Year-Round Homeschool: Why Our Family Ditched the Traditional School Calendar

One of the things that my husband and I decided when we started on this journey of homeschool was that we would homeschool year-round.

All year?!?!

Yup! All year, right through the summer.

Addressing the Misconception

You may be wondering, and many people do, why we choose to do that and if we burn out never having a break?

Let’s tackle that misconception right out of the gates.

Balancing Breaks

Homeschooling year-round doesn’t mean we homeschool every day, or even every week of the year. We don’t actually never have breaks. That would be crazy! We just build our breaks into our routine on a different schedule than traditional schools do. Allowing for more flexibility and breathing room in our daily routines.

Flexibility in Routine

Homeschooling year-round allows us the freedom to slow down in seasons of prayer and celebration, to observe Ramadan together without pressure to catch up or the guilt from having fallen behind. We plan holidays, vacations, and breaks for those irresistible days when the weather calls us outdoors, trading worksheets for sun-kissed cheeks and dirt-smudged trousers.

Structured Weeks

Often our weeks are scheduled with four days of formal learning and a flex day spent in soccer lessons or at swim class, with co-op friends or visiting family.

Balancing Formal Learning and Activities

Knowing that we can complete the “required” lessons throughout the year while enjoying the beauty of life lived in community is one of the biggest blessings of homeschooling year-round. There is no need to do extra work on days when class is “in session” because there is no real deadline for completion, just an ongoing love of learning and one good book after another.

The Key: Planning

So how do we do it?

Planning. It all comes down to planning.

Planning ahead for breaks, whether for religious observances, family vacations, or hectic work schedules, can help you design a homeschool routine that fits your family’s unique rhythm. Once you’ve mapped out the time you’ll need “off,” you can decide whether schooling four or five days a week works best and set a pace that feels just right.

 The key is choosing a curriculum that aligns with the time you have. The Brings Joy Learning curriculum, for instance, caters to both homeschoolers with structured schedules and busy parents who want to support their child’s education but find planning a challenge. With the right tools and a bit of foresight, you can create a learning experience that works beautifully for your family.

If you have questions about homeschooling, year-round schedules, or anything else? I’d genuinely love to hear from you! Just email us at support@bringsjoylearning.com , and let’s chat.