Homeschool planners: 5 steps to success

Once you have a curriculum in mind, all you need to do is plan out what you will do for the school year. There is an incredibly useful tool for this: a homeschool planner.

Homeschool planners allow you to plan out your day, week, month, or year. It allows you to prepare effectively to teach your child in the best way possible. By writing down your lesson plans and objectives, it allows your family to stay on track. A homeschool planner is an absolutely essential tool.

There are five steps you need to follow in order to decide on the perfect homeschool planner for you.
  1. Determine vacation days: Take into consideration the requirements of the state as well as any holidays or family vacations. It can be similar to the traditional school year, or you can base it fully off of your family’s timetable. This will give you the outline for your year.
  2. Decide on a basic schedule: Core subjects typically need to be done every day. However, this can be modified based on the needs of your family. The non-core subjects will need to be alternated weekly to fit into your schedule.
  3. Plan extracurricular activities: Once you have your main school schedule underway, you can take the time for any extracurricular activities you have agreed to do for the year. This will help to prevent scheduling conflicts.
  4. Add lessons: Decide how you will strive to meet the goals you set out. For best results, write a brief set of instructions for each lesson. Do not waste too much time entering in a lot of details unless it’s absolutely needed.
  5. Decide if there is anything extra you would like to keep track of in your planner: This can include attendance, meal plans, chore charts, and more. If you would like your planner to be your main planner, you will need to take that into consideration.

These steps will help you to decide which is best for you. It will help you take the size and extra information into account when choosing a homeschool planner.

If you want to buy a planner, you will need to look around for the best one for you and your goals.

Homeschool planners bought from stores can be a useful option for those who are artistically challenged. There are several different types of planners that can be useful.

Below are some of the best planners that can be purchased online.

If you just want a basic planner then A Simple Plan is the choice for you! This planner is homeschool focused. It is a 12-month planner that allows enough room for up to six children. It has amazing yearly overview pages that allow you to set large goals, while the weekly scheduling pages allow you to make progress towards your goals. Moreover, it has enough room for you to add whatever you may need to it.

For the parent who wants to keep everything in one place, The Homeschool and Day Planner is your best bet. It has pages at the front of the planner to write morning, afternoon, and evening routines. It includes dated monthly and weekly pages within it. These can be used to schedule things broadly for a day or have things specifically set out for the week. It also includes lined note pages throughout it for whatever you may need it for.

If you have a big family, you may want to opt for The Well-Planned Day. This planner is designed for four children. It includes pages for home management and meal planning as well as pages that will you plan your adventure into homeschooling.

Religion can be the focus of homeschool and the homeschool planner.

Photo taken by George Bannister

If you want a religious planner, you can go with The Catholic Daily Planner, Christian Homeschool PlannerJewish Daily Planner, or even the Muslim Daily Planner to name a few. There are a variety of daily planners available that would be useful for keeping track of your homeschooling plans. These planners are lovely for keeping religion as the main focus for your child’s education.

If you want to build your own planner, you will need to keep in mind the resources needed to effectively create one useful to you.

Considering the steps listed above, you will need to list what you would like your planner to have. Make sure to put both a monthly and weekly calendar on to the list, since these are extremely helpful to have.

After you decide what you want in your planner, you will need to decide on a budget. Your budget is extremely important to consider when tackling the next steps to creating a planner.

Homeschool planner printable

Photo taken by Jimmie on Flickr.

You can either use free planner pages, or you can choose to create your own. Keep in mind whether you want this to be cohesive and to match an aesthetic all the way through.

Consider printing your planner on weighted paper or already hole-punched paper. These two make a big difference in the durability and ease of your planner.

Last but certainly not least, you need to think of what you want to bind your planner with. There are several popular options. The first option is that you can perform the spiral binding yourself. The second option is that you can outsource it. The third option is that you can simply compile it into a three-ring binder.

Remember your planner is a vital tool that will help not only you but your entire family have a successful school year.