An Example of a Time Table For a Muslim Home Schooling Family

Are you stressing out over scheduling your homeschool day?

Many of the homeschool mums we talk with are trying to do too much every day. My advice is - lighten up!

A normal school year is 36 weeks, 180 days. This can be done on the same schedule as your local school or customised to suit your family's life style and or needs. You do not have to do every subject every day of your school year. You don't have to enroll your child in every class or outside activity that your friends do. I recommend that you only enroll your child in one (if any) out-of-the-home activity during the school year, especially if you have several young children in the home. Use weekends, Frida (Jumaah)y, or summer for special classes and activities. Leave Monday through Thursday during the school year for school at home.

The amount of time spent on each subject depends upon the age, small motor skills, learning style, and abilities of each child (ranges as follows: 3-5 minutes for preschoolers, 10-20 minutes for 1st -3rd graders, 20-45 minutes for 4th - 6th graders, 45 minutes or more for 8th - 12th graders). More time can be spent on each subject if done orally than if you require it handwritten, especially for children who have difficulty with handwriting. For these kids, save their handwritten work for handwriting practice and for final copies of their composition projects.

The total number of hours spent each day in one-on-one instruction ranges as follows: thirty minutes in Kindergarten (broken up into several five-minute sessions), one to two hours in grades 1 - 6, two hours or more in grades 7 - 12. Again, more can be accomplished orally than handwritten for children with handwriting difficulties.

The remainder of the home school day is spent having the child read on his own, participate in, playtime activities with his siblings and friends, do his “homework”, take a special class, go on a field trip, complete his own “chores”, experiment with science projects, create art projects, and/or participate in any other activity that can be done independently. I recommend that you do not allow playing video games or watching television (other than for educational purposes) during school hours.Insha'Allah

Here's the rough timetable i made and pray that we would be able to adhere to. I will try to make this for all my children. (Insha'Allah)

Dawn : Fajr Prayer (then back to bed) or Qur'an Reading

7-8:30 am Breakfast, House Chores

8:30-9:00 Qur'an Reading - tafseer and seerah

9:00-9:30 Handwriting - writing stories about the Prophets and Companions

9:30-10:15 Math's (lost time will Insha' Allah be compensated if Qur'an Reading is done right after Satalul Fajr)

10:15-10:45 Doha' Prayer, Break & Bit of House work

10:45-11:30 Language / Reading / Phonics

11:30-12:30pm Salatul Thuhur + Lunch

12:30- 1:00 Science (Which could be Reading, cooking, gardening too)

1:00-1:30 Social Studies (Countries around the World) Much of this was done orally - researching together and discussing what we found.

Nap: Islamic Stories (Studies) + Questions for Comprehension

This Timetable can be used with either a classical curriculum with text books etc. or a unit studies method of teaching.

The rest of the Time is for Life and the lessons it has to teach.

This time can include doing good deeds for other people like the elderly in the community, visiting the sick (a much neglected obligation of we Muslim's)

We sometimes bake on Thursday in preparation for visiting the sick or lunch on Friday.

No secular study done on Friday because we make it as a Little Eid as mentioned in the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws).

Sometimes if one of the mothers we know has had a baby we visit her and the kids and I help her; perhaps by cooking, helping with housework, or taking her other children out so she can have a break or just much needed sleep.

You will find that when you home school that the time has more Barakah (blessing) in it. You can get a lot more done than when they were previously at school,

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