Summer Homeschool Schedule Ideas that Work

Summertime often means a change in routine for homeschool families. Whether you will be homeschooling this summer or taking some time off, these summer homeschool schedule ideas will help you plan a fun and educational summer for your kids.

I received compensation and access to resources from Homeschool Buyers Club in exchange for my honest review, but all the opinions in this post are my own. This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission for purchases made through those links.

Summer Schedule Options for Homeschoolers

During the summer months, homeschool families have several options for what to do with their homeschool. Here are some of the most common choices that homeschool families make.

Take a Break

Some homeschool families choose to take a break from school altogether during the summer. This is a great way for kids to relax and recharge and gives them plenty of time to enjoy their summer vacation before beginning school again.

PROS:

• Kids get plenty of time to relax
• Parents can recharge and plan for the upcoming homeschool year
• Kids will probably continue to explore and learn on their own

CONS:

• Kids may forget some of what they learned during the school year
• Families will need to transition back to homeschool when the new school year begins

Summer School with a Relaxed Schedule

Many homeschool families find a middle ground by choosing to include some learning in their summer routine. These families might learn in different ways during the summer, while still spending plenty of time on fun summer activities.

PROS:

• A flexible schedule allows kids to continue learning and explore their interests
• Kids can review subjects they struggle with
• Summer is the perfect time for unique outdoor learning opportunities

CONS:

• Parents will need to plan activities throughout the summer
• Routines need to be consistent for kids to thrive

Year Round Homeschool

Instead of taking a traditional summer break, some homeschool families choose to homeschool all year long. These year-round homeschoolers may choose to take breaks throughout the school year instead of one long summer break. Homeschooling year-round has a lot of benefits, but some drawbacks too.

PROS:

• Year-round homeschooling shows kids that learning is a lifestyle that happens all the time
• Kids don’t forget what they have learned during an extended break
• Families have the flexibility to take breaks throughout the regular school year

CONS:

• Parents and kids don’t get to take a break from school during the summer
• It can be hard to enjoy the summer season while finishing year-round school lessons

Reasons to Learn in the Summer

There are a lot of reasons that every homeschooling family should consider including at least some learning as a part of their summer plans. Here are a few reasons why you should include summer homeschool programs as a part of your family’s bucket list this summer.

Prevent the Summer Slide: Summer is the perfect time for your kids to review what they have learned so that they will not forget it over the summer. Reviewing the subject matter that your kids learned over the past year is a great way to make sure that your hard work does not go to waste when they forget what they learned.

Catch Up During the Summer: Summer is also a great time to help your child catch up when they are behind in a subject. Summer gives families a great chance to focus on subjects that their kids are struggling with.

Make Learning a Lifestyle: When we’re raising lifelong learners, it is important to show them that learning happens outside of the scheduled school day too. Summer is the perfect time to show your kids that learning can happen at any time of the year.

Make the Most of Unique Opportunities: Some learning opportunities only happen during the summer. Plant a garden, stay up late to study the stars, learn about a shark’s life cycle, or collect and study seashells at the beach.

Transition Back to School: When your kids are learning during the summer, it makes the transition to the upcoming school year in the fall much easier.

Have Fun Learning: One of the best reasons to homeschool during the summer is that it is a lot of fun!

How to Create a Summer Homeschool Schedule

Summer is a great time to take a look at your homeschool schedule and make some tweaks. Here are some things to consider when you are planning your family’s daily schedule for the summer.

Choose if You Will Homeschool

The first step for homeschool families is to decide what their homeschool routine will look like during the summer. Will you choose to do some summer homeschooling, or will you take a break for the whole summer? Will you focus on fun activities in your home school, or continue with the formal studies from last school year?

Schedule Travel and Family Plans

Next, homeschool parents should look at the family’s summer plans. Do you have family trips or vacations planned for the summer? Travel can be a good time for the whole family to learn together if you plan some educational field trips during your vacation.

Choose Subjects

Summer is the perfect time for kids who are struggling with a subject to get in some extra time for review. Think about the subjects that your child is studying and consider including any subjects that you feel like your child might be behind in as a part of your summer plans.

Summer is also a great time for kids to explore a new topic or subject. This is a great opportunity to plan enrichment projects for your kids so that they have a chance to learn about a topic of interest, learn new life skills, or explore something they wouldn’t have time to study during the school year.

Ask Your Child

It is important to give kids the opportunity to make some choices about their homeschool education, and summer is the perfect opportunity to get kids involved in the planning. Consider asking your child what they would like to learn about this summer, and try to include their suggestions in your homeschool plans on a regular basis.

Make a Plan

No matter what you choose for your summer homeschool schedule, it is important to make a plan and a routine for your family. Kids thrive on routines, and even a relaxed homeschool schedule can help your kids stay focused and have fun during the summer.

Make your homeschool planning fun. You can try bullet journaling for homeschoolers or just get a cute planner or colorful pens to make your plans more exciting.

Be Flexible

Summer is a great time to have fun learning with your kids, and often opportunities arise during the summer days that don’t happen during the traditional school year. Make sure that your schedule is flexible enough to allow time for fun learning throughout the summer.

