The daily schedule for three homeschool kids planner includes (gasp!) a column for the parent to jot down what he/she will be doing at any particular time. Isn't this much more realistic? Times are given in half-hour intervals.
Obviously, this chart does not give enough room to write down detailed lesson plans. But it will really help to plot out the activities and learning experiences for each day.
Start by printing out a sheet for each day of the week (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) and write the day of the week at the top of the sheet. Then put children's names next to a number (Child 1: Sally, Child 2: Jimmy, etc.).
Let's assume that Child 1 has piano lessons at 4:00 P.M. on Tuesdays. Write this in Child 1's column. Does mom or dad have to drive Child 1 to these lessons? Then mark "piano lessons" in the parent's column (probably 3:30, 4:00, and 4:30, because you need to include time for the commute to and from the lessons). What have you achieved? You've made it clear--on paper, in black and white--that Child 2 and Child 3 need something to do during this 1 1/2 hours. It may seem overly simple, but it can be a lot of help in terms of daily planning. For example, if one of these other children is mature enough, you could schedule for him/her to start getting dinner ready while you're at the piano lesson (simple tasks such as "peel and cut six potatoes").
The idea is that, at a glance, you can see what everyone (including yourself) is supposed to be doing at any given moment. You can schedule breaks at appropriate times. When you know that you'll need to work closely with one child from, say, 11:00 A.M.-11:30 A.M. unraveling the mystery of fractions, you can schedule your other children to work on tasks that don't require close supervision (such as an ongoing reading assignment, or an "independent study" half hour where the child is free to read, write, or draw what he/she chooses). Why? The last thing you want is to have Child 2 ask for detailed instructions on something while you're trying to explain fractions to Child 1.
Perhaps most importantly, your use of a schedule will teach your children the valuable skills of time management and independent learning. Your kids will also learn to respect your time. After all, without mom/dad on the schedule, kids often fall into the habit of assuming that mom/dad will always be available to answer questions. With mom/dad on the schedule, Child 3 can see that mom/dad is working with Child 2 from 12:30-1:00 P.M., for example, and so Child 3 must either solve the problem him-/herself, or work on something else until mom/dad is free.
