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How much time per subject for 1st grader?


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I'm starting the contemplation process regarding HS for our family. When we after school I can get about 10 min per subject before a 10 min break is needed. I'm hoping this is because it's late in the day. Could I expect 15 min of work before a break is needed during HS? Is 15 min per subject a good goal?

 

I realize everyone's different and an advantage of HS is flexibility but honestly ten minutes on and off all day would be hard-ish. We will be doing HWT, keyboarding, AAR, AAS, math of some sort, Spanish, and hopefully some living book supplement read aloud or something? We will likely be outsourcing sports, and music.

 

What do you think? Please ask questions as I'm not sure this is clearly written 😊

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I think if you take a break that often then you lose momentum. We tended to alternate between something that requires lots of concentration and something that's a little more light or between something that's really on the child like doing math and something that's more receptive like listening to a story.

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My kid would like more breaks than I give them, but breaks have a habit of becoming stopping points. We will often work for 2 hours before taking our first break.

 

I try to keep each chunk of work to 10 - 15 minutes. Switching often keeps them from needing breaks as often. I also will bring out snacks/water as they're working on independent work, so to preempt their requests. Same with bathroom breaks - as I'm clearing their math away, I'll ask them to go to the restroom. 

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So you may work for an hour or two but change focus or topics more often? Would 15 min per subject be enough or it depends? For instance I could do 15 min AAR, 15 min keyboarding, read aloud/discussion, break, etc? Math instruction, then math game, then math practice, break?

 

Sorry I'm just daydreaming and hoping. I didn't think 10 min on/off was a great long term solution :)

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Don't base general concentration skills on after schooling. My DS6 does a 3 hour co-op and I'm lucky to get 10 minutes out if him after. :)

 

We try to do longer "chunks" while changing pace within that chunk to make it easier.

 

So we read for almost an hour during morning time, but out of several different books with more active prayers, memory work (we incorporate movement into memory), and discussion mixed in.

 

My 5yo needs a break after that but my 6yo moves to the table.

 

His math generally takes 30 minutes, but in three distinct sections. We do the lesson orally with manipulatives and white board, he does the worksheet independently (I'm in the room though, usually washing dishes), and then we do some flash card fact review or a math game. He does then get a short break if he worked diligently (its a huge morivator for this snail paced worker) before he comes back for another 30 minutes or so of LA, but I am taking a SHORT break, 10-15 minutes and we set a timer.

 

He's then worked for 2 hours with a 10 or 15 minute breather and he's released to the loving arms of his Legos while I work with his brother, who's had an hour or more break and is ready to do his math and la.

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So you may work for an hour or two but change focus or topics more often? Would 15 min per subject be enough or it depends? For instance I could do 15 min AAR, 15 min keyboarding, read aloud/discussion, break, etc? Math instruction, then math game, then math practice, break?

 

Sorry I'm just daydreaming and hoping. I didn't think 10 min on/off was a great long term solution :)

That's the idea :). Actual time for each section and for the overall chunk will depend on the program, your child, the lesson, the weather that day, the moon cycle ;). You will find a good amount with experience.

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I'd say we do only ~10-15 minutes of one subject in terms of seatwork, but then we go on to another subject, not a break. We do everything that needs to be done at the table (typically handwriting, math, phonics, and one other thing) and then have a break before moving to the couch for history, etc.

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We do about 20-30min at a time before taking a break and I switch between children, but the breaks are exceptionally short and then we have a longer break at 10:30 and again at lunch. It is frustrating to call my eldest back all the time, but at the same time she seems to need to stretch her legs and run around - if I keep her sitting longer than that then we would have meltdowns. If it has been 20min of seatwork and I want to carry on then I switch to a subject that will be on the couch or that we can go outside and I can just read to her.

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I'm starting the contemplation process regarding HS for our family. When we after school I can get about 10 min per subject before a 10 min break is needed. I'm hoping this is because it's late in the day. Could I expect 15 min of work before a break is needed during HS? Is 15 min per subject a good goal?

 

I realize everyone's different and an advantage of HS is flexibility but honestly ten minutes on and off all day would be hard-ish. We will be doing HWT, keyboarding, AAR, AAS, math of some sort, Spanish, and hopefully some living book supplement read aloud or something? We will likely be outsourcing sports, and music.

