Once I’ve gathered all our curriculum and reading schedules, I like to create a working timetable that shows all our subjects laid out for the week to follow along.
My first step usually entails listing out each subject and how many times I need it scheduled in our week. For Year 5, most books in our curriculum only need one spot, but for those with longer chapters, I make sure to find 2 to 3 places in the week.
This takes some intentional, realistic thought into how our previous homeschool years have gone, but with time, I’ve gotten better at pacing out our week and spacing out subjects in a way that gives my children and myself variety in the school day.
Next, I start with Year 5 and take note of the readings or subjects she can do independently and the ones I’ll need to help with. I converted the free AO Year 5 schedule from Ambleside Online’s website and added all of our subjects, including math, typing, language arts, Latin, and theology. I will use this schedule daily, as it has all the page numbers and chapters for the entire term, giving me a bird’s-eye view of 12 weeks at a time.
I do the same thing with Year 2, but because my youngest still needs me to read everything, there aren’t as many independent subjects to note.
Time Blocking vs Timetable
Rather than completing each subject at a specific time (ex. 9 am start math, 9:25 start history reading), we have a morning block that we commit to homeschool, even if the subjects are “out of order” from the schedule. Up until this year, the bulk of our lessons have been able to get done before lunch. I am hopeful we can continue with this, but for the sake of not cramming our time in the mid-morning, and talking with my oldest during our reflection and discussion interview at the end of Year 4, she’s choosing to do one reading and some memory work in the early morning time while I’m preparing breakfast before we even begin our homeschool day. She would rather do this than after lunchtime, so we’re going to give it a try.
How Do I Create My Timetable For My Students?
Next, I take my paper plans to Google Sheets and create our timetable, showing Year 5 and Year 2 alongside each other. This helps me work out all our subjects when I need to focus on one student, and where a potential break may be needed or independent subjects can be completed while I give my attention to the other child.
I’ve color-coded the ones that I will help my children with, using pink for Year 5, blue for Year 2, and green for our family subjects.
If you would like to use my template for creating your own timetable, find it here!
Final Thoughts and Resources
We are moving to a 5-day homeschool year rather than a 4-day and I feel like with this change, we will have room to breathe in the week, not feeling rushed with all the new readings that come with Year 5.
Lastly, I made my AO Year 5 student her own weekly planning sheet, where I will list out the week’s work for her, and she can check it off as she goes. If you would like the editable version, find it here to download for free!
All these plans are pivotal in the first several weeks as we adjust to the new books and schedule, but creating a timetable has always been a power tool in our homeschool for smoother days, especially as we leave behind the early years.
If you want more resources on timetables from Our Cooper Nest, check out these blog posts and shop Items:
- Considerations For Creating A Homeschool Timetable
- Summer Plans and A Mother’s Timetable: 2024 edition
- Yearly Homeschool Planning: Part 4- Lesson Planning, And Timetables: Year 4 and Year 1
- Year 4 and Year 1 Lesson Timetable Template: 2024-2025 edition
- Year 3 and Kinder Homeschool Timetable Schedule Planning: 2023-2024
- Year 3 and Kinder Year Lesson Timetable Template: 2023-2024 edition
- Weekly Timetable Schedule PDF Printable/Planner Insert
- A Homeschool Mother’s Timetable: end of 2022-2023 edition
- My Mother’s Timetable during Homeschool Days: 2023-2024 edition
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