Homeschool 101: How to Plan Your Homeschool Year
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Your Homeschool Journey
When I began planning my first homeschool year back in 2021, I was overwhelmed. My background in education (B.A. and M.Ed.) should have ensured that I was a pro at this. Right? So, why did it feel so hard?
My struggle is not uncommon. Whether, like me, you were a teacher in a former “life” or whether your background is completely different, the beginning of a new chapter can create a lot of angst. Because, as with anything, there is always a learning curve.
I have worked through planning four homeschool years since then, and I want to share what I’ve learned with you. I hope these tips will make your transition into homeschooling easier.
Everyone does things differently, and each of my homeschool years has even been different from the rest. In general, however, there are some ways to help smooth the journey as you plan out your year. So, here goes…
Determine Your Why
When the laundry piles up, the kids don’t want to cooperate, and you’re ready to throw in the towel...What keeps you going on the hard days?
Maybe you need a break, and it’s a day to skip the school books and learn a different way - by going on a hike or having a playdate. But, sometimes it can help to remember why you started this journey in the first place.
As you plan the year ahead (or the months ahead), take two minutes to write this down! You can certainly just think through it - but taking the time to write down your reasons can not only help you think through them but also form a great record for the hard days when you need to remind yourself why you’re doing this.
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Some thoughts to get you going...
What drives your desire to homeschool?
What motivates you?
Why did you start?
Your “Why” is probably different than your best homeschool friend’s why or even the family you know from church. We all have different reasons that we choose to go down this path less-traveled. They might be academic reasons, health-related, based on your family’s schedules, faith-based concerns, or because we want the extra time with our kids. Regardless, we all have reasons - probably quite a few.
I thought I knew my why.
I hadn’t bothered to write it down - until recently - because “I have it in my head.” But what amazed me was that when I decided to get it on paper, I realized I had a TON more reasons than I even thought I did! What a sweet way to pep-talk myself at the beginning of another school year!
So, do whatever helps you; but at least take a few minutes to remind yourself why you are investing your blood, sweat, and tears, time and energy into this homeschooling journey.
Set Your Goals
Getting Started
Each family is unique, obviously. Your “Why” probably correlates directly with the goals you have for your kids. We each have things that are important to us. And if you’re like me, it can be hard to think up those goals on the spot.
Here are a few thoughts to get you going…
Types of Goals:
Character-based (Ex: learning to say please and thank-you or practicing gratefulness)
Physical (Ex: learning to swim or play soccer)
Academic (Ex: learning to write a 3-paragraph paper or how to write your name)
Habits (Ex: making up your bed in the morning or brushing your teeth)
Skills (Ex: tying your shoes, cooking breakfast)
This list is not exhaustive, but I hope it helps get your wheels turning.
Quick Side-Note
If you have not written out your goals before the school year starts, THAT IS TOTALLY FINE!!! This is just a frame-work to help get you thinking. Do what helps you and SKIP THE REST. You can always go back and write goals down mid-year or anytime.
Family Goals
Aside from types of goals, it can be helpful to think in Categories of “who” the goal is for. So, first you might consider goals for your family as a whole. Some of your goals will naturally impact all of your kids, whether family subjects or projects or anything else. Here are a few examples…
Examples of Family Goals
Go camping 2 times this fall
Learn how to bake bread together
Complete our history curriculum by May
Start a morning-time routine
Individual Goals
Next, consider each member of your homeschool. Find a spot to write down specific goals for each kid. You can always change them as needed.
Examples of Individual Kid Goals:
Complete x curriculum
Learn to write in cursive
Learn to tie shoes
Don’t forget the teacher!
And - don’t forget yourself! What are your personal (or professional) goals? Just because we don’t get paid to be teachers, we absolutely are teachers. So, if it helps you to think of yourself as a professional who needs (and wants!) professional development and planning time, do it!!! But - if that stresses you out, don’t give it another thought!!! It’s your home and your family. So you get to decide.
Just take some time to think through and write out goals for each person...each kid and yourself. You can stick with goals you have for this year, or you can make an ongoing list of goals for the next x number of years before your kid graduates.
Either way, jotting down the overarching goals and then considering how to reach them is a great second step for your homeschool planning.
Discover Your Style
Now that you have thought about why you are homeschooling and thus your goals for your family, let’s chat about different homeschooling styles.
What’s Your Vibe?
Some of you probably know what “type of homeschooler” you are. Others may ask what in the world I mean by this. In short, it is a method or style of homeschooling. Some of the common ones are listed below.
As you read through this list, think about what jives with you and your family dynamics. It may morph through the years. That’s ok. You don’t have to pick a style and stick with it from now to eternity! Just consider what elements you are interested in. Then do some more research if you want to find out more about the methods.
