, the encouragement is great. Hearing their stories and what has and hasn’t worked for them can help you. Or why not switch out child care and/or schooling? I have a couple of friends that we switch out babysitting and it is such a blessing. My girls get play dates, I find it easier to have 4 or 5 rather than 2 for a few hours, and I know that my time will come when I can work uninterrupted.

This is where co-ops can be good. There are some drop off co-ops that means you can get work done while they are learning. There are hybrid options of 1-3 days a week which can balance the amount of time you spend homeschooling. These connections are great for our children and for us. I plan in our co-op time and my supervisor knows I am unavailable during these hours. I get to connect with others and so do my girls. 

Is it easy to homeschool and work? No, not really. But is it worth it? Absolutely. I still get to spend more time with my girls than if they were at school during the day and then coming home to do homework. I can plan play dates and social activities, or I can take time to play a board game with them in the middle of the day. Working full-time would be too much for me, but I applaud those who do work full-time and still homeschool their children. Their planning skills are bar none! 

Here is the post on homeschool co-ops.