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Thinking of Homeschooling? Simple Steps to Creating a Schedule

Written By: The Good and the Beautiful Published On: July 22, 2026

Are you thinking of homeschooling, but not sure where to start? In this helpful blog post, Jenny Phillips, founder of The Good and the Beautiful, shares six simple steps to create a schedule and homeschooling plan that will work for your family. Learn about ideas for structuring your days, keeping a flexible schedule, selecting subjects, and more!

Thinking of homeschooling?

Do you find yourself asking these questions?

Is homeschool beneficial to children?
Should I start homeschooling my family?
How do I start homeschooling?
How do I create an effective homeschool schedule?
How should I plan my homeschooling day?

Here are just a few benefits of homeschooling:

More time for what matters most
Better control over what children are exposed to
Faith incorporated into curriculum
Less busywork for children
Stronger family bonds
More flexibility in schedule
Positive socialization and avoidance of bullying

Read on to find answers to more of your questions!

How to Start Homeschooling
I want to show you how easy it is to get started homeschooling! With a few simple steps, you can create a schedule and plan a fantastic homeschool year.

First, I want to emphasize that while I strongly believe in intentional planning and intentional teaching, the best homeschools are also simple and flexible. Huge amounts of planning are definitely not needed. Feel confident in knowing that while there are many nice things to add into your homeschool, the only things you really need for a successful homeschool, in my opinion, are these things: a simple plan and schedule that is smart and realistic enough to follow but also allows for flexibility; curriculum that is academically sound and brings good and beautiful things into your homeschool; and a plethora of good books that are uplifting, clean, and powerful. That’s it! Once you get into the swing of homeschooling, you can add in things that work for your family.

Step One: Decide Your Yearly Schedule

All right. Let’s dive into schedules and plans. Step number one is to decide if you’re going to homeschool year-round, follow a traditional school-year schedule, or do a hybrid. Check out this blog post for a deeper dive into the pros and cons of each of these approaches.

Step Two: Decide How Many Days a Week to Homeschool

Step number two is to decide how many days a week you are going to homeschool. In surveys we did with homeschooling mothers, 65% homeschooled four days a week, and 35% homeschooled five days a week. A four-day-a-week schedule allows for flexibility for a co-op, activity, or break during the week. Learning is often still happening on that fifth day, but may not be traditional schoolwork.

Homeschooling five days per week for some means that they don’t have to homeschool as many hours each day. For others, it means they can fit in more. Some people with younger families like doing just math, language arts, handwriting, and reading four days a week and history, science, and electives one day a week.

Step Three: Plan a Start Time

Let’s talk about having a consistent daily start time and then not having a consistent start time. Some families find, at certain points in their homeschooling journey, that a specific and consistent start time is most effective. This helps families get into a steady routine, which is needed when a mother has to work part of the day or if a family is finding they just don’t have time to fit everything in. Having a specific start time that children can count on may help them complain less about getting started. It can also help avoid anxiety.

However, for some people, a specific start time actually creates anxiety. How do you feel about having a specific start time? Does it give you a sense of steadiness that helps you and your family? Or does it stress you out? Do you need the consistency to keep you on track? Do your children respond better to having a certain schedule and knowing when they are expected to start?

Not Having a Start Time

All right, now let’s talk about not having a specific start time. Some families find that it works best for them to not worry about starting school until they are ready. They do chores, eat breakfast, and get ready at their own pace, and some even get the house all cleaned and organized and then they start.

But this is the thing: That is a plan. Your plan is to start when X, Y, and Z have happened, and you are creating a rhythm or flow to your day rather than a set schedule. Because homeschool can happen in a shorter time than public school, some families find that there is plenty of time to get the day going without stressing about a certain time to start.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to evaluate if it is right for you to not have a specific start time: Do I struggle to keep a peaceful atmosphere or do I feel rushed or behind? Are my children still focused and well-behaved with a less predictable schedule and willing to begin work whenever we are ready? Do I feel most comfortable with just doing the next thing rather than following a more strict schedule? Are we able to accomplish most of what we would like to do in a day even if we don’t begin at a certain time?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to explore a more relaxed schedule based on tasks to complete rather than a specific time to begin and end each activity.

A Start Time Survey

We did a survey and found that 36% of homeschooling moms we surveyed had a specific and consistent start time, while 64% did not. We also found that the most frequent start time was between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Other families reported a 9:30 to 10:00 start time was preferred, and just a few reported starting times before 9:00 a.m. or after 10:00 a.m.

Regardless of your adherence to a start time, you will also need to decide how to start your homeschool day. You can include any of the following: a prayer, a hymn, a quick planning session to go over the day, work on memorizing a hymn, or reading aloud to your children, whether that is a Bible story or part of a read-aloud book. Sometimes schedules don’t allow for meeting all together to start your homeschool day, and that’s totally fine.

Step Four: Choose Which Subjects to Teach

Step number four: Choose what subjects to teach in your homeschool. Understand what your state requirements are, which subjects you have to cover, and how much time is required, if there are any requirements. State requirements vary greatly, but information can easily be found online. Outside of state requirements, enjoy the freedom to decide which subjects to cover or not cover.

Keep in mind that language arts and math are crucial to a child’s developing brain. If a child can gain a strong foundation in language arts, reading, and math at a young age, things such as science and history can be gained quickly by older children. However, learning can be more difficult for children as they get older if they didn’t make the language arts and math connections they needed at a young age.

