How many hours per day do you need to homeschool a First grader?

Answer 1

I agree with legermarianne.

My son, an only child, will be finishing up his first grade course work at the end of August/mid-September. We homeschool year round.

I spend from 1 to 3 hours a day on one-on-one instruction with him. Usually, it takes less than 2 hours; he is a quick learner. Additional time is spent on free reading, attending community sports classes, playing, attending music class, reviewing flash cards, memorizing math facts, etc.

I think a lot of it depends upon the child, the grade level, how well the child is reading, etc. Some of the time factor also has to do with the homeschool method you are using. I have heard from parents who are classically educating their children that they spend about 4 hours a day with this method of homeschooling--even for a first grader.

I hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

We normally do 1-2 hours (20 minutes per subject - so that covers reading/phonics, math, writing/copywork, AWANA/Bible, History (not every day), and science). That is more than sufficent most days for my 7 yo.

If you sit down and actually do the math - [for instance in high school it's the number of credits x how many hours equals a credit divided by 4 or 5 years. Then divded by days of school for hours per week divided by number of days you school a week.] It's amazing how little time it actually takes to meet the state requirements. For instance 4 credits of English spread over 5 years is only 40 minutes a day. So for 1st Grade 20 minutes is more than enough - and if they're bored than do 15! Most "school time" at public school is actually taken up with busy work and time being organized!

My high schoolers are usually done by 1oclock starting at 9am. Again just to say that 1st grade doesn't take as much time.

If you spend an hour or two doing "academics" then you can take nature walks, cook together, read aloud, read alone, play with playdough, music lessons, dance around the living room, jump on the trampoline, take care of pets, do chores, etc -- all of which counts for school as well.

Answer 3

Your state probably has regulations for the total number of hours for the school year. Here is a cut-and-paste from the law in PA: "A child who is enrolled in a home education program and whose education is therefore under the direct supervision of his parent, guardian or other person having legal custody shall be deemed to have met the requirements of section 1327 if that home education program provides a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) days of instruction or nine hundred (900) hours of instruction per year at the elementary level, or nine hundred ninety (990) hours per year at the secondary level."

Does anyone but me think it's a little strange that so many responders say one hour tops, when if the child were in a formal school it would be much more? Aren't these children being shortchanged? Some of the responders mention other activites that are educational, some don't. Sure, teach your child they can play most of the day. That's preparing them for the real world - and they'll have to face that real world someday, you know.

If I sound like I'm not much in favor of homeschooling, that's correct - I'm not. For the kid with two parents with PhD's who both spend large amounts of time teaching the child, and also make sure the child is exposed to activities outside the home, it might be OK. I've seen too many people do it badly - the five I mentioned above, whom I know well, and several others whom I know although not as well.

Answer 4

For a first grader, it would take about 3 to 4 hours depending on the child's ability and your state law concerning homeschooling.

Answer 5

It all depends on the child, the parent, and the curriculum. My daughter read well before Kindergarten, and that helped her complete things very quickly in 1st grade. We only had to spend 1-3 hours a day. My son is finishing up 1st grade this week, reading is a struggle for him, he can eventually figure it but it takes a long time. I never spend less than 4 hours teaching him, and I have had a few days that took 5 to six hours to complete. For most children between 2 and 4 hours should be plenty on most days.

Answer 6

I agree an hour tops for this age. The rest of the time is spent living life- playing- doing art-cooking-helping with cleaning-going places-etc. Children this young have not aquired enough skills to actually sit down longer than 10-15 mintues at a time to concentrate on busy work.

Answer 7

If you don't have any legal requirements, 1 hour is usually considered more than enough. That's in terms of actual sit-down academic work. It's assumed that the rest of their time would include things like playing outside, possibly doing art stuff, things like that.

Answer 8

As much as they can handle. If they can handle 9 hours do so, if they can only handle 3 hours do so. That is why Homeschool shines.

You can ALSO do it 7 days a week, 365 a year. So you can make up for lost hours later on.

That is why HOMESCHOOL shines!

Answer 9

The amount of time spent on each subject depends upon the age, small motor skills, learning style, and abilities of each child (ranges as follows: 3-5 minutes for preschoolers, 10-20 minutes for 1st -3rd graders, 20-45 minutes for 4th - 6th graders, 45 minutes or more for 8th - 12th graders). More time can be spent on each subject if done orally than if you require it handwritten, especially for children who have difficulty with handwriting. For these kids, save their handwritten work for handwriting practice and for final copies of their composition projects.

The total number of hours spent each day in one-on-one instruction ranges as follows: thirty minutes in Kindergarten (broken up into several five-minute sessions), one to two hours in grades 1 - 6, two hours or more in grades 7 - 12. Again, more can be accomplished orally than handwritten for children with handwriting difficulties.

The remainder of the school day is spent having the child read on his own, participate in playtime activities with his siblings and friends, do his “homework”, take a special class, go on a field trip, complete his own “chores”, experiment with science projects, practice an instrument, create art projects, and/or participate in any other activity that can be done independently. I recommend that you do not allow playing video games or watching television (other than for educational purposes) during school hours.

Here is a recommended curriculum plan. You can adjust this to the needs of your child.

Answer 10

I would spend a little time on math, reading; even if all you do is read to her, and writing; this can be simply copying a paragraph, or a little story.
Use plenty of art, games, and DVDs to break up the workbooks.
The time depends on how much she wants to do, follow her lead, because if it becomes a struggle you will take the fun, and her willingness to learn right to point zero.