Get sample schedules to homeschool and keep tweens entertained while on quarantine and/or social distancing.

Holy quarantine! That was a long first week of being stuck inside as a family. Trying to keep kids entertained and get work done is A STRUGGLE. Not to mention having to shove down a growing sense of anxiety.

Our school district threw a bunch of links at us but gave little direction on what the kids should actually do/accomplish and it was up to me to create a homeschool schedule.

Are you in charge of creating your own homeschool-staycation-entertain-the-kids schedule too?

Does it feel incredibly overwhelming on top of everything else? Same.

But my superpower is planning and so last week I got to work writing a list of activities to do with tweens and piecing schedules together, striving for a good mix of education and fun.

Obviously, I don’t usually write about parenting or education or family life. But right now, travel is out and COVID is in. And, I thought someone might find my daily homeschool schedules helpful.

Sample Homeschool Schedules for Tweens

I usually flesh out a schedule the night before and email it to the kids. That way, they can see it the next morning on their computer and know what to expect that day.

Use these sample schedules for your own kids or as a skeleton to fill in with different resources as you see fit. Either way, kids appreciate having some structure and direction and it helps break up the day (rather than staring down hours of I’m-bored and What-are-we-going-to-do’s).

But give yourself and your kids A TON OF GRACE. These are crazy-weird times. Expect meltdowns, fights and difficulty focusing.

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We did great following the schedules most days, but sometimes we didn’t get to everything and I just bumped it over to the next day. On Friday, we were all fried and blew the entire afternoon just screwing around and trying not to fight with each other. And that’s okay too.

As Rosemarie Groner of The Busy Budgeter said: This is not homeschooling. This is a national emergency. If you need to sit the kids in front of the Xbox to get work done then so be it!

DAY 1

7 a.m. Free time, screens open

8:30 a.m. Get dressed and ready for the day

9 a.m. Organize desk area

  • Desk clear and ready for learning
  • Turn off iPod
  • Morning prayer

9:15 a.m. Scholastic reading

10 a.m. Science

  • Review astronomy books on kitchen table
  • Select one thing in space that you’re most interested in
  • Write 1-page of cool facts about it that you want to share with us (handwrite or type into a Google document)

11 a.m. Special Projects

#1: Bake and decorate St. Patty’s Day Cupcakes

12 p.m. Lunch

Go to drive thru

12:30 p.m. Go to the Park (Kensington Metropark for us)

Walk nature trails

Bring birdseed to handfeed birds

3:30 p.m. Free time

**No screens**

5 p.m. Screens available

6 p.m. Dinner

7 p.m. Showers

8:30-9:15 p.m. Read in bed

9:15 p.m. Lights out!

Day 2

7 a.m. Free time, screens open

8:30 a.m. Get dressed and ready for the day

9 a.m. Settle In

  • Desk clear and ready for learning
  • Place iPod in kitchen drawer

9:15 a.m. Scholastic reading

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10 a.m. Math – Khan Academy

10:30 a.m. Critical thinking

11 a.m. Science

Watch: “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” (available on Amazon Prime for $3)

12 p.m. Lunch

Leftovers

12:30 p.m. Outdoors

Shoot hoops/play HORSE at the basketball courts

Practice volleyball

1:30 p.m. Showers + Life Skills

Learn to blow dry hair

3 p.m. Snack + Free Time (**no screens**)

Cupcakes

5 p.m. Screens available

6 p.m. Dinner

8:30-9:15 p.m. Read in bed

9:15 p.m. Lights out!

Day 3

SCHEDULE: THURSDAY, MARCH 19

7 a.m. Free time, screens open

8:30 a.m. Get dressed and ready for the day

9 a.m. Settle In

  • Place iPod in kitchen drawer
  • Check your Google Classroom for news and assignments (let’s discuss what’s there)
  • Morning prayer

9:15 a.m. Scholastic reading

10 a.m. Math – Khan Academy

11 a.m. Critical thinking

11 a.m. Science

  • Experiment #1: Celery
  • Experiment #2: Science kit
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12 p.m. Lunch

12:30 p.m. Physical Activity

Ride bikes

1:30 p.m. Music

Music Part 2

3 p.m. Snack + Life Skills

Fold and put away laundry

3:30 p.m. Free Time (**no screens**)

5 p.m. Screens available

6 p.m. Dinner

8:30-9:15 p.m. Read in bed

9:15 p.m. Lights out!

Day 4

7 a.m. Free time, screens open

8:30 a.m. Get dressed and ready for the day

9 a.m. Settle In

  • Clear and tidy desk
  • Place iPod in kitchen drawer
  • Morning prayer

9:15 a.m. Scholastic reading

10 a.m. Math – Prodigy

Go to the website and play math games: https://play.prodigygame.com/

11 a.m. Art

Author Mo Willems instruction. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmzjCPQv3y8

12 p.m. Lunch

Make your own sandwiches

1 p.m. Physical Activity

Walk the dog

2 p.m. Music

Recorder and drum practice

2:30 p.m. Snack

Smoothie

3:30 p.m. Run errands

Drop off food at Nonna’s house and say hi through the screen door

5 p.m. Screens available

6 p.m. Dinner

8:30-9:15 p.m. Read in bed

I know there’s so much to think about right now. I hope that having these schedules helps make one thing easier for you and your family this week.

Let me know if you want me to continue posting more of these schedules and/or my weekly meal plans too (yes, I plan that out too – but you already knew that, right?). You can leave a comment below or email me at kristi@readymadetravelplans.com.

Until next time,

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