Numerous readers have requested we describe our daily schedule. The following is only a suggested outline. We don’t follow it ourselves - not exactly, sometimes not at all. Schedules are made to be broken. This is only a guideline for our own family. But I guess once other families see how we do things, it helps them figure out how they can do things.
Principles:
The children should be doing much of the housework, freeing the parents for giving personal attention or handling administrative tasks.
"Early to bed, early to rise" is generally a good policy, though a father’s work schedule or other considerations may not allow for this.
| 5:00 to 6:30 |
Parents rise, children rise, showers, dressing, early morning chores |
| 7:00 |
Breakfast, Morning Family Worship: (Psalm, Scripture Reading, Catechism, Prayer) |
| 8:00 |
Daily Chores (predetermined schedule for who does what). |
| 8:30-9:30 |
General School Meeting:
1. Recite Memory work: All children from age 4 and up recite memory work (Scripture, Greek or Hebrew Alphabet, Poetry)
2. Practice Reading: Older children (10 and up) each read aloud a portion of something while all others listen. (Bible, History, Constitution, Poetry, etc.)
3. Practice narration: All children from age 4 and up practice narration (if there are several children, break it up, half in the morning and half in the afternoon) |
| 9:30-10:15 |
Mother reads aloud to all children (narration could be worked in here) Children can work on arts and crafts while Mother reads. |
| 10:15-11:30 |
Individual Instruction:
1. Phonics instruction for younger children (or in the afternoon when infants are sleeping).
2. Mother helps children ages ten and up (as necessary) with academics (**see below)
3. Independent work for children ages ten and up. (**see below) |
| 11:30 |
Prepare lunch, straighten house. |
| 12:00 |
Lunch, Noon prayer meeting, midday chores. |
| 1:00 |
Naps |
| 2:00-2:45 |
Mother reads aloud and finish up narration (children can work on arts and crafts) |
| 2:45-4:30 |
Individual Instruction - same as above (** see below), play outside, go for walks, once a week volunteer work (nursing home, etc.), field trips, once a week library visit. |
| 4:30-5:00 |
Prepare supper, straighten house. |
| 5:00 |
Supper and evening chores. |
| 6:30 |
Evening Family Worship |
| 7:00-7:45 |
Father reads aloud to all |
| 8:00-8:30 |
Family activities. |
| 8:30-9:00 |
Prepare for bed. |
| 9:00 |
Lights out |
Children from ages 10 through 12 (sometimes through 14 for boys) need the most personal attention. You should plan on working one-on-one with them for one to two hours per day per child. By the time the child is 13 (sometimes 15 for boys) he should be doing most of his studies independently. Logic after age 13 will always be done one-on-one or in a group with others siblings of close ages. Fathers could take over teaching (and learning) Logic and Greek with the children.
**Some children can do the following subjects independently from the beginning with only occasional help. Other children - for the first year or two - will need to have Mother sit beside them while they do their work.
- 15 minutes/day of Spelling & English Grammar (this should always be done with the teacher)
- 15 minutes/day of Latin,
- 60 minutes/day of Mathematics.
The following subjects can be done independently by the child after Mother has helped the child for the first week or two.
- 15 minutes/day of Pre-Logic,
- 15 minutes/day of Composition
- 45 minutes/day of Independent Reading (fiction, history and science)
This article was reprinted from Teaching the Trivium Magazine, Trivium Pursuit PMB 168, 429 Lake Park Blvd., Muscatine, Iowa 52761. The magazine is now out of print, but many additional articles and resources are available at their website.
Copyright 1998 Laurie Bluedorn
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