Determining your style will you choose your curriculum, since different authors write curriculum geared to various teaching and learning styles.
Homeschooling Styles
There are so many more than what I’ve listed below, but here are a few to get you started. If you want to see a longer list of even more homeschool styles, check out this article.
Traditional
Think what most of us did as kids in school. Textbooks form the spine.
Charlotte Mason
Her style is based on “living books” (as opposed to textbooks), and a focus on habit-building. Nature studies are also key.
Classical
This method is based on the “trivium,” or three stages of learning - Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. Kids progress through these stages from a memory-work focus to eventually defending their stances through writing and speaking.
Unschooling
This looks the least like traditional school of any of them. It tends to be project-based and interest-led with the kids often making the decisions about what to learn and how long to spend.
Eclectic
This style tends to pick and choose elements of other styles without fully aligning with one. For instance, I use elements of Classical as well as Traditional and even a touch of Unschooling.
Choose Your Path
Once you figure out what style resonates with you, you can start researching curriculum to use.
I have talked about choosing curriculum in other articles as well as written reviews for some of the curriculum we use.
Here’s a list of suggestions for you to check out.
Curriculum Planning Articles:
In this article I discuss researching curriculum options under the section called “Curriculum.”
Where in the World Do I Find Homeschool Curriculum?
This article delves into curriculum retailers, direct-to-consumer companies, as well as where to find used curriculum (or even free stuff)!
Free Homeschool Planning Trello Board
This FREE Trello board gives you an easy way to keep track of your curriculum research and planning.
Create a Flexible Schedule
As you begin to plan out the semester(s) with your chosen curriculum,
When you think of “schedule,” a couple things might come to mind...
planning out the year on a calendar,
AND planning your weekly or daily routine
Yearly Calendar:
First, let’s consider the YEARLY calendar of school days and vacations. Depending on where you live, you may or may not have a required number of school days. Here in the US, every state has its own laws - and they vary substantially from one state to another.
However, many homeschoolers who aren’t required to “do school” for a certain number of days still choose to plan out their school days to align with the school system near them or to some such standard that they prefer.
This is how I plan out my school calendar. We school for 180 days out of the year.
First, I start with a yearly calendar view like this.
Your lesson plan book may have a similar page, or you can grab a FREE PDF of this page by filling out the form below.
Looking for a lesson planner? This page is included in the TTM Homeschool Lesson Planner, available for purchase here.
Mark the Special Days First
FIRST - mark out family vacations, holidays, and other special events you DON’T want to “do school” on. I like to use different color highlighters to make a key in the top corner.
Consider Conflicting Schedules
I always note when my husband is off work, and even other schedules that impact ours - friends’ spring break or the public school system near us. Some years my preschoolers have been at mothers-morning-out programs that follow the school system nearest us. So, I needed to know when they would be at home vs. in preschool.
Some homeschoolers intentionally school during the public school breaks and then take off when fewer people are out and about - so they can access all the “attractions” without the crowds.
If you’re wondering where to find your public school calendar, most of the school systems near me publish a calendar for each school year and post them on their websites. You should be able to find them with a quick online search.
Keep in Mind the Ebbs and Flows
Next, consider the flow of the year - in the spring we often get the winter blues and nobody wants to homeschool. We’re just worn out. So, maybe schedule a break for the spring (think traditional spring break) or do shorter weeks for a month. You can be creative here!
Finally, fill in the days you PLAN to do school. Then, remember that it can change. My “master plan” never looks identical to the actual schedule by the end of the school year. Sometimes plans change. But - having this plan can just help you see if you’re “on track” and if you need to adjust accordingly.
Other Planning Considerations
Don’t forget to “count” field trips - these might include going to the beach or mountains - as school days. From catching hoards of jellyfish to observing high and low tides, or observing bird-calls and animal tracks on a trail, our kids learn (and RECALL) even more from nature’s classroom than they would from a book.
Also, teacher work days are a VERY legit use of some of your school “days.” So, plan those in!! I usually include 5-7 teacher work days and count those as part of the 180. If it makes you feel better, check the number of teacher “in-service” days that are included on your district’s yearly calendar. Most likely they are included in the total number of required days.
Weekly or Daily Routine:
This might be more - or less - your style. Maybe you thrive on having a hour-by-hour schedule. Maybe you prefer flexibility. Either way, take some time - even just a few minutes - to consider the flow of your week and days.
When do you have less distractions? When do you and your kid(s) have more energy? What interruptions break up your day? Write these down.
Think Outside the 8:00-3:00 Box
You may need to do math with your fifth grader in the evenings when your husband is home to watch the toddler. Or you may need to schedule first-grade phonics lessons around the baby’s nap times.
