Balancing Homeschooling and Work: Strategies for Success
Wondering how to homeschool and work?
You already know it can be a juggle balancing your children’s home education needs and everyday life. And that is without even throwing work into the mix!
Do you want to supplement your family income?
Or keep a foot in the workplace door?
Not sure how you’ll manage to do that and homeschool?
It is possible! In this blog post I will help you find ways to balance homeschooling and work.
Table of Contents
Working around your homeschool
Finding Flexible Work
It is important to find something flexible that allows you to work around your schedule. Part-time, remote, or freelance work can provide opportunities to get things done on your own time. Do you have a skill, knowledge, or prior work history that you can do online? Can you build a business that lets you set your own work hours? Is there an employer who is happy for you to work flexible hours around your homeschooling?
Not sure where to start?
Check out job sites that specialise in remote or flexible work. Approach your existing employer about flexible part-time or work-from-home opportunities. Talk to local businesses and let them know your skills, knowledge. So many business owners are happy for work to happen outside of traditional working hours.
How homeschooling and work can happen side by side
Self-directed learning
Self-directed learning is a wonderful opportunity to empower your children to take control of their education. As a bonus, it gives you the space to get some work done! This gets easier the older your child gets, but even a youngster can start some moments of independent learning.
" Independent or self-directed learning is the ability to be responsible for your own learning. It's the skill that equips us for lifelong learning. Children who are encouraged to explore and learn in a self-directed way develop an innate curiosity and the ability to learn independently. This prepares them for the challenges of a rapidly changing world, where they'll need to be flexible and adaptable in order to succeed. "
Not sure where to start? If self-directed learning is new to you then start small with projects and activities you know your child will love. Help set them up with tasks that are easy enough for them to accomplish. And celebrate their achievements to encourage them to delve deeper into independent learning.
You can learn all about creating perfect projects for your children here.
Outsource some help
Finding childcare solutions
If your career path requires you to work out of the home, or at least distraction-free, during work hours you might need childcare solutions. Homeschooling is the perfect lifestyle to find opportunities to occupy your children while you work. You might connect with other homeschooling families in your area and share child-minding so you can get work done. You might arrange or attend a coop where your children participate in learning activities while you get a break to work. Or you might take your laptop to your children’s regular sport, music, or other activities and squeeze in some work time. Another option is to hire a babysitter or nanny. You could do this for your own family or even collaborate with some other local families and split the cost. Homeschooling might seem like a barrier to work, but in reality it is such a flexible approach to parenting and education it provides the perfect opportunity to fit in work.
Not sure where to start? Start with what you have. Can you fit some work hours around your current activities? Can you afford to outsource childcare for yourself, or will you need to split the cost with other families? Reach out to other local homeschooling families and ask if anyone would like to work with you to create some time to work. You will be amazed to learn how many other parents are trying to do the same thing!
How to report homeschooling that happens around work
Balancing homeschooling registration requirements
At the end of all this it is important to make sure you can dedicate enough time to homeschooling your children. Of course this can be challenging, but you will quickly find your groove. And once your routines are more predictable and solid you will be well on your way to creatively squeezing more homeschooling opportunities around your work.
Not sure where to start? Could you consider schooling outside of traditional hours such as early in the morning, late evening, or on weekends? That could free up some work hours during your day. Could your work become a part of your child’s education? Do you use a skill, knowledge, or trade that your child could learn from you? For example, if you run your own business including your child in your bookkeeping can tick math, business, and economics topics. Are you a writer? Ask your child to proofread your work to enhance their literacy skills. If you need some tips about how to put this life-based learning onto paper for your homeschool registration, download my free ebook here.
Balancing homeschooling and work can be a challenge, but it is possible. By finding flexible work, childcare solutions, self-directed learning, and balancing homeschooling requirements, you can successfully fit both work and homeschooling into your days. Give yourself some grace – some days will be harder than others, but that’s OK because life is like that. You will be teaching your children valuable skills for their adult lives.
My online course, Nurture Your Homeschool, will help you identify how you can plan and create the perfect homeschool for your family no matter your circumstances.
