Can You Successfully Work & Homeschool?

As a working mom who is also homeschooling her kids, you are living in a special kind of chaos. You might be sitting there wondering if it can really be done? Can you successfully work and homeschool your kids at the same time?

The simple answer is yes! 

I’ve been homeschooling for 14 years and have worked both outside the home, inside the home, and currently do both.

Is it easy? Not always, but what part of being a mom is truly easy all the time? 

The real question is, is it worth it? Yes! 

Benefits Of Working And Homeschooling

There are many benefits to working and homeschooling at the same time, a few off the top of my head is that your children get to watch you and learn from you. They see you take pride in your work, help others, handle conflict, learn time management skills and watch you do something you may not love (or let’s get real you might HATE) because you need to do it. 

As adults, we don’t always get to choose to do only the things we love, but we can show our kids how to do things we don’t like with grace. 

And it can be a nice break for you to be with other adults, to have adult conversations and to have an impact on others. 

With that in mind, how can you work and homeschool your kids successfully?

Here are 5 things you need to keep in mind:

• Keys to making your homeschool and life work
• Choosing curriculum and programs for your child
• Child care and learning opportunities while you work
• Planning and schedules
• Where to find a community and support

Making Homeschooling Fit Your Life

The first thing to keep in mind is that you are a working mom who is homeschooling her kids. Which means you are NOT a stay at home mom. Duh?

Sometimes that slips our mind when we are scrolling social media and see all these peaceful, wonderful, beautiful moments labeled “homeschooling”. Or sporting the hashtag #thisiswhathomeschoolinglookslike

And you feel like bursting into tears because your homeschool doesn’t look anything like that. Maybe you started your day with a beautiful read aloud, and the boys are horsing around, the little one is taking a sharpie to the wall, and the middle child is upside down hanging off the sofa swearing she’s listening. 

This is what homeschool can and often does look like, and notice I didn’t say anything about working? Yeah, about that. Every homeschooling mom has days where the kids are…well kids.

Social media shows one snapshot in time. That’s it. That is one single moment when the kids are actually paying attention, not picking their nose or making a face. 

So, please do not compare your homeschool to someone on social media. And while we are at it, don’t compare your homeschool to anyone else’s homeschool.

While I am all in favor of checking out what homeschooling looks like for others, I believe it should be used as inspiration, as a jumping-off point for ideas of what “might” work for you.  

One of the best places to get ideas on how to make working and homeschooling fit your life is to read how other working moms are making it work. I have interviews here if you’d like to read them. 

Now that you know homeschooling won’t look like social media, the next mental hurdle is realizing it might not look like what YOU pictured in your mind. 

When you first begin homeschooling and working, you need to be prepared to let go of any preconceived ideas and embrace what you have. 

Kids are funny creatures. What you think might work and what actually works are often not the same! That’s okay. You can roll with it. 

Homeschooling is extremely flexible, and as a working mom, you will take full advantage of that flexibility. This means you can teach your kids whenever and wherever you want. 

You can homeschool:

• in the morning before work
• afternoon between shifts
• after work in the evenings
• weekends
• holidays
• do 3 weeks of homeschooling and take a week off
• homeschool year-round 
• or follow the public school calendar

The only thing that may limit your homeschool is that you must fulfill your legal requirements of where you live. This may mean recording 180 days of school. When you complete those “days” is up to you.

Once you realize your kids are always learning even when you aren’t actively teaching them, your world opens up, and the worry of not having enough time to teach them is gone. 

For example, let’s say you worked all day at the office and you come home. You get one of your kids to help you make dinner, and you chat about the day. You eat dinner together as a family. When you are done, you get a different kid to help you clean up, and you chat with them. After dinner, you play a game and then read a story at bedtime. 

You might look over the day and think, no learning happened. BUT let’s go back over the day with new eyes. Not counting whatever they did while you were working (and we will talk about that soon), they learned kitchen skills, life skills, playing a game takes teamwork, reading, writing, math, etc.