Consider that you don’t want to pack too much into your day. If you are feeling overwhelmed, consider making math and language arts the most consistent subjects, and always make sure your children read, read, read good literature. Moving science or history to just one or two days a week may be something that benefits your family.

At The Good and the Beautiful, we have a helpful age-level guide that will help show you the subjects we suggest for each grade level. This simple overview can serve as a wonderful starting point and is linked in the description below.

Step Five: Plan When to Do Each Subject

Your plan may mean that you are not completing subjects in a consistent order. For example, here is one way to plan the subjects you need to do each day: having a chart that shows which subjects you need to get done each day. This will help you organize your days in a very simple way. One easy way to make your chart is to have a master list of every subject in a dry-erase pouch, and then each day you can cross them off with a dry-erase marker as you do them.

Your subjects may be different on different days. For example, you may do language arts and math each day, but only do history and science on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

You may choose to have a different sheet for each day or one master list that you use and mark off the subjects you won’t be completing that day. Either you or your children decide each day what order you will go in. This might be nice if your children thrive on change.

Alternatively, you could just follow the list in the same order each day. It often works better to do challenging subjects first, but sometimes it does not. Experiment to see what works best for you and your children.

An important principle I want to remind you of is to be flexible in your plan. This can be applied to all of the previously mentioned steps to planning your day. Your plan should always allow for flexibility. Being flexible allows you to keep a peaceful yet forward-moving plan in each school day, even among all the interruptions and distractions of life and schooling.

Step Six: Choose Your Open-and-Go Curriculum

Use a curriculum that is open-and-go or one that requires very little prep and planning time. We truly feel that this is a critical homeschool organizational principle. This is one of the main reasons that The Good and the Beautiful was created.

We feel strongly that if you are trying to teach your children: take care of your home, your self, and a myriad of other life commitments: and spend time preparing lessons, you will eventually burn out or neglect some areas of your life. The precious time you have after finishing teaching each day should be spent with your children, as well as keeping your home and your own health and important relationships in order.

Simple Steps to Create a Homeschooling Schedule

Decide your yearly schedule
Decide how many days a week to homeschool
Plan a start time . . . or not
Choose which subjects to teach
Plan when to do each subject
Choose your open-and-go curriculum

A school-aged girl and her mother laughing while they bake together | The Good and the Beautiful

Conclusion

Teaching children to be as self-directed as possible as is age-appropriate really helps as well. Having a child with special needs may require some extra prep work, but overall, finding a homeschool curriculum that is academically sound and open-and-go will help you and your children feel excited to dive into learning each new day. We have so many more ideas and tips and support for you on this blog for your homeschool journey. I hope you’ll join me for another post soon!

What do I need for a successful homeschool?
- A simple plan and schedule that is smart and realistic enough to follow but also allows for flexibility
- Curriculum that is academically sound and brings good and beautiful things into your homeschool
- A plethora of good books that are uplifting, clean, and powerful.
You can homeschool! It's easy to get started with award-winning curriculum you can download for free. Find answers to your biggest questions, discover how to teach multiple children, or get time-tested planning tips from seasoned homeschool educators in this helpful post.

If you’d like to try our academically robust and wonderfully wholesome open-and-go homeschool curriculum, check out The Good and the Beautiful.

Frequently Asked Questions About Starting Homeschool

How can I start homeschooling my children?

To start homeschooling, the first step is to decide on your yearly schedule. Then decide how many days a week you will homeschool. Once those decisions are made, you can decide on a start time (if you wish), choose which subjects to teach and when to teach them, and then decide which open-and-go curriculum you will use.

How many days a week should I homeschool?

This depends entirely on your family’s needs and schedule! In surveys we did with homeschooling mothers, 65% homeschooled four days a week, and 35% homeschooled five days a week. A four-day-a-week schedule allows for flexibility for a co-op, activity, or break during the week. Learning is often still happening on that fifth day, but may not be traditional schoolwork.
For some families, homeschooling five days per week for some means that they don’t have to homeschool as many hours each day. For others, it means they can fit in more. Allow God to help you decide what is best for your family.

What time should my homeschooling family start our lessons each day?

This depends on your family and your needs! Some families find that a specific and consistent start time is most effective. This helps families get into a steady routine, which is needed when a mother has to work part of the day or if a family is finding they just don’t have time to fit everything in.
However, for some people, a specific start time actually creates anxiety. Some families find that it works best for them to not worry about starting school until they are ready. They do chores, eat breakfast, and get ready at their own pace, and some even get the house all cleaned and organized and then they start.
Involve God in the process of deciding what time or start routine works best for you.

Which subjects should I be teaching my homeschooled children?

Understand what your state requirements are, which subjects you have to cover, and how much time is required, if there are any requirements. Keep in mind that language arts and math are crucial to a child’s developing brain. If you are feeling overwhelmed, consider making math and language arts the most consistent subjects, and always make sure your children read, read, read good literature. Moving science or history to just one or two days a week may be something that benefits your family.

Which homeschool curriculum should I use?

We recommend using The Good and the Beautiful; it is academically robust and filled with wholesome and uplifting messages. We truly feel that using an open-and-go curriculum is critical to homeschool organization.
If you are trying to teach your children: take care of your home, yourself, and a myriad of other life commitments: and spend time preparing lessons, you will eventually burn out or neglect some areas of your life. The precious time you have after finishing teaching each day should be spent with your children, as well as keeping your home and your own health and important relationships in order.