Back to School (But Make it Homeschool!) Part 3: Do I Have the Time to Do This?
How Much Time do I need to Homeschool My Child Each Day?
You know that pit in your stomach when you're scrolling Facebook in July and see all those "back-to-school shopping" posts? While other parents are debating backpack colors, you're having a whole existential crisis about whether you're entirely crazy for considering homeschooling.
What if I mess up my kid's education? What if I can't teach them everything they need to know? What if this takes over our entire lives?
I get it. I was exactly where you are and had all kinds of misinformed ideas on what homeschooling would actually be like. Cue when I realized I'd never actually looked at the data on homeschooling outcomes or the specifics on how families were doing it successfully. What I discovered changed everything for our family, and it might change yours too.
The Research That Made Me Rethink Everything
Here's what my Master's in Organizational Strategy taught me: when making any major decision, you start with the data. So I did what any good consultant does. I dug into the research on homeschooling outcomes.
What I found blew my mind.
Academic Performance: Steven Duvall, PhD, from HSLDA, analyzed homeschoolers and found that students in grades 3–4 make the same academic progress in just 2–3 hours per day as public schoolers do in a full day. The learning in a homeschool environment is simply more focused.
Social-Emotional Development: The research on Waldorf-inspired approaches (which we loosely follow) shows significantly better outcomes in creativity, problem-solving, and emotional regulation compared to traditional schooling methods.
Time-on-Task: Homeschoolers spend 2–2.5× more time actually learning compared to classroom students, who lose significant time to transitions, behavior management, and administrative tasks.
But here's the kicker. It's not about saving time. It's about better outcomes AND getting your family life back.
Want to see exactly how this translates into daily schedules? I've created a Research-Based Family Learning Strategy Workbook that breaks down optimal learning time by grade level, along with the family systems that make it all work. Grab it free here, and I'll show you the exact framework we use.
My "Aha" Moment
(And Why I Almost Quit Before We Started)
Picture this: It's 8 AM on our first official homeschool day. I've got color-coded lesson plans, a timer, and six subjects mapped out for my kindergartener. I'm channeling my inner project manager, ready to execute our "homeschool strategy."
By 9:30 AM, we're both in tears.
She's overwhelmed. I'm stressed. And suddenly I realize. I'm trying to recreate the very system I wanted to escape from.
That's when I had my breakthrough as a consultant: What if the problem isn't that homeschooling is hard? What if the problem is that I'm using the wrong framework entirely?
The Real Data on Homeschool Time (This Will Surprise You)
Here's what actually works, backed by research and a combined 16 years of real-world testing across ages:
Kindergarten: 20–60 minutes per day, 3–4 times per week
Not hours. Minutes. And guess what? Research shows that this is not only sufficient but also optimal for brain development at this age. Check out the research from the World Economic Forum if you want to know more.
What this looks like in our home: One 20-minute focused activity (maybe letter sounds with playdough), then the rest is play-based learning. That "Why don't clouds fall down?" conversation? That's science class, and it's more effective than any worksheet.
So what about the other ages?
Kindergarten: 20–60 minutes per day, 3–4 times per week.
Building natural interests in learning and connecting learning to play and life.
1st Grade: 45–90 minutes per day, 4–5 times per week.
Focusing on making learning fun and building natural curiosity.
Elementary (2nd–4th): 1.5–3 hours per day
Core subjects in focused blocks, with plenty of time for interest-led exploration.
Middle School (5th - 8th) : 3–4 hours per day
The game changer: By this age, they're self-directed learners with strong foundations.
High School (9th - 12th): 4–6 hours per day
College prep that works: Focused, efficient learning that actually prepares them better than traditional schooling.
Our approach to First grade: 20-minute main lesson + 10 min practice + 15 min one rotating subject. The key is interest, not duration.
What is interesting to keep in mind as you look at these numbers is that the amount of time you are spending guiding your child’s learning doesn’t actually change that much. As your child progresses, they should spend more and more time in independent learning with you stepping even more into the coach and guide role.
