Weekly Teaching Loop Schedule for the Homeschool Mom

When I reflect on what I needed as a new homeschooling mom, I remember how helpful it was to see examples of how other moms approached homeschooling. Because of this, today I’d like to walk you through an example of our day-to-day schedule. Specifically, how I plan and follow my teaching loop schedule.

The Questions

Do you ever wonder how homeschooling moms do it all? Have you ever wondered how it is possible to teach multiple kids every subject every day and if you will drive yourself crazy trying? (Spoiler alert~ we don’t! And yes, you will if you try.)

You are not alone. This is typical of new homeschooling moms. At first, most of us (myself included) attempt to teach every subject every day because that’s how we think it is supposed to be done. (it’s not) For all of our best intentions, we fret and worry and eventually crash and burn because what we are reaching for is not a sustainable goal.

What I will describe today is just one example of the myriad of ways you might approach teaching multiple kids multiple subjects at once. I pray that by the end of this post, you will have at least one well-thought-out, tried-and-proven, and easy-to-implement strategy for your homeschool.

(well, easier than attempting to teach every subject every day)

What is a Teaching Loop Schedule?

A teaching loop schedule is when I plan to teach certain subjects on a specific day of the week. This allows me to prepare for that subject with focus. We still do the other subjects, but new teaching is concentrated on specifically allotted weekdays. This helps immensely because, as teachers and moms, we do many different things every day, not just school.

As a teacher, there are things for which I need to plan. As a student, there are things my children need to prepare for too.

I write both down together in my planner. That way, I have an overview of what I need to do. And then, I can write a plan for them and what they need to do.

After a few weeks, I find I don’t need to plan everything out. Once the ball starts rolling, it goes on its own for a while. (which is great for mom) At that point, I continue to record everything in my planner as we do it. Still, the intense “planning” is greatly diminished.

It becomes life – a homeschool life 🙂

What is great about this is that once you find what works for you, you can return to it when it’s time for planning again. In my experience, especially after a long break, I get amnesia and forget our plan. Even so, one quick glance at my teaching loop schedule, and I’m back on track.

Planning for Your Teaching Loop Schedule

This planning process will be a bit of work and thinking at first. There may be several tries before you find what works for you. But once you find that sweet spot, you won’t have to do it again, at least for a while. While it is true that you will need to revamp your schedule over your homeschooling journey, what is also true is that it gets easier every time.

I pray that this post will give you a bit of a shortcut and save you lots of wasted time and energy by helping you avoid the pitfall of trying to teach every subject every day.

Once you have your weekly schedule set up, you’ll be able to do the next thing without answering the question every homeschooling mom dreads. 

“Mom, what are we doing today?”

Instead, you’ll discover a natural rhythm in which everyone knows what to expect on any given day.

Doesn’t that sound like a good plan?

It is!

Let’s Get Started

Now that you know the potential benefits, let me back up, and start at the beginning. Let’s see if I can (to quote my husband) “Break it down, make it plain, and keep it simple.” ~Bryant 🙂

I’ll start by saying we don’t follow a typical school year plan in our home. We begin in the fall (late summer) and end in the spring(-ish). Even so our schedule is very soft, flexible, and fluid, depending upon the needs of our household.

While I realize that anytime we read, write, learn, or apply math, we are in school. Today, I will focus on what most people classify as “school.”

Full Days and Flex Days

If you look at our homeschool week, we have four solid and full work days and two flex days. Depending on how they use those days (time management, anyone?), the kids can do their work in four or six days.

We do this because sometimes the day goes differently than planned. Maybe the kids are tired because they’ve stayed up too late. Other times they’re not feeling well. You may have a teenager that’s having her “time.” There are many reasons a day may derail from the plan, and having flex days allows for that.

Also, flex days are a great motivation for when the child desires to have a certain day completely free of school to know what’s coming and the option to work ahead. It gives them ownership and more control. So if they’re energized and want to do more, I allow it, and they enjoy having the option.

Please Note: If you’re reading this and are homeschooling little ones, please completely ignore the two flex days. We are homeschooling teens now, and priorities for them are different than when they were younger.

(If you’re not ready for flex days, you can focus on the four days in the middle~the teaching loop)

Technically, our week starts on Monday, but it is a designated review day, and no intense teaching is done on my part.

Because of this, I will start on Tuesday, when I begin new teaching for the week.

Teaching Loop Schedule for Tuesday

Mom Teaches (in blue)

• New math concept
• New history unit
• New science or experiment

Math

Tuesday is the day I introduce a new math concept. We work on this together until I get the sense that they can continue to review throughout the rest of the week. It usually takes more than one pass when I introduce a new concept. Because I find the first time through is usually the longest, we schedule it for Tuesday.

They’ll continue to work on the new concept independently if they can. With mom, if they need me Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Saturday, they can choose to review again or wait until Monday.

A word on math, I encourage you to take your time on math concepts and get them solid. For the longest time, I was constantly worried about “getting behind.” What resulted in letting fear drive me as a mom was pushing through and then hitting a brick wall. I was fortunate to have a seasoned homeschooling mom encourage me that there is no such thing as “behind .” We are all unique individuals with our own timelines for learning. We don’t fit neatly into grade boxes. I’ve experienced firsthand that taking the time and letting them know a concept well before moving on to something new has given them confidence and joy in their schoolwork. Everyone wins.