If you need to do subjects in the evenings after younger kids are in bed, you are not alone!! This is a great way to homeschool even if you work a full-time job. Unless you are legally required to do otherwise, you can homeschool at night or on the weekends. It doesn’t have to be during “regular” school hours.
Also, give block scheduling a try. Just write out a general timeframe during which you do certain subjects. Math and reading before lunch. Science in the afternoons.
Or start the day with a family “morning time” where you read aloud together, practice memory work, or do certain “family subjects.” And despite its name, you can have “morning time” at ANY TIME of the day or night!! You can even call it whatever you want! This is typically just a time in which the homeschooling parent(s) can teach multiple kids at once for certain subjects.
Take some time to think through the flow of your week. Don’t set it in stone. It will most likely change. And there will be days (and weeks) where nothing goes as planned. And that’s ok - it happens to all of us!
Keep the Littles Busy
This is MUCH easier said than done. But - think about what you can let your littler kids do while you work one-on-one with older kids. Or, if your older kids can do some independent work, let them do that while you read to the littler ones.
Let an older child play or read with the littlest while you work with your middle kid. I wouldn’t suggest doing this for long periods of time, but little pockets here and there that don’t conflict with the big kids’ school work can be helpful.
If you have the space to separate younger ones into different rooms for “room time” this can be a great way to get a bit of school work done with one while the others play safely and quietly by themselves.
Math manipulatives can be great independent activities to keep the littles entertained. I sometimes give my preschooler a box of math manipulatives and let her play quietly in a designated spot with these “special” toys that are usually reserved for elementary-age math lessons. (Here’s an example of a favorite math manipulative in our house. )
I think this is the set I originally bought. We loved the little “instruction” book with ideas of things to build.
And of course my kids took those ideas as a springboard and then created all sorts of fun things on their own!
Don’t be afraid to use screens. Every family has their own limits to “screen time,” so that will naturally play into this. But, you are NOT a bad mom if you let your littles watch TV so that you can focus on teaching math to your older kids!
Just think through your options - and any helpers you have. Is your mom available to help you once a week? Maybe that’s when you hit certain subjects hard and then do more review and shorter lessons throughout the week. Or perhaps you have a friend you can homeschool with once a week while one of you watches the littles?
Then, create a loose schedule (or routine) and jot it down. See how it works and then tweak it. I don’t think any school year goes as I think it will. But, as I try out different rhythms and routines, some rise to the top as a good fit for our family.
But…
Most of all, remember - your schedule is there to HELP YOU achieve your goals. YOU ARE NOT ITS SLAVE!
So, make a tentative and flexible plan and then change it as you go. Something might work for the fall and then need a big adjustment after Christmas. Just stay flexible!
Map Out Your Curriculum
Once you have decided which curriculum you want to use and when your school days will be, it’s time to lesson plan. Don’t let that term scare you - most curriculum will have some sort of instructor’s guide that will probably include suggestions for planning out the year.
So, look through the instructor’s guide and take time to get to know how the book is set up before you start. If there is no separate instructor’s guide, see if the textbook itself has suggestions for scheduling. If not, just follow the suggestions below.
Get a feel for the structure:
How many chapters or units are there?
How many chapters do you want or need to complete?
Are there any that you want to skip? (Yes! It is ok to skip chapters!!!!)
How many days each week will you spend on this subject (approximately)?
You can map out the curriculum on a calendar if that helps you plan. Or just jot it down in a notebook. OR - if the curriculum is already mapped out into units that will easily align with your school year, you may not need to write it down. You can just note how many lessons you need to complete each week or month and go from there.
If you are not using a traditional style textbook, consider jotting down unit ideas or concepts you plan to cover on a calendar over the course of a year.
Some subjects are not necessarily ones you will finish cover to cover in one school year. For instance, we use All About Reading, and it is not grade-specific. So, we work on it throughout the school year and then stop when we reach a break (like summer) and start back on the next lesson the next year. In this case, I will think ahead about how many lessons we have remaining to make sure I have the next level ready when we need it. So I might map out the approximate “goal” of how much to accomplish in a semester or month, etc. But, typically we end up deviating from this plan somehow or another. And at that point I just adjust and move forward.
Final Thoughts
There is no “right way” to plan your homeschool year. Some people love digital planning, others buy beautiful planners, while others write plans or assignments in a simple notebook. Some plan in great detail while others keep it minimalistic.
Whether you decide to try any of the suggestions above or continue looking for that “right fit” for your family, just know that you can adjust, tweak, or even completely change directions if you need to.
As I said above, your curriculum, or even your plans and schedule, do not own you. YOU are the BOSS. Let it serve you. And if it isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it!
