How often and for how long do you allow breaks?

[Danielle1746]

What is a reasonable amount of time to expect a child to sit and work before they get a "break", and how long do you allow those breaks to be?  I have 3 children--a 12 yr old boy (7th), a 9 yr old boy (4th), and a 6 yr old girl (1st).  This is our second year homeschooling.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and experience!

[Dory]

My 10yo doesn't take breaks until lunch time. He will break for an hour to an hour and a half then. My dd sometimes takes a break halfway through the morning, but often she just works straight through. My ds6 has the focus of a flea yet. It works best if I let him work on a couple pages (usually 15-20 min) and then he takes a fifteen minute to half hour break. Once he is consistent at focusing for those short work pieces, I'll stretch it a little further.

[dragons in the flower bed]

If my 13yo or 11yo are really dragging, to where their concentration is off, I will offer them a timed break (15 minutes usually, and I make them set the timer when they start the break) or a food break that may begin after the next hardest thing is completed. So if my kid is doing math super slowly, with not much alertness, and holding back the whine, then I'll say, "Get math done and then one workbook page in [subject You Hate] and you can have a 15 minute break."

 

With my little guy, who is eight, I just give him a break after every two subjects. He can not concentrate for more than 30 minutes.

[EKS]

I never let my kids have breaks even when they were very young.  We would simply alternate difficult/distasteful tasks with easy/fun ones. 

[Danielle1746]

Thanks!  So far it sounds like I might have been a bit of a push-over. :glare:

[Meriwether]

We work until lunchtime. The kids will do seatwork and then read for an hour. They'll do more seatwork and then practice TKD or piano. They do more seatwork. They do get a long lunch break. Then we work for a few hours in the afternoon. My 7yo will play with the 3yo if he is waiting for instructions.

[boscopup]

I used to give breaks to my oldest, but I think I, too, was being a push-over. :lol: Now, no breaks until lunch, and then we start right back up after lunch with no more breaks until we're done (which isn't long after lunch anyway). We change subjects enough that it really isn't a problem. In fact, my kids work better with no breaks. Breaks make them go crazy wild and out of "school mode".

 

So my little 1st grader who has a short attention span ("Squirrel!") does 2-3 seat work subjects that take about an hour total, then we go do history/science on the couch (so change of scenery and it's listening to me read aloud instead of sitting at a desk writing). Then we have lunch and finish up any seat work we might need to do. Oldest has a little seat work at his desk first thing, then he has a few independent subjects and/or reading that he can do in a different location if necessary, then history/science, then lunch. After lunch, he has a couple harder subjects, and then he's done.

 

I wouldn't have them work on math for 3 hours straight, but working on math for 30 minutes, then switching to reading for 30 minutes, then doing writing for 30 minutes... that's totally doable, even for my wiggly 1st grader. I'll bet my oldest could have handled that schedule when he was younger also, if I had not given in to the break requests. ;)

[TracyP]

My 6yo works for about an hour and is done for the day.

 

My 8yo and 10yo work until lunch w/o a break. That is broken up into independent work, time with me, a read aloud, etc. Then my oldest works for a bit longer after lunch. I do tell them that if they get overwhelmed or frustrated it is okay to step away - maybe get the mail or check for eggs. This rarely happens, but it helps to have that "out" if things get rough.

[Berta]

My 8 yr old daughter is very easy going and doesn't give me a hard time (very rarely) about completing her work. She will just ask if she can have a break and I will tell her yes, for 15 mins. This would not have worked with my older daughter. She would be asking for a break every 15 mins! With her, it was a scheduled break. After three subjects then she could have a break.

[Alice]

Like everything, I think it depends a lot on the kid and even on the day. My oldest has gotten to the point of being a pretty good worker. If he asks for a break, I know he’ll go back and work hard later. I think that’s a skill that I want him to develop. When I was in med school I’d make myself study for x amount of time and then take a break to read a chapter of a fiction book or take a walk or something and they go back to studying. Being able to refocus is a skill I want him to have. Some days he’ll need a break, some days he wants to work hard and then have more free time later. I try and let him decide what he needs as long as the work is getting done. 

 

My middle child is very physical. He usually wants to just work through in order to “get school done†but I can tell when his brain is just shutting down and he’s not really learning anything. So I’ll make him take a recess break outside or run around or do something physical. 

 

We also take breaks sometimes all together when we’ll have tea and do read-alouds. They see that as a break but I consider it sort of school. 

 

[ladydusk]

Very rarely and very short.  It's almost impossible to get everyone to gather back together without complaining.  I'd rather just work through.

