A 4-Day or 5-Day Homeschool Schedule, Which One Is Best?

Ana Willis

6 years ago

A 4-day or 5-day homeschool schedule, which one is best for you?

When it comes to deciding what homeschool schedule works well for you and your family, it really comes down to two perfectly good options. Are you a 4-day homeschooling family, or do you and your children prefer going the 5-day homeschool route?

The good news is that there is no wrong answer to these questions! The hard part is trying to figure out exactly what homeschooling option works best for you and your children.

Table Of Contents

A 4-Day or 5-Day Homeschool Schedule, Which One is Best for You?
4-Day Homeschool Schedule: Pros and Cons.
5-Day Homeschool Schedule: Pros and Cons.
Best Homeschool Schedule: My Conclusion.
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A 4-Day or 5-Day Homeschool Schedule, Which One is Best for You?

While both are great options, breaking down the pros and cons of each one may help you decide which option is truly meant for you and your family.

4-Day Homeschool Schedule: Pros and Cons.

In terms of homeschooling 4-days per week, there are several pros that you should consider!

Each and every weekend is a 3-day weekend for you and your family. Think about how much more travel or areas you could explore as a family if you had an extra day every week out of the year to do just that.
Planning curriculum for a 4-day homeschool schedule means that you and your children will become more efficient in the time that is spent on schoolwork during the day.
Your extra day per week also gives you a bit of wiggle room to be able to have a catch-up day if needed when “life” happens from time to time. Imagine being able to not stress over having to find a way to make up that day of missed curriculum? Sounds amazing!

While there are some great pros to having a 4-day homeschooling schedule, there are some cons to consider as well.

It can make for a long day for your child in terms of curriculum. While you may be taking out an entire day of schooling to go to a 4-day week, that doesn’t mean that those lessons get put to the side to complete later. It means that you’ll be putting a bit more work into those days to stay on track with your curriculum planning and this could be a hard transition for your child.
A longer gap between school days means that your child may be harder to motivate that following Monday after a three-day weekend.

Depending on other homeschooling households out there, each and every parent will have their reasons for why they prefer one schedule to another. And why not ask them their thoughts? It’s a great way to find out what’s worked and what hasn’t for so many other homeschool households out there.

5-Day Homeschool Schedule: Pros and Cons.

While a 5-day homeschool routine tends to be more of the norm, there are some positives as to why it may be a great fit for you and your family!

With the traditional workforce typically working 5 days per week, structuring your child’s homeschool schedule to fit accordingly is a great way to prepare them for future employment and work schedules.
It helps to set a schedule that may fit better for you and your working needs as well. Many parents homeschool and often work from home at the same time. If your work schedule has you doing work from home 5 days per week, then having a homeschool schedule that matches may be a great way to keep the family in sync.

And just as before, it wouldn’t be fair to not fill you in on a couple of cons that can be associated with having a 5-day homeschool week as well!

You may find that your child may start to feel burnt out with a 5-day schedule, especially if you continue that schedule throughout the summer.
If you and your children associate with other homeschool families who happen to be on a 4-day schedule, your kids may feel as though it doesn’t make sense for them to have a 5-day week comparatively.
If you plan all your homeschool year lessons for 5 days a week and decide to join a co-op, your remaining lesson plans will have to be redone.
A 5-day homeschool schedule doesn’t allow a day to be flexible and go on a field trip without messing up your homeschool lesson plans or to catch up in case if you need to.

Best Homeschool Schedule: My Conclusion.

Regardless of what homeschool schedule you choose, make the choice based on the facts that pertain to you and your family. The more that you understand the learning needs of your children and what will help them more in their education, the easier a choice that it may be for you. Above all else, stay positive in the fact that you have multiple options! Sonlight Curriculum offers both options.

The great part about homeschooling is that if one schedule isn’t working for you and your children, you can always switch things up and give the other schedule a try!