The book you read together may count as reading comprehension, and depending on the story, it could be history, geography, and other social studies. 

I like to end these days with “what did my child learn today?” and if you aren’t sure, ask them. 

You must let go of any idea of what you thought homeschooling should look like and embrace the homeschool you have!

This brings us to our second point, choose your curriculum carefully. 

Disclosure: I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

How Choosing Curriculum Is Different When You Work And Homeschool

When I started to work and homeschool at the same time, I thought nothing would change in my life.

I mean, think about it. Going from being a stay-at-home, homeschool mom to a working mom-change is bound to happen. If you are going from a working mom to a working homeschool mom-again, change. For some odd reason, this never crossed my mind! 

And because of my mindset, I had to struggle big time, but you don’t have to. 

This came to my attention the most in these three areas of my life: Curriculum, time management, and self-care. 

Choosing Curriculum

Let’s start with how choosing a curriculum is different when you are a working mom. 

First of all, you should try to choose a curriculum that works with your child, not against it. Just like any homeschooling mom, you want to take into consideration their learning style and interests, but here is where it gets a little different. 

You also need to consider how much planning it will take on your end, how much of YOU it requires, and how much they can do on their own.

Do yourself a favor now and be realistic. Get really real with yourself. Each time you are faced with the decision to add a new curriculum or program to your homeschool ask:

• How much time will I need to devote to planning, preparing, teaching, and correcting the work?
• Can I fit this in, or are we going to be leaving a lot? Am I okay with that?
• Do I want a more minimal curriculum? 
• Do I want a curriculum that allows my child to do it independently? 

An online program that allows your child to work independently might work better for your situation if you have to work full-time. Otherwise, if you have flexible working hours, you might be able to put your curriculum choice first and work your working hours around that curriculum.

This will depend on the ages of your children. You may find yourself in need of an online curriculum or using a mix. 

For example, my kids are very workbook/textbook style. They loved worksheets and weren’t a fan of a lot of hands-on or unit studies. So we limited those in our homeschool to things we could do “for fun together.” I made use of subscription boxes as everything they needed came in the box.

I also found online programs like Easy Peasy, CTCMath, Schoolhousetachers.com, etc. made a massive change in my homeschool because the kids could continue working on their homeschool work on the go. They learned in waiting rooms, in the car, at the sitters, etc. 

You’ll also want to take advantage of things like audiobooks, learning through games both online and offline, and books, puzzles, and other things they can have fun doing. These are great ways to have your kids learning while you are doing other things. You would be shocked at what your kids can learn from a good board game or TV show. 

Some moms like to create a list of apps and playlists that their kids can listen and learn while they are at work.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to ditch a program you love if it is not working for your kids or your life. It’s okay to change programs mid-month or even mid-year. You do not need to keep using a program until the end of the school year. 

When a program stops working for my life, I use these 7 questions to help me pick something that works for us. 

Now that you have your curriculum sorted out, you might wonder what to do with your kids while you work?

Child Care Options And Working With Kids

This builds on the curriculum question because there are many ways your kids can keep learning when they’re not with you or while you are working. 

Before we dig into that, we need to cover child care. Finding child care is often a massive roadblock to overcome. 

If you work outside the home or even at home, you may need to have someone take care of your kids. 

5 things to keep in mind while choosing child care are:

1. The age of your child. Many child care options are only open to certain ages of kids.
2. The location. Check the distance and see how much driving time will be added to your week, along with the added cost to fuel. 
3. The type of child care.  Ask questions such as: Did you want in-home care, yours or theirs? Did you want center-based or group care?
4. What kind of care does your child need? This is very important to keep in mind if your child has special needs or allergies etc. Make sure the care provider is equipped to handle these needs. 
5. Cost. Child care can be expensive! Create a budget and stick to it. You don’t want to be working just to cover child care costs.

