Take. More. Time. This is the best advice I would give any new homeschool mom. Don’t rush through your homeschool curriculum! You don’t have to stick to the schedule. Use the schedule as your guideline, and add a wide margin of extra time to your schedule.
Extend any curriculum by 3 to 6 months. Or simply add an extra week to each interesting topic or theme. Give yourselves this time to include extra activities, outings, games, books, projects, lapbooks or experiences to your suggested program. You are looking for your children’s spark of interest or delight and that is where you invest in extra time. 
Imagine going on an overseas tour and rushing through because someone else planned the itinerary? It is awful to rush past a city or scenic stop or not have time to shop for bargains because the tour bus is leaving! You are your children’s tour director. Give them more time to explore and enjoy their experiences.
Imagine joining a banquet dinner and the Master of Ceremonies rushes everyone through their courses? No time to chat and enjoy the food. No time to sip and savour the delicious tastes? No time to marvel at new foods and combinations? No second helpings? You’d end up with indigestion, right? So why do we do this to our young homeschooled children?
Just because an educational professional decided how long each chapter or lesson should take, does not mean that is your only option.
18 months. That’s my magic formula instead of 1 year. We have always kept to a 4-day school week and yet we have never “fallen behind”. I have never regretted extending a curriculum … ever. I have used and re-used each curriculum enjoying a slow, enjoyable experience rather than rush and race to keep up with the schedule.
Don’t worry if some subjects slide slightly out of sync. Simply take a week to catch up with any subject or reading that has fallen behind.
You are the tour director for your homeschool journey. Tailor make their experience and enjoy every minute!
Blessings, Nadene
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Thank you Nadene! I just discovered your blog and so appreciate your wisdom. After 4 years doing Classical Conversations, a homeschool community here in the U.S., I became so very weary of feeling pressured to maintain a certain pace. We’re all burned out and school feels rote and boring. We’ve always supplemented with Sonlight’s read aloud lists, and next year will be using the full-package for our homeschool. Your advice has come at the perfect time: I now plan to use one core for all of my kids, and to try an 18-month schedule. I love it!!
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@Julie, I’m so glad that my post confirms what you have felt in your heart for your family’s homeschooling journey. Wishing you much peace, clarity and blessing as you plan your next phase.
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Oh I so agree!! The moment we started to slow down we began to truly enjoy the journey and it just kept getting better and better.
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@Ana Willis at TheyCallMeBlessed.org What a Wonderful testimony! Thanks for sharing!
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Hi Nadine,
I just want to thank you for your advice. I always read your blogs as they seem to just hit the right spot and give me some reassurance and speak to my anxiety. I often feel like its an encouragement from the Lord when I haven’t even voiced my anxiety.
Thank you
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@Candice, I’m delighted to hear that my post is a source of timely encouragement. The Lord is faithful to confirm His presence, and He gives grace and strength to each of us as we trust Him. May your anxiety vanish like morning mist before the sun!
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Thank you. As a mommy starting out on my journey with young boys, I have said these exact words to myself. Yet, somehow, it is so easy to feel the pressure, when the timetable of a curriculum is in front of one, to conform to a prescribed schedule. Thank you for your timely words that have helped to keep the main thing the main thing… God bless. René
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@yummypantry, I’m so glad my post conifrmed your thoughts and feelings about your homeschooling. I trust that you’ll learn to trust your heart and follow the Lord’s leading and guidance. Blessings!
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