You may be thinking: "Am I really homeschooling now?" Your world has been upended. And now you're trying to figure out how to continue your kids' education—while working, planning, wrestling with your new normal, and maybe panicking a little. You're balancing financial stress and more, but you can still help your kids make positive and lasting childhood memories. Maybe you’re eating more meals as a family, your kids are getting more time to play, or are becoming friends with their siblings again. Maybe we should ask ourselves, "If we had all the freedom in the world, what would our family life look like? What would the kids' education look like? How might the kids blossom and flourish if they were able to operate at a pace that works for them?"

First, you might be surprised to discover that the typical homeschool day—especially for elementary-aged children—takes a lot less time than it does in a traditional school setting.

But your instinct to consider the time commitment is right on. Homeschooling is a big investment for you as a parent. It involves taking full responsibility for your child’s education—planning out their school year and field trips, arranging for testing or other assessments, recordkeeping, figuring out what parts you will teach and what parts you might delegate to a tutor, a co-op, another parent, or an online or local course, etc.

And you’re already wearing a lot of hats—that’s true, too! Homeschooling is incredibly flexible—that gives you the beautiful opportunity to completely customize your homeschool schedule around your child’s learning pace and interests, your family’s calendar, and unique learning opportunities.

There are several factors to keep in mind when answering this question.

The typical homeschool day—especially for elementary-age children—takes a lot less time than it does in a traditional school setting because of the concentrated, one-on-one instruction that you can give your children.

Homeschooling is also incredibly flexible, which gives you the opportunity to customize your homeschool schedule. You can organize your homeschool day (and week!) around your child’s learning pace, your family’s calendar, extracurricular activities, and even your work schedule.

However, homeschooling is still a big investment for you as a parent. It involves taking full responsibility for your child’s education—planning out their school year and field trips, arranging for testing or other assessments, recordkeeping, figuring out what subjects or lessons you will teach and which ones you might delegate to a tutor, a co-op, another parent, or an online or local course, and so on.