Depending on where you live, some of these may not be available. I am going to list only a few, but it will give you a great starting point. Jot down any ideas that appeal and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

6 child care options for when you work and homeschool:

1. Homeschool Teen: Many hire a homeschooled teen for a few hours a day to help keep their younger kids on track while working.
2. Family or Friends: This is an excellent option if you have a reliable family member or friends nearby that support homeschooling.
3. Trade with another working mom who requires child care.
4. Have a friend hang out to do “fun stuff” with your kids while you work. This is a great way to combine hands-on learning with child care.
5. Leave older kids home alone while working. Using check-in programs or security measures will help you feel at ease. Be sure they know emergency numbers and how to contact you.
6. Hire a stay at home mom to take care of your kids. Many appreciate the chance to bring in a few extra dollars.

These are just a few options to get you started. You can read the whole list here. 

How Your Child Can Learn While At Child Care

Now that you have the child care issue handled, you can add in the “learning aspect.” 

While these ideas are great for both work-at-home and work-outside-the-home situations, they are also perfect for any child care options that may not love the idea of your kids doing homeschool work while they are in their care. 

If you work at home, the first step is to clearly communicate when you are working and that you are not available. I also suggest letting your kids know what to do if they get stuck and need you, when it is okay to interrupt you, and when you are done working. 

I trained my kids using a timer for both the visual and audio clues. You can see how I did that here. 

The next key to working at home is you need to give your kids something to do while you work. Or they will be bored, and they will hunt you down.

I used two quiet boxes, much like busy boxes, but I removed all the loud things. You’ll want to create two that you can swap back and forth. This makes each box “new and exciting!” 

If you are sending your kid somewhere for child care, you can use backpacks instead of boxes. 

A few things you can include are:

• Audiobooks uploaded to a device such as an iPod, earbuds
• Games: small travel board games or a deck of cards
• Coloring books, puzzle books, and crayons or colored pencils
• Workbooks, mad libs, books
• Makers and notebooks
• Dry-erase boards and markers
• Paper and drawing supplies
• Load up a Tablet, Kindle or Laptop with educational apps 

All of these things encourage learning while playing and most are screen-free. If you’d rather stick to screen-free activities, try one of these nine ideas. Don’t forget to adjust them to your needs. 

Another idea I received from a working mom is actually to send homeschool work with your child to child care.

Children as young as first grade (knowing how to read helps!), can do math pages, read learn-to-read books, and later read history and science books that can be discussed in the evenings, write spelling words and memorize word definitions, etc. There are lots of things they can do without you being right there. This will teach your kids to learn independently, which is a vital skill, and it will also make your evenings and weekends much more efficient!

Planning Tips To Help You Fit All The Pieces In

 One of the keys to working and homeschooling is to learn to fit all the parts of working and homeschooling into one schedule. 

That is why I say that one vital skill working moms need is to manage their time wisely. 

Working moms need time management skills because there are so many moving parts of our life.  

You have the responsibility of both a job and a family. You have a house to take care of, which means it needs to be clean and semi-organized. You have meals to plan and cook because the kids are always hungry and all the financial fun of bills to pay, etc. And you are homeschooling your kids, and all that entails. 

And for fun, let’s throw in keeping appointments, running errands, taking care of your health, taking care of your parents, and being a friend.

All of this can be overwhelming at the best of times. You are one person, and it often falls on your shoulders to keep track and be on top of them all. 

How is it possible to work and homeschool?

The answer is to have the right time management systems in place. When you do this, this chaotic list becomes manageable. 

Step 1: Having a planner is vital for working moms. 

Or a planning system that works for you. I don’t care what you are using, paper planner, online planner, a mix of both. Pick something you will use! 

The perfect planner sitting on the shelf will do you no good. 

I share tips on how to pick out a planner for you, including questions you should ask here. 

Step 2: Create a simple schedule.

If you have tried and tried to create a simple schedule but failed, this is for you. I have a free email course that will give you the step-by-step plan broken down into totally doable tasks. 

It’s quick and easy, spread out over a few days. Click here to learn more. Or sign up below.

Step 3: Learn to tame your hectic schedule.

