Many parents who elect to homeschool their children also choose to pursue their personal and professional development by working at home. I know, because I am one of these parents. My husband and I have been successfully working from home and homeschooling our children for the past two years. While it has often proved to be quite challenging, we have successfully managed to continue with this lifestyle. Here, I will share with you some productive steps on how to homeschool while working at home. These methods have worked for us, and I am sure that they will benefit you as well.

The first and most important aspect of making homeschooling and working at home work for you is the schedule. It is absolutely essential to ensure that you have a sound schedule put into place. You should be certain to set a time frame for the education that you will provide to your children, a designated time in which you can work, as well as a time for enjoying things as a family. It is also essential to remember that you will need some time set aside for some basic “rest and relaxation”. If both parents are in the home, this will be a relatively easy task.

The way that my husband and I handle the schedules so that we can homeschool and work at home, is that we each take one of our children for a certain number of hours in the mornings. We may or may not switch children after a couple of hours. We also split the responsibility of preparing breakfast, snacks, and lunch each day. Generally, our children also assist in preparing these meals unless we have prepared them ahead of time. We then set up a time in the afternoon where the lessons end, and we enjoy activities as a family. This may include visiting a park, watching a wholesome television show, playing a board game, or simply just talking.

In the evenings, we begin our work. This seems to be the best time as the children are winding down and things are relatively quiet and calm in the home. If the children are still a bit on the active side, one of us will work while the other one plays with, or spends time with the kids. Generally, we end up working well into the hours after the children have went to bed, but this is the way that works best for us and our family. The schedule is there, as far as specific times for certain activities. However, we are a bit flexible and try to avoid setting a schedule that is too strict. This is often unrealistic with small children in the home.

Time management skills and the ability to multi-task are the two essential elements to being able to work from home and homeschool your children. Many do not realize it, but having a bit of creativity and the ability to delegate are also very important skills in order to handle this particular type of workload. On top of homeschooling and working, there are chores to be done, family and friends to tend to, as well as errands to run. You must be fully prepared to handle these things effectively. However, your main goals should include those of making sure that the lessons are prepared and issued, that your work is done as designated, and that you are able to financially take responsibility for your home.

posted by Chris Simpson