🧩 Typical “modules” in modular learning

There’s no single best schedule for every family, but understanding common patterns in modular learning can help you see how to fit work and homeschooling into your life. Whether you work full-time or part-time, these schedules can provide a framework for integrating your responsibilities with your homeschooling routine.

Here are some typical patterns we’ve observed in modular learners seeking a challenging, well-rounded homeschool program that allows for self-directed learning and rich social experiences.

Generally, the modular learning week includes the following “modules”:

1. 1-1 Mastery Hours 1-2 hours/day

Depending on the child’s age, most children spend 1-2 hours a day focusing on math and language arts with the support of a parent, tutor, caregiver, or older sibling. In some cases, highly self-directed children can work independently. Since 1-1 mastery learning is more efficient than group instruction, many families find they can cover core subjects quickly. This intense, focused time allows children to progress rapidly, often moving through several grade levels swiftly. It's advisable to schedule these hours when the child is most energized and focused. Adding more hours typically does not lead to better outcomes. Like designers or any creative professionals, a few hours of highly focused work balanced with more loosely structured time leads to better results. Working more hours does not make your child more productive.

2. Family Time 1-2 hours a day, mealtimes, 1-2 evenings, 1-2 full days a week

A significant perk of modular learning is the opportunity to spend more time together as a family. Research shows that family involvement in education significantly impacts outcomes and has numerous mental health benefits. Family time cultivates secure attachment styles, leading to greater happiness, self-esteem, and autonomy. It builds a foundation that can prevent drug and alcohol addiction and fosters strong social skills.

Families might choose to spend a family day together once or twice a week, read the NYTimes together at breakfast, eat dinner together every day, watch a documentary on Friday evening, or read together every night. One family in San Francisco takes a walk on the beach every morning at sunrise, then has breakfast together. Another family reserves Wednesday as family day for hobbies, day trips, museum visits, or hiking. It's beneficial to set aside loosely structured family time outside of 1-1 mastery learning.

In today’s age, there’s a tendency to prioritize time with peers over time with family. However, time with family is more critical than time with peers, even for developing social skills. We explore this further in our guide to “Family Involvement in Education.”

3. Self-Directed Learning 3-4 hours a day

Modular learners often have large periods of unstructured time to direct their own learning. This can be intimidating for families who fear their kids might get bored or be unproductive. However, this time fosters creativity, grit, a growth mindset, and autonomy. It allows children to learn executive functioning skills and discover their passions. It also gives space for experimentation and failure, helping children understand that their family trusts their capabilities, laying the groundwork for courage and independence. There are ways to make this unstructured time more productive, discussed in our guide “Giving Kids the Time and Space to Teach Themselves.”

4. Social Learning 1-2 hours a day, 3-5 times a week

Kids need ample time to interact with peers and adults. Play is one of the key ways children learn. Modular learning provides more playtime than the typical 30-minute recess or the exhausted hours after school. Modular learners often participate in several afterschool or homeschool classes, at least one or two big meetups per week, and smaller gatherings or 1-1 playdates two to three times a week. Many families take their kids to the park or playground daily for a few hours. If you ask a modular learner about their social life, they will often say that the issue is not a lack of social time, but too much of it!

5. Full-Day or Half-Day Program 1/2 - 2 days a week

Many families engage in full-day programs such as homeschool co-ops, microschools, park days, forest schools, or field trip days. These programs can be run by teachers or parents within the homeschool community. Full-day programs provide a chance for families to have a day to themselves and for children to spend time with peers. These programs range from co-learning spaces and informal gatherings to project-based makerspaces or settings similar to traditional schools.

6. Practical Life 20 minutes to an hour per day

"Practical life" is a term coined by Maria Montessori to describe learning through household responsibilities such as cleaning, cooking, and caring for plants. Depending on their age, kids might spend 20 minutes to an hour daily helping with household chores.

Most modular learners make kids responsible for tasks like doing dishes, walking the dog, or helping with a younger sibling. They also take on more responsibility for their own needs, such as cleaning their room or making their own lunch.

“Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence.” - Maria Montessori

Getting your child to “opt in” to their chores and learning schedule is beyond the scope of this post, but families can learn more about communicating with children around learning and setting healthy boundaries in our post on family involvement in education or by watching our workshop on “Communicating with Children” with Bank Street professor, Deb Vilas.

Even very young children are often capable of performing many more tasks than we imagine.

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” - Maria Montessori

7. Year-Round Learning

A significant difference between modular learning and traditional school is the year-round approach. In modular learning, education continues throughout the year, without stopping in summer.

A year-round learning approach brings ease to the whole family, creating a lifestyle and routine that works for everyone. Families can take breaks from routines as needed without the pressure of deadlines.

Images of children celebrating the end of school and the start of summer can be disturbing. Is it right that kids abhor school so much that they celebrate the time off?

Families may be skeptical of year-round schooling because they see school as a demanding task kids need a break from. In an effective modular approach, kids enjoy learning and don’t see it as a chore. Modular learners don’t view learning as something that starts and stops at specific times; they learn all the time, sometimes through structured activities and other times organically from the world around them.

In traditional schools, kids typically spend a month on catch-up at the beginning of each semester. A comprehensive review by The Brookings Institution found substantial learning loss over summer break:

“(1) on average, students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning, (2) declines were sharper for math than for reading, and (3) the extent of loss was larger at higher grade levels. Importantly, they also concluded that income-based reading gaps grew over the summer, given that middle-class students tended to show improvement in reading skills while lower-income students tended to experience loss. However, they did not find differential summer learning in math, or by gender or race in either subject.“

From "Summer learning loss: What is it, and what can we do about it?" (Brookings Institution)

Year-round learning allows kids to learn at their own pace and continuously build upon previous knowledge. They have a balanced schedule that allows for breaks and changes when needed.

Parents don’t stop working in the summer, so it doesn’t make sense for kids to stop learning. Students don’t stop learning for two months each year and then play catch-up each fall.

In modular learning, there’s no big celebration when school ends in spring. Kids love learning and have an insatiable appetite for more knowledge. When modular learning is effective, kids don’t feel the need or desire to take the summer off. However, they can still enjoy summer programs, camps, and opportunities to travel and explore.