Finding the perfect homeschool curriculum planner that meets all your needs can be one of the best and worst parts of homeschool. If you’re anything like me, a planner can make or break your sanity when it comes to homeschooling.
Okay, so maybe that’s a bit dramatic.
Regardless, there is something about a beautiful, well-designed, in perfect condition, curriculum planner to really get you motivated. Plus, we all know that the most effective teachers have some sort of planning book they keep by their side at all times. I look forward to making this purchase every year! I am excited to share with you my absolute favorite homeschool planner yet.
Let’s get into all things lesson planners!
Homeschool Lesson Planning Minimalist Notebook
The homeschool curriculum planner I have used the past several years, and will continue to use, is the Homeschool Lesson Planning Minimalist Notebook by Schoolnest.
The reason I keep coming back to this planner is not only that it is a stunning lesson planner on the cover, but also because of its functionality and design. An important thing to consider is that some common curriculum planners may not cover all the features you could use as a homeschooler. Many planners on the market are not tailored to homeschooling specifically, but this one is.
Here are some of the homeschool specific features I love about this curriculum planner:
1. Attendance Tracker
While our state doesn’t require a formal attendance record for the homeschool year to be kept, I still like to keep track of the dates we sit down to do our curriculum throughout an entire year. I am a firm believer that learning happens daily for us regardless of whether a book is opened. But, I also like to look back and see how many days it took us to get through our actual books that year.
It is also useful to keep a record of attendance for the purpose of seeing peak periods throughout the year. For instance, we are more likely to sit down to our curriculum every day in the months of July, August, November, January, and February. And, we tend to take more days off during Spring and Fall when we are farming.
Knowing these trends can help you get out of the mindset that you must follow a typical public school schedule. Visualizing which months are “school” months verses the ones that are full of other activities can help when you are choosing curriculum to fit into that schedule.
2. Curriculum Overview
The curriculum overview pages in this planner are so helpful when you have multiple children who may be using a variety of curricula. My second grader, for instance, uses a formal grammar program, while my 1st grader does not. On the flip side, my first grader uses an online reading program that my second grader doesn’t need.
Keeping a list of curriculum you plan to use for each child will help you keep organized and make sure you are using every piece you have purchased. Believe me, it’s easy to buy something months in advance while it’s on sale and then completely forget about it once you start your new year.
Keeping your curriculum planning organized will ensure you are utilizing all the resources you have for different subject areas most efficiently. This is especially important if it’s your first year homeschooling and you are trying to understand how all the curriculum will fit together. You can even have fun with this section by color coding the different curriculum choices you have for each child!
3. Book Lists
If you have taken a gander around this site, I’m sure you noticed my obsession with book lists. We read tons of books throughout the year! Having these pages in my planner makes it easy to jot down books I come across on social media or hear other moms talking about. I also keep a book list for myself, making note of which books I have read and which ones I want to read. With all the great resources out there, it is easy to fill up these book pages in no time!
I divide the book list pages into categories: Books for Me, Easy Readers, and Book Basket.
Books for Me
“Books for me” is where I keep track of all inspirational books I have read/will read. I read lots of books on the subjects of homeschooling, motherhood, God, and finance. These are the topics that I love to learn more about, so I read all the books I possibly can on them. Keeping them organized helps me remember the most impactful books so I can return to them often for inspiration.
Easy Readers
Easy readers are books that my kids read aloud to me. I like to research these books based on topics we are learning about in history or science. Always having relevant reading material on hand that is at their level encourages them to practice reading aloud everyday, while also learning new information about an important topic.
Book Basket
Book basket books are literally books I keep in a basket by our homeschool table. These are generally library books that are recommended by our curriculum to read aloud each week based on the topic we will be learning about. These are books that I read aloud to the kids along with our history or science lesson.
As you can tell, we read LOTS of books throughout the year. Having a neat, organized space I can keep track of the book lists helps me get ahead on having the books gathered and ready to go each week.
4. Curriculum Progress
Probably my favorite feature of this curriculum planner, the curriculum progress pages are so helpful in seeing an overview of where you are with each subject. I truly believe that just having the visual of progress in front of you everyday is a huge motivator to keep going! Crossing off another day of language arts is incredibly satisfying.
