text: how many hours should a 1st grade homeschooler spend doing schoolwork?   here is the answer from homeschool.com  a: the short answer to this, as kids today are likely to say is, "24-7." again, think in terms of being free from the way government schools go about educating children. if you like schedules, stick with theirs. but realize that an evening trip to the grocery store, a weekend visit to the nature center, and even bedtime story hour are times available for learning together.  some families sit down and do all their academic (book) work for a couple of hours each morning, freeing up the children's afternoons for personal pursuits. others scatter book work throughout the day, or note that their children might sit down with a math book for 2 weeks straight, then not touch it again for a month. sometimes families simply go through the course of a day and only take advantage of "teachable moments" as they arise.  as you begin to homeschool, and if you just observe what takes place in the course of a week or so, you'll begin to notice a "rhythm" - your family's personal rhythm. here's where you'll get your best clues as to the best times for particular pursuits. just one word of warning: when i did this, i saw that two of my children were night owls! just about the time my mind and body were winding down, they were just getting into gear! this was definitely an impetus to help them become independent learners very quickly!   here is my answer:  spend about 2 focused hours learning between breakfast and lunch, and let them follow thier own pursuits in the afternoon.  the answer for your child;  try out different things.. the answer for your kid may be different than mine.