[Loowit]

My boys, 8 &10 years old, get one 15 minute break in the morning.  They call it "Fifteen minutes of fun".  They get about an hour for lunch break, and then work through the afternoon until they are done and part of that is a read aloud that they just have to sit and listen to.  If they are getting antsy at other times or having trouble concentrating I will send them outside to run a little.  My younger has ADHD and needs little breaks at times.  Sometime switching subjects works, but not always..  My older DS has sensory issues and sometimes needs help to recenter himself so he can concentrate.  My DD, who is 12, doesn't get any breaks other than lunch. She does fine working through and doesn't need a break.

[NASDAQ]

My second grader takes a break between 10 and 10:30. My K'er can only go for forty-five minutes to an hour.

[Farrar]

I either allow a less than 5 minute break to jump on the trampoline or I give a full hour, though the latter is rare.  But if they need a real break, then there's no use in doing a small one.  I typically send them to the park if it's that kind of day.

 

But like others, I'm more likely to alternate tasks instead.  Or I just stop and break for lunch and we'll watch a documentary while we eat.  Depending on the day, that can be good.

[Mommy22alyns]

We don't really do breaks, and that probably makes me sound awful.  The girls do seatwork in the morning and then they get lunch.  If they've worked quickly, they might get a 30 minute lunch break.  If not, we really need to press on and I read to them while they eat.  We have to be done by a certain time most days for Rebecca's gymnastics practices.

[itsheresomewhere]

Five minute break between subjects.  They can move around and stretch or read a short story during it.  Otherwise, DS would not have his focus completely on his work.  DD uses often uses her time to prepare for the next subject.  

[OneStepAtATime]

My 13 year old daughter actually thinks better and retains longer if she can go outside to swing and think through what we have been talking about/doing, so she takes short breaks between each subject.  It took time to find out this was what worked best for her.  She is eager to get done with her work for the day, so she usually starts very early (645am), works steadily through until she comes across something that is confusing to her or she wants to think about before trying to apply (like math which is hard for her) and will run outside, swing for a few minutes, come back in and finish the work or ask additional questions.  Once we started doing that (and we began that pattern while she was still in a b&m school for homework and studying for tests) her retention and understanding went up tremendously.

 

My son, on the other hand, has a really hard time refocusing once he takes a break.  At the same time, he goes off into lala land if he has to sit doing the same thing for too long.  I break up subjects more for him, interweave times when we are moving while learning (bouncing the ball while calling out spelling words, playing math card games, etc.) and seat work, but he has to work straight through until everything is done, or lunch rolls around.

 

Every child is different and every parent is different.  It isn't always easy to find the right pattern for everyone, and whatever you choose may not work on every day.  I do find that consistency helps a lot, though.  They know what to expect and go with those expectations without a lot of resistance at all.  The minute I change things around too much, get lazy about the routine, that is when we run into trouble....

[myfunnybunch]

We usually start around 9 and break around 11. It seems to suit our natural rhythm, as they are usually all getting antsy and ready for a break around then. They break from 15-30 minutes, depending on the day's schedule, then work for another 30 minutes-1 hour before lunch. Afternoon is less structured, so we just take short breaks when they happen naturally.

 

Cat

[katilac]

If a student focusses better after a break, and willingly returns to work, then I would give many breaks with no hesitation. If a student struggles with transitions, and therefore has a difficult time returning to work, I would power through longer sessions: a morning session for littles, adding in an afternoon session for older students. 

[Danielle1746]

Thank you, everyone!  I am excited to get on a more productive schedule after the New Year.  These suggestions sound completely reasonable to me.  I'm sure my 12 yr old will disagree, but then again, he's been disagreeing with everything lately.

[lea_lpz]

We work for 2 hrs and then have mid morning break for 30 min and then about an hour and half and have lunch. We are usually done with school at this point but we'll wrap things up after lunch, about 1 pm, if necessary. Morning break is snack and about 20 min free play outside and they play for about 30 min while I do some tidying and make lunch.

[RootAnn]

My oldest sets her own schedule as she has a check-sheet for the week. She started off the year taking lots of breaks which naturally led to lots of work left at the end of the week.  :smash:

She takes breaks when she needs them now & understands if she takes too many or they are too long, she'll have to work later each day or into the weekend.  :rant:

 

My ds#1 only works for 30-45 minutes at a time twice per day (reading/crafts in a.m. & math/Bible in afternoon). We'll be switching over to reading/handwriting in the morning next month.

 

My dd#2 & dd#3 work for an hour or two and then take a break. I allow them to get a drink, snack, or go to the bathroom whenever they need to, so in a way, they take a break whenever they want. Those are short breaks, however, and they rarely feel the need for them unless we are doing math. For some reason, math always makes dd#2's bowels move.  :ohmy:  :rofl:

[redsquirrel]

my kids can take a break whenever they like. It is pretty much up to them. However, they have their assignments for the day and they aren't done until their lessons are done, or I say they have worked to my satisfaction. So, any 'breaks' only make their day last longer. But, it is up to them.

