There are so many different ways to schedule your homeschool day. Looping is just one of these ways. Looping schedules offer a bit more flexibility as opposed to the more traditional block homeschool schedule.
What is a Looping Schedule?
In a looping schedule, subjects aren’t assigned to certain days and times. Instead you create a loop of subjects that you need to cover and then work through them in a looping rotation.
Example: On Monday you start your loop with math, followed by language arts, spelling, copy work and science. By the time you were finished with spelling you needed to run out the door for dance class so copy work and science get missed that day. Tuesday comes around but instead of starting again you simply pick up where you left off and continue on the loop.
Benefits of a Looping Homeschool Schedule
One of the main benefits of a looping homeschool schedule is the flexibility that it offers. There is a lot more allowance for things to go awry without it throwing out your entire day or week.
A looping schedule is great for those days when subjects take longer that anticipated. If you need an extra 30 minutes to cover a complex topic then you have it. You aren’t anxious to move on the next subject in order to get through all the work for the day.
Less subjects are missed. Last year we were terrible at getting to history and science. This is because I always scheduled them at the end of the day, where there were multiple chances for things to go wrong during the day. So unless I was willing to be still doing school into the evening, these subjects got dropped.
The looping schedule works well because it moves those subjects that would be usually dropped to the top of the to do list for the next day. It gives a more balanced schedule that ensures everything gets done eventually.
How to Set up a Homeschool Looping Schedule
Setting up a homeschool looping schedule is quite simple. What you need to do is sit down and write down all your subjects that you need to cover.
Once you have all your subjects down then you just start your loop. When you get to the end of your list you loop right back to the top and follow the list down again.
Looping is a really easy and simplified way to homeschool. There is a lot less guilt involved because if you don’t have a list to check off each day and everything gets done in an even rotation.
Can I Combine a Looping and Block Schedule?
Yes! Absolutely and this is actually how I schedule my own homeschool. My children love the predictability of a block schedule and thrive of that sort of routine. I really like the concept of looping so I try and incorporate it where I can.
The subject which my children do independently (or with me) I have on a block schedule. This works best for me in working with mulitple grades. Everyone knows when their time with me is and what they need to be doing when I am not working with them. We have a good thing going here.
Subjects that we do family style like art, science, and history I like to put on a loop. I have done this because these are the subjects that I have traditionally scheduled into our day but are always the ones that are the first to get skipped when things get crazy or the day is just dragging on too long. A looping schedule will help to ensure that they get skipped a lot less often.
Morning baskets are also a great section of your homeschool day that is perfect for looping. You can write out a list of all the different aspects of a morning box you would like to cover then just put them into the loop. I find morning baskets are least consistent part of our homeschool but when I do manage to fit them in they make a world of difference in how our day flows.
What are the Disadvantages of a Looping Schedule?
One of the biggest disadvantages I have found with a looping schedule is the lack of predicability. My children thrive on predicability and knowing exactly what is going to happen on each day. If I try to do something different it really just throws them off for the day.
Looping can also be difficult to incorporate when you are teaching multiple grades as it is a much more free approach. When you have multiple grades it is a lot easier for time to get away on you. I have found that I really do need to be in a predictable routine to make sure everyone has the right amount of time with me and that they are all on task when they need to me.
Final Thoughts…
Looping is perfect if you are needing more flexibility in your homeschool. The downside is the lack of predictability if that is something that is important to you and your children.
It allows you to ensure that the subjects that get skipped often are eventually completed in a timely manner. Therefore there is a lot less guilt from not being able to complete everything on your list every day.
You can combine both a loop schedule and a block schedule. Consider looping your non-core subjects that don’t need to be completed every day and block scheduling your core subjects like math and language arts. Looping your morning baskets and family style subjects can be a good combination too.
