How to Successfully Homeschool and Work from Home

Can you homeschool and work from home?  If you’re on any homeschool or work from home forums, you’ll likely see this question pop up frequently.  The answer is yes, you can do both, and you can do both well, but flexibility and creativity will be required on your end.

If you insist on sticking to a rigid schedule for homeschooling, you’ll likely struggle with both homeschooling and working.  Instead, find creative ways to meet yourhomeschooling obligations.  

I’ve been homeschooling and working from home for the past six years and have utilized many of these strategies:

Have a Flexible Homeschool Schedule

This is the most important thing you can do.  Homeschooling doesn’t have to take place from 8 to 3, Monday-Friday like a traditional school.   You can homeschool whenever you want.  Maybe that means you do a full day of homeschool on Saturday and Sunday instead of two days during the week.  Maybe that means you do your read alouds at bedtime instead of during the day.  Maybe you homeschool year round so you have less work to fit in every day.  Be flexible; that is the beauty of homeschooling!

Take Advantage of Audio Books

Audio books are a great way to multi-task.  When you’re driving the kids to appointments or activities, put in an audio book.  You’ll be surprised how many books your children will listen to this way.  Many programs such as Apologia science and The Story of the World sell audio books, so your kids can listen to the textbook while driving.

Our family is in the car a lot, and I keep track of our read alouds.  In the first seven months of this year, I’ve read aloud 15 books to the kids, but we’ve listened to 38 audio books!  That’s 53 books my kids have listened to this year, largely thanks to audio books.

Have a Few Independent Subjects

Another way to reduce your workload is to find a few subjects that your child can do independently.  Some families use Teaching Textbooks because their child simply watches the lesson and then completes the math problems independently.  Veritas Press history is another good example of an engaging, video based curriculum that your child can complete independently.

You likely don’t want all of your subjects to be in video format, but for a few, you reduce your teaching load, and your child gets to learn in a new, fun way.

Reduce Other Household Chores

If you homeschool and work from home, you will be busy.  One way you can make sure you can fit everything into the day is to reduce your other household chores, especially meals.  In the morning, before the day gets busy, put some food in the slow cooker so you don’t have to cook dinner in the evening.  Or, get in the habit of freezing a few meals or meal prepping on the weekend so you can simply reheat the food at dinner time.

Homeschooling and working from home together is possible, with some strategic planning on your part. 

Do you homeschool and work from home?  If so, what tips would you add to this list?