Schedule for Kids when Schools Close

Here is my schedule for the day. To see more specific activities, check out my other Schools Closed, Now What? post.

SCHEDULE

8:00 – 9:00 Math (lesson on khan academy and games)

9:00 – 9:30 Reading Workshop with journal writing

9:30 – 10:10 PE

10:10 – 10:30 Language Arts

10:30 – 11:00 Writng

11:00 – 11:30 LUNCH

11:30 – 12:30 Spanish Reading/Writing

12:30 – 1:00 Specials – Art, Music, Coding

1:00 – 2:00 Science and Social Studies

2:00 – 3:00 Extension Activities, Play outside time

How to Make Your Schedule

First, decide what time works best for your family to begin school. Earlier times work great for early risers while night owls may wish to start a bit later. There is no one size fits all, so pick the time that works best for you. And if you need to alter the time from day to day, that’s okay too. Be sure to display it for your children.

Time in Each Subject

Physical Education

Next, decide how much time you want to spend on each subject. Most schools place the focus on Reading and Math. Due to the fact that testing in reading and math occurs every year, these subjects usually receive the most time. Children need at least 60 minutes of movement a day. However, you can divide this up however you like. For example, you might have 20 minutes of structured physical activity and 40 minutes of recess. Other days you might want a longer structured activity and less choice. This also may fluctuate with the weather.

Reading and Math

I prefer to spend at least one hour a day covering mathematics topics. This usually involves teaching a new topic and practice of the skill. Some children can cover two or more topics in a day. We also tend to prioritize reading and language activities as well. A short language lesson with some practice and a short reading skill lesson go a long way. However, we spend the majority of reading time actually reading a book. We use both English and Spanish as we are a dual language family.

Writing, Science and Social Studies

We find that writing tends to be more difficult for children, so we spend only about 30 minutes here. Some days they may wish to write more and others less. On days they want to write longer, we either push times back a bit or cut into Spanish writing time. On days that writing just isn’t there thing, we encourage drawing, coloring and even brainstorming. Writing ties in perfectly with science and social studies too! This is a result of children needing to demonstrate their learning. So this hour may also involve quite a bit of writing.

New Skills

Finally, we incorporate at least 30 minutes of time learning a new skill or hobby. This really can be anything that your child shows interest in and doesn’t need to be restrained to art, music, and computers. The world really is their playground.

Play around with the schedule and make it work for your family. Drop us a comment below and let us know what works for your family.

Hi, I’m Nicole.

Here at Creatingbutterflies we provide families with practical solutions to real life problems for everything parenting, scouting, dual language, and enjoying time outdoors. We are a family of 6 with 4 wonderful becoming bilingual children who loves scouting, camping, and hiking with their family. Mom is an educator and dad is a firefighter/paramedic.