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2nd Grade Homeschool Schedule/Routine

This year my daughter is finishing up 2nd grade, so I wanted to share our 2nd grade homeschool schedule with you while it’s fresh on my mind! I’m learning how to homeschool multiple grade levels, as this year we had a 3rd grader, 2nd grader, and a kindergartener. Here’s our curriculum picks for all the kids this year.

Here’s a sample kindergarten schedule from when my oldest was 6. You might also want to see our homeschool resource page with everything we’ve used over the years. If this is your 1st year homeschooling, check out this post on how to start homeschooling for the total beginner.

Things look a little bit different than when my oldest was doing 2nd grade. At that point we had just had our 4th baby and now he’s grown into a very mobile and demanding 1 year old!

But I’ll do my best to give you a glimpse into a daily schedule for 2nd grade as well as realistically how that looks with interruptions and homeschooling 2 other kids.

School supplies with a pinterest text image saying "2nd grade homeschool schedule".

Our 2nd grade homeschool schedule

My 2nd grader’s schedule looked like this:

  • 9:00 AM: Morning family time including a bible story, hymn, one picture card to study art, memory work on a bible verse. (20-30 minutes)
  • One chapter from our read aloud at the time. Sometimes this will be a few picture books instead. (10-15 minutes)
  • 30 minute play break
  • History OR science (15-30 minutes. Family style…usually I’m reading materials from the couch.)
  • Language Arts (30 minutes)
  • 30 minute play break
  • Math (20-30 minutes)
  • Handwriting Without Tears (15 minutes)
  • Silent reading (15 min)
2nd grade homeschool schedule starting at 9 AM. This lists each subject in order of what comes next.

Schedule vs Routine

You’ll notice I don’t have any times written down except for a start time…9:00 AM. That’s because we go from one subject to the next after we’ve finished the work for that subject for that day.

We have interruptions every day, but the kids do know that morning after 9AM is “school time” till we get done what we need to do. I let them play if I’m not able to do our read alouds at the moment, unless there’s independent work they can do without me.

If you work better with exact times, you could write times down and adjust them as you find your groove.

A timed schedule wouldn’t work with my personality, but it’s ok if you prefer one! I crave more flexibility, and a routine allows us to move through the day without me feeling like I’m constantly behind.

How I organize my 2nd grader’s daily worksheets

The best thing I did this year for our homeschool (to organize my brain) was to write down each kid’s homeschool schedule separately. I don’t plan ahead, we just do the next day’s lesson for each subject.

I put my 2nd grader’s schedule into the front of her homeschool binder for easy reference.

She knew what needed to be done each day, and I had a flow I could try and follow (pending interruptions from our toddler).

Each child has a binder, with 5 tabs inside for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday’s worksheets.

Generally, I grab that week’s math sheets from our homeschool crate system and also keep their Handwriting Without Tears workbook in their binder too. When we get to say, math, she can flip to Tuesday and grab out her math.

Dealing with interruptions in our homeschool

In reality, we have a lot of interruptions! My toddler needs a diaper change, or he’s throwing pieces from a game board he found and I have to go stop it, or my 6 year old comes out to show me an EPIC Lego ship he’s been working hard on.

When I can’t teach, or read…then i can’t teach or read. I’ve tried and get frustrated. So I pause and let them play.

I give a lot of reminders to stay quiet, hold questions till I’m done with a section of reading, and try to have toddler friendly toys around. But I can’t keep the atmosphere in our home happy without some flexibility.

That’s why I don’t post times, rather just what’s next on the list!

This looks like jumping into a read aloud (our history, nature study, or chapter book) whenever I see the chance, starting after 9 AM. We just aren’t at a stage where we can “school straight through” and finish.

Sometimes this means finishing part of the day in the morning, and part in the afternoon.

Sometime’s I’ll read a chapter at night of our book from our Dart language arts when the kids are bored and settled down.