Summer Routines for Homeschool Families

During the summer, it is important that you create a summer routine for your family. Whether you choose to continue the routine that your family has during the school year or create a new routine for the summer, the important thing is to keep your summer routine consistent.

Kids feel more confident and secure when they know what will be happening during their day, and when they can anticipate what is coming next. Especially if your child is too young to be able to tell time with a clock, a routine can help them understand what will be happening throughout the day.

These time management tips will help you create a summer homeschool schedule you love.

Schedules vs Routines

During the summer, it can be helpful to use a routine for your family instead of a schedule. A routine includes all the activities that your family will complete every day, without specific times.

During the summer, a routine can allow your older kids to stay up late and sleep in the next day. This flexibility is something that your family would not have if you were following a set schedule.

Morning Routine

Many homeschool families find that a consistent morning routine is a good idea. This often allows their kids to finish their homeschool lessons during the best part of the day when they are feeling fresh and rested.

Many families find that morning time is the perfect time for lessons because they can finish homeschool first thing, and then have the rest of the day free to do fun things like outdoor play.

Summer Homeschool Learning Ideas

These summer homeschool ideas will help you make homeschool fun for your kids during the summer while continuing the learning all summer long.

Summer Reading

Summer is the perfect time for some reading time with your kids. Consider choosing several good books that you can read aloud to your kids throughout the summer.

Summer is also a great opportunity to visit the library with your family. Join your local library’s summer reading program to give your kids a fun incentive to work on their summer reading list. Make a bucket list of books with your child that they would like to read, and then visit the library regularly throughout the summer to find new books to enjoy.

Outdoor Free Play

Outdoor time is important for kids of all ages, especially during the summer. Start by reading some books that celebrate getting outside, and then look for things in nature that you learned about in the book.

Summer is the perfect time for nature studies and outdoor activities for kids that can only happen during the warm weather months. Kids can plant a garden and then help with dinner prep using the produce they grow.

Kids can also practice gross motor skills outside during the summer. Kids can learn to ride a bicycle or learn to swim during the summer months. Consider offering your child options to help them stay stay active, like these construction movement cards.

Projects and Trips

Summer is the perfect time for some extra-curricular activities that help kids connect with nature. It’s easy to enjoy the benefits of tech free days during the summer when kids can spend more time outside. You can also look for activities to help your child learn in depth about a topic or subject they are interested in.

Families can plan field trips that tie in with summer vacations and travel. This can be a great way to explore something that you studied last year in your homeschool by visiting a museum or traveling to a place that your family learned about. You can even plan a road trip with kids by yourself to visit a location that’s on your bucket list.

Summer is also a great time for hands-on projects that make learning fun. Educational board games and hands-on activities are a great way to get some extra review and practice.

Free Summer Homeschool Curriculum

Summer is the perfect time to experiment and explore a new homeschool curriculum, and the Homeschool Buyers Club is making this so easy for families this summer! They are offering totally free trials of 19 different homeschool curriculum options for families this summer.

Explore a new curriculum for the new school year and beyond:

• Thinkwell Free Trial
• Monarch
• Smile and Learn

One thing that is always on my summer bucket list is to explore new curriculum options and choose the resources that we will use for the next school year. I love that Homeschool Buyers Club gives us free trials of so many different curriculum options.

I am so excited to try a lot of different options and decide what will work best for my family!

Discover Music and Art:

• HomeSchoolPiano Trial
• Kids Guitar Academy Trial
• Mr. Henry’s Music World Freebie
• Mark Kistler Art Lessons

I always wish that we had more time for music and art in our homeschool during the school year, so I am excited to add some extra music and art for my kids over the summer.

My son really wants to learn to play the piano, and my daughter enjoys drawing. I love that the Homeschool Buyers Club offers so many different options. This makes it easy to find classes that will be a good fit for my kids’ interests.

Practice Reading and Language Skills:

• Reading Skills Assessment Ongoing
• Nessy.com Free Trial
• Reading Eggs
• Vocabulary Quest

As a busy homeschool mom, I love that I can find new curriculum options through the Homeschool Buyers Club.

I am especially excited to try Nessy.com with my kids this summer. This looks like an amazing program that will be a great supplement for my daughter who is learning how to read.

I love the way I can discover new resources that are perfect for my kids when I shop at the Homeschool Buyers Club.

Check out all the free summer homeschool curriculum options here!

Experiment with STEM:

• Code Avengers Free Trial
• Brilliant.org
• Creta Class 7 Day Trial
• Math Mammoth PDFs
• Doodlemaths
• Dynamic Earth Learning (Aquaponics Course)

Math is always a subject that I ask my kids to practice year round, but my kids are both finished with their school year math curriculum books. I love to use different resources over the summer to help my kids remember what they learned in fun ways.

My son is especially excited to try Math Mammoth this summer. I love that Homeschool Buyers Club provides resources that make my son excited to practice math!

Experience History:

• History Alive Grades 6-12
• History Alive Grades 1-6

All of these resources are available for free this summer!

Learn more about Homeschool Buyers Club here.

Free Gifts

Every order from Homeschool Buyers Club this summer comes with 3 bonus gifts. All you need to do is place your order, and then select your free gifts at checkout.

Grab your free summer homeschool curriculum (and free gifts) from the Homeschool Buyers Club today!