Chart Shows Your Child May Not Need as Much Homeschooling as You Think

Many parents would agree that learning how to homeschool has been a stressful, and, at times, frustrating concept. After all, how many hours a day does your child need? How do you know they’re absorbing the material? How do teachers do this for a living? While we can’t answer that last one, a new chart from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) explains how many hours, by grades, kids actually need to spend in homeschool—and it’s not as many as you may think.

According to the chart, children at the Pre-K level only need a minimum of 20 minutes a day and a maximum of 60 minutes. Meanwhile kids in kindergarten need anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes each day. For first and second graders it’s anywhere 45 to 90 minutes daily. The recommended time goes up based on your child’s educational level, but, even for high school students, the maximum amount of recommended time is 270 (which breaks down into 4.5 hours).

Image: Courtesy Illinois State Board of Education

The chart is part of ISBE’s remote learning recommendations, which also include a list of activities to keep kids active, engaged with their mental and physical health and help build relationships with their families. Activity ideas include reading for fun, puzzles, word searches, building with blocks or legos, coloring, taking walks, cooking or baking, writing letters to family members, telling jokes and more.

Of course, it’s important to note that each state’s board of education may have its own set of guidelines. Nevertheless, the chart is a good starting point for developing a baseline routine for homeschooling. After all, in these unprecedented times, we’ll take all the help we can get!

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.