You need to figure out what is on your plate, what can be removed by outsourcing or asking others to help you, and then figure out how to fit it all in one life. The best way to do this is to keep it simple and lay it all out. 

I have a framework that cuts through all the overwhelm with a step-by-step plan. 

For more time management help, please read Time Management: The One Vital Skill You Need As A Working Mom

Where To Find Community And Support

I know how it feels to be alone on this journey. To be surrounded by others who don’t really get it.

When you are chatting with workmates, and they encourage you to put your kids in public school if you are having a bad day instead of realizing…bad homeschool days happen.

When you are sharing with homeschooling friends about a rough workday, they tell you to quit work instead of understanding that maybe you need your job. Bad workdays happen. 

We all have bad days. We need support and understanding when we are going through those rough times. 

It is important to find a community of moms who are on the same journey as you. So, you can swap stories, share what is working and what isn’t and get a hand up from those just ahead of you. And a place you can share and encourage others. I know that when I have a super rough day and help someone else, it changes my no-good, horrible rotten day into something not so bad. 

Remember I said that thinking nothing had to change impacted my self-care? Self-care is anything that recharges you. Having a support system in place is part of self-care.

You can find them online such as Facebook Groups and forums. Or in your community. You may need to search a little harder but keep looking.

I have two online communities, specifically for working moms who homeschool. 

1. The Working Homeschool Mom Club by Jen Mackinnon on Facebook 
2. Working Homeschool Mom Coffee Club

The Lie You’ve Been Told

The other day, a mom asked about the Coffee Club, so I was sharing a bit about how it helps working moms learn how to work and homeschool with time management skills along with a community of like-minded moms.

She wanted to see how the membership was laid out. After checking it out, she says, “Oh, I thought it was for moms who work outside the home and homeschool, but that’s impossible!”

Sigggghhhhhhh

My gut reaction was to feel annoyed. I mean, why can’t moms who work outside the home also homeschool? Why are we still being pushed to choose one over the other in this day and age? Why can’t we have both a career and teach our kids?

Just because it might not be mainstream doesn’t mean you can’t do it. I think it’s more about what is right for you and your family than what other people think.

Instead of getting all worked up about what other people believe, I realized I needed to stick to my job. I’m here because so many of you hear what you are trying to do is “impossible.”

And that, my dear, is a lie.

While not impossible, it is a “special kind of chaos.”

Why do I say that? Because a working mom’s life is always going to be chaotic in a way because life is ever-changing. It’s a lot like navigating a raging river filled with rocks, rapids, and fallen debris.

When it comes to working and homeschooling, you have two choices, you can either:

1. Fight the current and try swimming upstream, or
2. Swim with the current and keep your head above water

The first option you waste a lot of time and energy going nowhere.

The second one allows you to see what is coming and make the needed adjustments. ^This is what makes rocking the chaos of this journey possible!

The river didn’t change. It’s still filled with rocks, rapids, and fallen debris. The only thing that changed is you and how you handle it.

If you are getting ready to dive into the working homeschool mom’s journey or are there, but it feels like you are missing something, check to see if you have these five things covered.

Can You Successfully Work And Homeschool Your Kids At The Same Time?

YES! It can be hard to think positively when loved ones, friends, and family tell you that homeschooling and working at the same time is impossible. I am here to tell you it IS possible!

Set yourself up for success to work and homeschool by making sure you have these 5 things in mind:

1. Your homeschool should be unique to your family. Embrace the flexibility of homeschooling 
2. Choose the curriculum carefully. Make sure it fits not only your child and their learning style but consider how much work it is for you. Don’t be afraid to try new things and ditch anything that doesn’t work. 
3. Child care can be tough to find, use the questions and ideas I shared to start thinking outside the box. Try creating learning centers or quiet boxes for them to learn while you work. 
4. Scheduling is key. Have a planning system and use it. Keep it simple
5. Find a community that supports you. 

Remember, no one said it would be easy, but it is worth it! 

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