[robsiew]

My youngest is 8 and we did things different when they were younger, but now I don't regulate breaks at all.  We don't do anything altogether as 3rd-7th grade is just too big a spread.  Basically, I call kids over to me one by one and we go through the things we need to that day.  The rest of the kids are on their own to work independently.  Everyone does a pretty good job directing him/herself except for my 8 y/o.  I have to direct him more.  The kids take natural breaks here and there as they finish one thing and move onto the next.  They have a list of things that need to be done in the day and they just work until the finish it.  The sooner they get done with chores and school the sooner they get screen time (big motivator for my younger 2).  Some days it's dinner by the time they finish... most days they are done by mid afternoon.  Some days they need more breaks other days they are well-focused and get things done quickly.  I let them pace themselves for the most part.  They don't have a choice when to work with me... when I'm ready for them they need to stop what they are doing and come (within reason).  For some reason it works!

 

When they were older we were more structured and did more things together.  I would pace my "together time" with each child throughout the day so no one was left to their own devices for too long.  Now I meet with each child once a day and do everything all at once that they need to see me for.

[SemiSweet]

Our day isn't really "scheduled" so if they need a break they take it.  They have a daily checklist to complete and some subjects are with me, we power through those and they work independently on the others and break as needed.  We have lunch between 11-12 and do a read aloud while they are eating, then they go to their room for an hour, they can take work if they choose or do their independent reading, or sleep.  I just need that break.  When they come back we work on content subjects together.

[EmilyGF]

I differentiate between "veg out" breaks and "run around" breaks. I think active breaks can be beneficial, as long as they aren't too long.

 

Also, my children may get to play with my toddler or preschooler as a break and it helps keep the littler one happy.

[Soror]

Well, it depends on the day and I'm still figuring out this business of schooling 2 instead of one. Sometimes I do one big break in the middle so I can do all of dd's work and then sometimes I do all of ds' work straight through and then do dd afterward. When we work straight through we alternate activities to keep it interesting. DD works w/ me for everything, except a small amount of handwriting sometimes. DS does some facts practice on his own and reading sometimes but usually most all of his work is with me.

[My3girls]

I usually give a 5 min (get a drink and go potty) break after each hour. We take an hour for lunch, but about 1/2 of that we watch a documentary for science or history. The kids just don't realize that that counts for school. Lol

[Julie Smith]

When're they are wanted, for however long they want as long as school is done before;

 

A) daddy gets home

 

Or

 

B) if friend is coming over after lunch, school must be done before then. ( that smile face was suppose to be a letter b followed by a bracket.)

[ScoutTN]

We do take breaks. 

I too distinguish between stretch and move around breaks and a real recess. We get the wiggles out as we switch between things (They both love to do jumping jacks and we're adding in sit-ups this year.) and I give my kids a 30 minute recess in the middle of the morning. Outside unless the weather is really terrible.

 

No recess (or recess that doesn't involve lots of movement) is one of the things I really don't like about traditional schools here. My boy needs to run, climb, jump, yell, ride, slide and swing! And it is good for my bookish girl to get out and run too.

[Chelli]

I give breaks. Quite a few by comparison to others who have posted. My kids (and I) work better with set times for school work interspersed with nice longish breaks.

 

Right now our day goes like this:

 

Morning Meeting while they are eating breakfast.

 

Break for chores (I set up for the school day since we school at the dining room table.)

 

School with my dd6 for 1.5 hours (during this time dd10 has independent work to do. how long it takes her is up to her, but it has to be done by the time my dd6 is finished)

 

Mini break of about 10 minutes while I set up for history/science/Bible

 

School together (this is scheduled for 1.5 hours, but my dd6 doesn't stay that entire time.)

 

Lunch/Recess for 1.5 hours

 

Dd10 works with me on her skill subjects for 1.5 hours

 

 

It works for us, but my kids are really good about breaking and refocusing. They know if they work hard for me during school time, then mom is more generous with break time. 

 

 

[AngelaNYC]

My ds (12, 7th grade) gets a 5-minute break every 45 minutes.  We do three 45-minute chunks (covering 3 subjects in each).  

[Momling]

Up until 4th grade, we did about 45 minutes of work and 15 minutes of break.

Then around 5th grade I realized the girls were running upstairs to giggle and then having trouble focusing after their break. It was too much stop and start.  So I did away with breaks and it's been fine. Now they work from 8:30ish-12ish and then they cook lunch and eat lunch and chat... usually about a half hour or an hour depending on the day.   Then a few more hours after lunch... we finish around 3 or so.

[Holly]

We are currently doing school from 9-11 and 1:30-3:30.  Instead of breaks during those times, I vary our subjects so they are doing lighter subjects in between heavier ones.  

 

They are allowed to get water or use the bathroom as needed...and obviously my 4yo isn't doing school for 4 hours/day.  I do try to keep her at the table or playing quietly in the same room.