I love a good planner and while I've had success with some big name planners, they weren't ever quite the right fit. So, I created my own.
One of the most important things in our homeschool life is our vision. Without a vision you will become frustrated, overwhelmed, and it will be hard to remember why you are homeschooling when times are tough. That is why the first section of my planner focuses on your homeschool vision. Summer is an optimal time to plan your vision and reflect on it, editing as needed. It shouldn't be rushed and it should take a few attempts. Write down your initial thoughts and then go back to your words a few days later.
After you have hammered out a reasonable (and attainable) vision, it is time to begin planning. Choose curriculum and planning an overview of your school year will help you stay realistic in your purchasing of curriculum and your time to complete all of the amazing projects, read aloud, and shiny new curriculum pieces you saw in the magazine or at convention.
We call this the year at a glance. There is a page for every subject and a few with blank titles, so you can even plan your child's year at a glance (or maybe a subject area I have not created, for example Spanish).
Next up, planning out each month. You may do this month by month, by semester, by quarter, or before the year begins. There is no one way or right way to use these pages. Do what will bring you peace of mind. Do not try to plan the entire school year if that does not fit your personality.
Each month has a blank calendar and also a vision and reflection page. There are two vision questions to answer at the beginning of the month and two reflection questions to answer at the end of the month. It really helps to reflect at the end of a semester or year. You may notice a trend year to year (for instance - I always think we have so much time in November and December but with the holidays we do not. So I have learned - begrudgingly- to plan a little less than my hear desires).
Now we get real: it is time to plan week by week. Some of you may plan several weeks at a time Maybe you enjoy working six weeks on and one week off and need to lay those weeks out. Others may choose to plan on Fridays or over the weekend for the upcoming week. Whatever your heart's desire these pages can help.
You will need to print multiple copies of the weekly plan you choose. You can edit it digitally first and then print. This allows you to change subjects anytime you need (especially if they change over a semester or you are a unit study type).
I have included a few different options, one for those who like to plan by subject and another for those who plan by chunks of time. I included a weekly checklist you can customize for your child as well. I love to tailor the checklist to each of my children for their independent studies. For example: my oldest may need to check off piano, vocabulary definitions, reading a chapter, and typing; while my youngest will need to check off handwriting, phonics practice, and piano.
One other template you will find is the weekly overview. I fill this out as I look at our week. It helps me to know what books I need to pull (or grab from the library), any supplies I may need to pick up, and reminds me of important events.
Last, but certainly not least are homeschool logs. I have included a wide variety of logs:
Reading log
Audiobook log
Educational Video log
Field Trip log
Password log
180 Checklists
Attendance checkboxes
Grade log
You may not need each of these logs, but hopefully you will choose the ones which best suite your family and your state's laws.
If you want to walk through the planner with me, you can watch the YouTube video below!
Ready to grab the FREE planner? Click the link below and be certain to read the instruction page first!
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