The main thing for me is that the kids know the morning starting at 9 is “school” time, and if they get to go play while I have to work with someone else, then they are “on call” for when I’m ready for the next thing with them.

Schooling multiple kids

Schooling 3 kids this year has meant that each of them gets built in breaks when I’m working with someone else.

For example, because math is one on one, there’s going to be two chunks of math when I’m not working with my 2nd grader that she’s free to play (if her independent stuff is done).

If I’m spending 20 minutes with each of the others, she’ll go do something else for 40 minutes!

Here’s more on our journey learning to homeschool multiple grade levels. I’ve been forced to become more organized, ditch busywork, and let go of unrealistic expectations of over-productivity.

My rule on reading out loud

Since so much of our curriculum involves me reading out loud to the kids, I’ve had to establish that when I’m reading, everyone needs to be in the same room as me.

I have to remind someone of this every day, because they want to slip off to the next room to play even though they can “still hear me”.

It’s partly a respect thing, partly an attention thing. Reading out loud to an empty room where kids are supposedly listening from other rooms doesn’t work for me. I can’t monitor distractions, they wouldn’t be allowed to do that in school, and it’s disrespectful (though they have to be taught by me).

I read our history, nature study, language arts, and chapter books to everyone, so there’s a decent amount of listening they have to do each day!

Things my 2nd grader (and other kids) can do while I read out loud

  • Color/draw (they seem to only do this when I have coloring pages out that are either seasonal or related to our topic)
  • Legos
  • Snapships (a favorite here with my boys ages 5-9)
  • Quietly making a fort
  • Swinging on our indoor swing

2nd graders are on the cusp of a lot of self directed learning…once they are readers

My 1st and 2nd kiddo’s 2nd grade has looked drastically different and I’m learning that they are just going to have very individualized homeschool experiences!

While both kids learned how to read using this book, they have taken to reading much differently at the same ages.

My oldest was an avid reader at 2nd grade level. His 2nd grade was full of independent, interest lead topics. I could take a more hands off approach to school and confidently know he was learning.

He loved history early readers, science comics (here was one of his favorites…but he loves the whole series), and random books I picked out from the library.

2nd grade looks different depending on your kids

My next kid can read in 2nd grade, but won’t often pick up a book (yet) unless asked.

We have a 15 minute a day reading time for her and I’m trying to find a series she’ll click with. So that means educationally, what she’s getting is a lot less “facty” knowledge right now and more hands on. Read alouds are more important for her than for my oldest at this age.

I struggle with balancing forced learning with interest led learning. And reading for her feels forced right now but I want her to enjoy the world of books like her brother.

Hands on learning is valuable too

She instead loves to spend her time learning how to craft. I’ve had to learn how to learn with her, to support her! This year she’s learned how to needle felt, knit, draw more, make ornaments, and write letters to friends.

Both are learning, but learning VERY differently! Whatever “facts” she’s attaining comes heavily from what I read out loud to my 2nd and 3rd graders.

A 2nd grader writing in her homeschool binder in a Pinterest image that says, "2nd grade homeschool schedule"

Curriculum we used for 2nd grade

Math: Math With Confidence level 2

Handwriting: Handwriting Without Tears Cursive

Grammar & Creative Writing: Darts & Partnership Writing programs by Brave Writer (video review of Partnership Writing here and blog review of Dart here)

History: Gather Round US History units 1-3, switched to Masterbooks America’s Story level 2 (See my comparison video here)

Science/Nature Study: We went back and forth between Exploring Nature With Children (my tried and true) and dabbled with a couple of 1000 Hours Outside 2 week unit studies, Wild Kratts shows, & books from the library.

Homeschool resources

Homeschool resource page

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

What is deschooling?

Copywork for beginners in a Charlotte Mason homeschool

What are living books and how to find them

Curriculum we’ve bought over the years

If you enjoy video reviews and homeschooling tips, come on over and subscribe to my YouTube channel! Also check out my homeschool printables on Etsy. Thanks for supporting my blog by reading and sharing this post!