 

What do you think? Please ask questions as I'm not sure this is clearly written 😊

 

When my little persons were just 6, not everything was cleanly divided into "subjects." :-) But if I had, there would only have been, oh, three or four: phonics instruction, penmanship, arithmetic, and everything else. We could probably do 15 minutes or so of focused work, with history/science/whatnot not being *focused.*

 

HWT *plus* AAR *plus* AAS might be a strain for a little 6yo person. Or it could just be that y'all are at the beginning, and it takes awhile to figure out how things will go. :-)

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My current first grader usually does all her seatwork in one big lump without breaks. Then we sprinkle around the reading based lessons. (She already reads fluently.)

 

IME it works best to get as much as you can in one big block, then do the rest in little blocks if needed. If you have a wiggly willy make sure he exercises first, and consider putting a wobbleseat on his chair or letting him do his work standing up.

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My 6 yo is VERY high energy and doing any seat work is hard for him. A lot of times he has to stand up to do his work or take frequent breaks to go do some somersaults or flips on the couch so he can focus again. His work time is all at once but with these breaks between subjects that help him get out some energy so he can focus and loose some of his wiggly-ness! I'd say we do about 15-20 minutes and then have a quick break if needed. If he is having a good space of time though were he is able to focus I take advantage and push through all our subjects.

A typical day- He does 1-2 pages of ETC book 2, 1 page of MM1A, a page of HWT cursive (he loves this so this is a good thing to suggest when he is loosing interest in school work), usually also does some other kind of copywork that is writing or spelling based and reads out loud to me. Every other day-ish he also sits with his older sister to do science and history but I ask less of him during these lesson then I do his 8 yo sister.

Side note- I'm really finding that HS is the best choice for this boy, I can't imagine how he would sit in a classroom all day!

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I would imagine that what you're getting now is b/c it is the end of a long day, and your child has already been working at things all day. My kids would be like that too. Getting going in the am always works the best for us all. That being said, here's what I expect from my 1st grader: 

 

being the day w/ LA and math (1 lesson in LA and 2 pages of Math book) this takes about 30-45 min

 

Break while I work w/ her brother

 

when both are done, one or more of the kids probably hasn't had breakfast yet so they all gather around the table and eat while I begin reading Bible and maybe one of their read aloud chapter books. When they are done, we go to the couch to finish up reading history, read alouds, science (if on the schedule) and then they are free to play or whatever.

 

Later after lunch and before quiet time/nap I read one chapter of their other read aloud chapter book to them. 

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Last year my little guys were in PS for Kindy, and I hated afterschool time!  They cannot focus and need to be running around playing and decompressing after a long day of being good ;)  This year we are HSing, they are 6 and in 1st grade.  I find I can get close to an hour of out them at a time!  For math today, they played w/ flashcards while big sisters were doing math, then came in for their math lesson- changing pennies to dimes, and regrouping for the first time.  It was a long lesson, probably over 30 minutes of instruction and manipluatives.  Then they did a worksheet page in about 15 minutes.  After that they got a nice long break.  We went light on phonics today, just reading aloud, and we also did a solid hour of history- we made pyramids out of sugar cookies, they colored and made up some History Pocket pages, and listened while we talked about pyramids.  Right now I think they are playing a game, but they just came in from being outside another hour.  Life is so much fun for them, now!  They like to do school for about an hour, then have a LONG break, then another hour or so, and maybe a quick 20-30 minute session another time. 

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I would imagine that what you're getting now is b/c it is the end of a long day, and your child has already been working at things all day. My kids would be like that too.

 

DOH! I totally missed that part!!

 

Absolutely, you cannot judge what things will be like once you're homeschooling based on how things are going when you work at home with a child who is in school all day.

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I'd say we do only ~10-15 minutes of one subject in terms of seatwork, but then we go on to another subject, not a break. We do everything that needs to be done at the table (typically handwriting, math, phonics, and one other thing) and then have a break before moving to the couch for history, etc.

 

This is us, too. I don't like to do more than 20 minutes per subject, but we try to do all of the seat work in one chunk, and reconvene later for read alouds. Or we start out with group work and then break off into individual stuff. 

 

I do have multiple children to cycle through. I tend to bounce back and forth between kids, so when one is practicing his handwriting, I am talking to another, and then while that one is working on his math, I talk to a third about whatever he needs. Breaks are kind of accidental at this point. They get a break when I am busy with another kid and they can't yet move on without me. 

 

With just one kid, I would give him his lesson, then go wash dishes or something until he was finished or needed me again. Then I'd come back and we'd do the next thing. 

 

It's really not nearly as chaotic as it sounds. 

