If youโve ever wondered, โHow much notebooking should we actually do each day?โ โ youโre not alone! This was one of my big questions when we first started.
Thereโs no magic number of pages or minutes to hit each day. I aim for my children to produce something after most lessons โ whether itโs a few sentences, a drawing, or even just a list of facts.
Some days that โsomethingโ might only take 5-10 minutes per subject. Other days, it may take longer. Sometimes, we do our reading and oral narration one day and notebook the next!
The goal is to create a personal record of what theyโve learned โ a way for them to reflect and reinforce their knowledge. This habit helps them organize their thoughts, develop writing fluency, and gain confidence in expressing themselves.
Notebooking fits naturally into our learning routine. It doesnโt feel like forced writing practice; instead, it allows my children to process and express their learning in their own way, at their own pace.
Let me walk you through our daily routine.
Our Day-to-Day Notebooking Routine
Right after we complete a reading or lesson, we do oral narrations. This is key โ before any questions or discussions, my children orally narrate what theyโve taken away from the lesson. Itโs a simple but powerful practice that helps them process and organize their thoughts.
โNarrating is not the work of a parrot, but of absorbing into oneself the beautiful thought from the book, making it oneโs own and then giving it forth again with just that little touch that comes from oneโs own mind.โ
The Story of Charlotte Mason, page 125
I love this quote from Charlotte Mason because it perfectly captures the heart of what narration is โ itโs about making the learning personal.
Once theyโve narrated, I may ask open-ended questions to help us dive deeper into the material, and then itโs time to put something down on paper.
What actually ends up in the notebook depends on how each child chooses to express what theyโve learned. Sometimes, they may feel like writing, other times theyโll prefer drawing or crafting something more visual. This flexibility allows them to create a personal record of their learning in a way that resonates with them.
Notebooking Examples By-the-Subject
Each subject naturally lends itself to different types of notebooking activities. This variety keeps notebooking engaging, and it gives children different ways to interact with what theyโre learning.
For Bible, notebooking may include reflections on the verses weโve read, jotting down key themes or lessons from stories, or illustrated representations of parables or Old Testament stories.
In history, we might do written narrations of events like the signing of the Declaration of Independence, create timelines to track the order of key battles, or sketch maps to visualize exploration routes.
In science, we might draw labeled diagrams, like for the water cycle, take notes from our experiments with details on the process and results, or write short explanations of new concepts like photosynthesis.
For literature, my children might copy their favorite passages, journal their opinions on a characterโs decisions, or reflect on the themes of a story.
Caveat: For language arts, we keep a notebook as well, but it doesnโt follow the same read, narrate, and notebook approach. Learn more about our language arts notebook.
No matter the subject, notebooking adapts to each childโs stage of learning, allowing them to move and learn at their own pace and capture what resonates with them.
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The True Flexibility of Notebooking
What I probably appreciate most about notebooking is how it supports the individual learner. Thereโs no pressure to meet abitrary standards or fill-in worksheets just for the sake of checking a box. Each child can develop their writing voice and fluency in an organic way with whatever they are learning that day.
Some days, itโs a few sentences. Other days, theyโll fill the whole page. The more my kids notebook, the more natural it becomes, and each child can progress at their own pace. The goal is always growth and expression โ not perfection.
This adaptability is especially helpful when homeschooling a child with special needs.
Notebooking with Special Needs
At this time, Iโm homeschooling my youngest son, who has moderate dyslexia, and notebooking makes it easy to tailor our approach to fit his needs. Some days, he handles the writing on his own. Other days, I write down (or type) his oral narration, and from there, he might copy it, write from dictation, or simply use my typed version. This โshared writingโ method allows him to participate fully without feeling overwhelmed, while still giving him the chance to grow at his own pace.
Finding the Right Fit for Your Homeschool
So, how much notebooking should you do each day? It depends on whatโs appropriate for your childโs age, maturity, and level of capability.
For younger children, it might be just a couple of sentence and/or a drawing, while older students, especially high schoolers, may naturally do more โ producing multiple pages while working across multiple subjects. The key is to stay flexible and allow your childโs notebooking to reflect their current abilities. As they grow, youโll see their confidence increase, along with their writing skills and independence in expressing their thoughts.
Ready to get started?
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