History

Tuesday is also the day we introduce our new history topic or unit. We may do this via audio, video, or read-aloud with mom. The rest of the week consists of independent reading and writing assignments based on the history theme.

Again, my children may finish this as soon as Friday, or they can take till Monday working on Saturday and Monday should they choose.

Science

Tuesday is also the day we introduce or review our science.

Sometimes a science unit takes more than one week. When that happens, science on Tuesday may be an experiment or more independent work instead of moving on to something new.

Independent Work (in purple)

• Bible 
• language review
• electives / delight-directed

Language on Tuesday is review work because we begin our language loop on Wednesday. (more on that coming up)

Teaching Loop Schedule for Wednesday

Mom Teaches (in blue)

• language loop for Wednesday
  • writing
  • grammar

We spent Tuesday on math and learning videos to set up an independent review system. 

So Wednesday’s math is primarily independent. Also, Bible, history, science, foreign language, electives, and delight-directed are independent on Wednesday.

Language

We begin with Mr. Pudewa’s class, Writing with Structure and Style. It’s about an hour to an hour and a half.

Then we follow that with Fix-it Grammar with mom.

A word on Fix-it Grammar. We have tried many programs over the years; this is the family’s favorite. The kids love it because it’s fun, quick, and painless. I love it because of all that, AND they retain it.

Independent Work (in purple)

• Bible
• history
• science
• math (review with or without mom as needed)
• electives / delight-directed

Teaching Loop Schedule for Thursday 

Thursday looks like Wednesday. We finish the second half of writing, do Fix-it Grammar with mom and then they do all of their independent work.

Teaching Loop Schedule for Friday

Mom Teaches (in blue)

• language loop for Friday
  • Spelling
  • Vocabulary

Friday is when I introduce spelling and vocabulary for the week.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is one of those often overlooked but essential subjects I like to sneak in, the same way a mom might sneak vegetables into meals.

My children learn vocabulary through classes such as, Writing with Structure and Style, Fix-It Grammar, Vocabulary Cartoons, and through all the reading they do. 

Spelling

For spelling, we use All About Spelling. Because my children are older, instead of doing the spelling together daily (like lesson plans say), we take more time and work through the entire lesson all at once on Friday. Then they independently review the rules and words until the following Friday when they have the spelling test. 

So, Friday is a “longer” spelling lesson with mom, vocabulary also with mom, followed by a quick review on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, finishing with a spelling and vocabulary test the following Friday.

Independent Work (in purple)

• Bible
• history
• science
• math (review with or without mom as needed)
• electives / delight-directed

Teaching Loop Schedule for Saturday

No Teaching for Mom Today 🙂

Of course not. It’s Saturday! I only include Saturday on the schedule because when you have high schoolers, it’s helpful for them to see that they can spread out their work if they so choose.

Review Work (optional, not typical)

• history
• science

It is not typical for math, spelling, and vocabulary, but it is possible to have some reading they want to complete for history, literature, or science.

Independent Work (in purple)

• Bible
• electives / delight-directed

Teaching Loop Schedule for Monday

No Teaching for Mom Today

I usually use the “extra time” for errands or housework, preparing for my lessons, and gathering supplies as needed.

Review Work

• math
• spelling
• vocabulary

Independent Work

• Bible
• electives / delight-directed

FAQ about Teaching Loop Schedule

Do all your children learn the same thing at the same time?

No, while this teaching loop schedule shows what my weekly teaching schedule looks like, that doesn’t necessarily include all of my children. For example, some of my students have spelling and grammar while others no longer study those subjects. Some of my students are completely independent in their history studies, while my youngest is not. Math comes and goes as needed. The point is that I carve out a specific time to teach certain subjects, so I am not overwhelmed.

But How Will My Children Remember What to Do?

Checklists are helpful.

I have a checklist that shows them what they do with me and what they’ll do independently. It is also where they list their delight-directed learning. After about a month of this, we get into a natural rhythm and cadence, and it all becomes semi-automatic (at least until the next break)

Another reason why I love having a checklist is because it helps us see what is left for the day at a glance. It’s human nature to forget something. Having a list helps. We’ve even incorporated life skills, but that’s another post for another day. Stay tuned 🙂

In the meantime, Here is a simple weekly homeschool checklist you can download and start using today. Please check out my free resource library if you would like more free printable resources like this one.

Conclusion

I hope this peek into our week and seeing how we handle new teaching has helped you.

The most important thing I want to convey is that this is doable. You don’t have to teach a new concept in every subject every day. Having a system where I introduce a new lesson, get the ball rolling, and let it go while I teach something else has made it doable for me.

You’ll notice that when they’re starting to lose steam, it’s about time for the next step. And you’ll get the ball rolling again in that subject. 

Taking one subject and focusing on what is new for that subject alone and spending more time on it and a little less on the others has made all the difference in the world.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out, and I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.

You can do this. Yes, yes, you can!

Until next time, 🤗

~Tammy

For more helpful information on planning your year and get access to The Simple Homeschool Plan, tap the image below and be on your way!!

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This post was originally published on January 24, 2023, and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.