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Thanks for all the responses. I have started using a timer as DS responds better when it goes off. I have even been able to just switch topics at the timer as long as one is easier/easy. It gave me a lot of hope that we could do this full time with a few tweaks better than after schooling.

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With my first grader, I've found that she's happiest when we do 2-3 subjects, a fun activity, a little break for a snack or play, then back for a couple more subjects, another activity, etc. 

For instance, a full day might look something like this: 

read aloud to me (maybe 15 min.) 
Writing with Ease (10 min.)
First Language Lessons (5 minutes) 
get out her air-dry clay and make a pumpkin that she'll paint later when it's dry 

cursive practice (10 min.) 

read from a science or history book together (15 min.) 
Explode the Code (15 min.) 
a page or two out of her latest fun sticker book 

Math Mammoth lesson (30 min.) 
several Lollipop Logic pages (10 min.) 
watch an episode of a show like Magic School Bus, Liberty's Kids or Electric Company 

practice piano (20 min.) 

page from her piano theory book (5-10 min.) 
build with Legos 

Other fun things she does in between blocks of lessons include things like art kits, puzzles, going outside to ride her bike or swing, playing a game with her brother, handcrafts like sewing or finger knitting, whittling, etc. 





 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have a VERY active 5 YO... The difference when we start our HS routine and do "work" early in the morning versus afternoon is amazing.  He's just doing K... So with the exception of a few things I'm trying to support him in (handwriting/motor dexterity) there's really no seatwork that I require... I just offer.  But if our morning routine (breakfast, chores, etc...) goes well he often goes in and does it happily.  He one day voluntarily did handwriting and tracing practice for 45 minutes!  What's with that!  

 

If I try to school in the afternoon (which I've tried because DH works second shift and it would make our lives IMMENSELY easier)...  DS just doesn't want anything to do with it.  It's the time of day that his little body naturally wants to either goof off, run like a banshee, or rest...  It's just not a natural learning time for him.  

 

I just wanted to pipe in with that.  Don't be surprised if he's really different when you're setting the tone of the day for him straight from the start.

 

 

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I *aim* to have an Montessori-inspired, 3-hour, uninterrupted work time in the mornings with my young kids. During this time, they can typically choose the order of the 'work' they complete. A 6-year old's work might include 15 minutes of mom-directed phonics lessons, a snack they prepare and clean-up themselves (out of our prepared kid snack area with bowls, cups, and appropriate snack foods prepped and ready to go), time building with wooden blocks, playing a math game with mom, filling out a hundred board with a dry-erase marker, listening to an audio book, completing a handwriting page, cutting work from a Kumon workbook, free drawing, a math lesson from our curriculum with mom, etc.  There are no breaks, but there is also no forced order or duration of work.  Generally, we (DD5 & I) do a math and phonics lesson during this time at a moment we're both available and interested.

 

Because all my kids attended a Montessori preschool-kindergarten for three years, this work time is very familiar to them. (Or maybe the classroom experience was very comfortable for them because that is house I run our house?) It is a relatively-quiet, purposeful, productive time with no telephone conversations, e-mail, etc. I find if I'm 'working' alongside them, they can easily focus and stay on-task the entire time.  It takes a little practice to orchestrate things between the two I'm homeschooling currently.  My 5-year old began the year asking for her phonics lesson while I was completing math with my 9 year-old EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I had to gently tell her that I can't work with both of them at the same moment, but I would be happy to begin her reading work when older's math was finished. She now has the hang of our 'rhythm' and has learned to ask for it when she knows I'm available. It has taken some time to get into this peaceful flow, but for now it works well. Next year, when DD5 will be home all day (she currently attends her Montessori in the afternoons), we'll have a second work period in the afternoon for about two hours after lunch. I'm assuming she'll be a fluent reader by then (she's well on her way), so at least some of that time will be independent reading time, as it is for my older daughter. 

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Except for reading, I can't imagine getting anything done in 10 min intervals.

 

 I tend to go by "concept" instead of by "time".  So, for example - WWE - he writes a sentence.  If he does it without interruptions, it will take him 3 minutes, sometimes, it takes him 20.  Not bc it's hard for him, but bc he is sticking his nose to see what his brothers are doing or he thinks he saw a bunny outside...whatever.

 

Math and AAS - I am not willing to stop just bc the timer goes off if we are not done with an idea or lesson or concept.  Same for science, history, etc

 

That being said - if I see his eyes starting to glaze over, I do stop but then go back to it the next day.

 

 

 

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