These aren't random numbers. They're based on cognitive load research and attention span studies. Want the complete breakdown with sample schedules? It's all in the Research-Based Family Learning Strategy Workbook.
Why This Approach Gets Better Outcomes (The Science Part)
My consultant brain loves this stuff, so bear with me:
1. Cognitive Load Theory: Kids learn better with focused, uninterrupted time rather than scattered, fragmented lessons.
2. Flow State Research: When children can immerse themselves deeply in subjects without artificial time constraints, they enter the optimal learning state.
3. Intrinsic Motivation Studies: Interest-led learning creates lifelong learners, not just test-takers.
4. Family Systems Theory: When parents aren't stressed about "covering everything," the entire family dynamic improves.
But here's what the research doesn't tell you—how to actually implement this in real life. That's where the strategy piece comes in.
What This Actually Looks Like Day-to-Day
Let me paint you a picture of our Tuesday:
8:30 AM: We start with math manipulatives while I drink coffee. Twenty minutes of focused work, then we're done.
9:00 AM: She asks why her plant is drooping. Boom—science lesson about plant needs. We water plants and talk about photosynthesis.
10:00 AM: Free play while I work (yes, I still work full-time). She's building fairy houses, which is actually engineering and creative problem-solving.
2:00 PM: Story time becomes reading practice. Fifteen minutes of focused phonics work.
3:00 PM: Outdoor play = PE, nature observation, and social skills with neighbor kids.
Evening: Cooking dinner together = math (measuring), science (chemical reactions), and life skills.
Total "formal" learning time: 45 minutes. Total actual learning: All day long.
This isn't luck. It's strategic family design. The Research-Based Family Learning Strategy Workbook (Totally Free!) walks you through exactly how to create this flow in your own family.
The Outcomes That Matter Most
After just one year so far of data collection (yes, I track everything), here's what we've gained:
Academic: She's reading two grade levels above, doing math that challenges her, and most importantly, she loves learning.
Social-Emotional: Confidence, creativity, and emotional regulation that I rarely see in traditionally-schooled peers.
Family: We have our mornings together. We travel when we want. We follow our natural rhythms.
Personal: I'm a better parent because I'm not stressed about "covering curriculum." I'm not shuttling to activities I don't value.
But here's the real kicker. This approach scales. My network of 5,000+ families using similar strategies report the same outcomes across all grade levels.
The Back-to-School Decision You're Actually Making
Here's what I wish someone had told me three years ago:
You're not choosing between "good education" and "mediocre education." You're choosing between two completely different family lifestyles.
Traditional school lifestyle: Your family schedule revolves around someone else's calendar. Your child's learning is standardized. Your time together is crammed into evenings and weekends, assuming they don't participate in extracurriculars, in which case you have even less time together.
Strategic homeschool lifestyle: Your family creates its own rhythm. Your child's learning is personalized to meet their needs and flexible to accommodate changes in those needs. Your time together is integrated throughout the day. There is actual time for extracurriculars and the development of hobbies and interests.
The research is clear: homeschooled children perform as well or better academically, have better social-emotional outcomes, and families report higher satisfaction.
But here's what the research doesn't capture: the daily joy of learning together.
If you're still reading, you're likely the type of parent who makes decisions based on evidence, rather than just emotion. Good! That's exactly the mindset that makes homeschooling successful.
The truth is, you already have everything you need to give your child an exceptional education. You just need the right strategy to make it work.
The Real Question
The question isn't whether you can homeschool. The question is: What kind of family life do you want to create?
Because at the end of the day, that's what this decision is really about.
Ready to explore what's possible? Start with the workbook and let's see where this journey takes your family.
Want to dig deeper?
Explore these helpful reads:
Your Homeschool doesn't need to mimic public school, especially in time! Short, joyful, and engaging lessons can be enough if they're meaningful.