When I get a new curriculum, I see how many daily lessons there are from start to finish. I set up my curriculum progress chart for that piece of curriculum based on the number of lessons. Then, each day that we complete a lesson, I get to shade a box. Seeing this visual of progress keeps me on track while also motivating me to keep working toward that finish line. I also enjoy comparing these progress pages to the last year to see the progress we make across multiple school years.
5. Monthly Calendar Pages
I use my planner as my main calendar and schedule. Every doctors appointment, soccer practice, birthday party, and art class gets written in this planner. Having paper planners I can write on is much more effective for my brain than a digital one. I like seeing my month laid out for me as I’m sitting at the table each day drinking my coffee.
6. Week at a Glance and Weekly Planning Pages
What would a planner be without weekly planning pages? It’s the action plan section. The place where all the literal plans are made.
This curriculum planner contains 52 undated weekly planning sheets. You get a week-at-a-glance sheet where you can jot down your goals, unit plans, schedule, or make notes for that week. I use this page each week to make a note about my meal plans, books I need to request from the library, or goals I want to accomplish for myself that week. You can also use these pages to write down a goal of each lesson. This ensures you are getting the most out of your instruction time that week.
In addition to this week-at-a-glance page, you also get a weekly lesson plan section for each week. This is the section you typically think of when you envision a lesson plan book. Laid out in grid style, you can record each subject for each day of the week and fill in the specific lessons you intend to do on those days.
7. End of the year reflections
The last few pages of this curriculum planner are reserved for any end-of-year reflections you may have. One of the most important things you can do at the end of a year is reflect on what went well and what didn’t work.
I like to go through each subject and make a list of some memorable moments from our curriculum, parts that I loved, things I changed, what I didn’t use, etc. This action each year really helps me evaluate whether or not I want to continue using a certain piece of curriculum.
We all have those moments mid-lesson when we want to toss the curriculum and move on to the next shiny new product we see on Instagram. Not only do these last-minute changes make us throw unnecessary money at another unused book, but it doesn’t give our children a chance to really get in the flow of learning that subject.
Unless a curriculum is just blatantly not a good fit (tears all around, causing behavioral issues, ideals you don’t believe in), then I would encourage you to stick it out. Reflect on it at the end of the year. Look at the overall picture. And, make changes for the next school year if you’re not getting the results you want.
How do I plan my homeschool curriculum?
Here’s a helpful step-by-step process for planning homeschool curriculum:
- Decide which philosophy, or style, of education you align with.
- Set a budget that you are willing to spend on materials.
- Determine if you want a boxed curriculum set, or you want to piece together your own curriculum.
- Research curricula providers, workbooks, online curriculum, or co-ops that follow the same values and principles as your philosophy.
- Find helpful reviews on the curricula that interests you most.
- Choose the ONE curriculum that fits your style and family the best.
- Get a great curriculum planner to help you stay organized in your lesson planning!
How do you organize homeschool lesson plans?
Some curriculum sets come with organized lesson plans ready for you. If you are creating your own lesson plans, it is wise to invest in a quality curriculum planner with weekly lesson planning pages. You can organize each week by the subjects you will be teaching and what you plan to cover each day. You can even plan ahead and know what to expect in the upcoming weeks so you are better prepared.
Homeschool lesson planning doesn’t have to be super elaborate and you don’t need the perfect lesson written out every time with full details. Simply jotting down page numbers you want to read, worksheets you want to complete, or lesson numbers is all you really need to do.
Choose the planner that you will use consistently
While I am all for a physical product when it comes to a planner, there are many who would much prefer online lesson planners. No matter which you prefer, there are so many amazing resources available for curriculum planning. The most important thing to consider when choosing the best planner is whether you will consistently use it or not. A planner can really only be as good as the teacher making the plans. Think of it as a tool. Which tool will help you get the job done more efficiently? It’s also a good idea to check in with your fellow teachers to see what works for them. You never know where inspiration will come from that completely changes your curriculum planning game!
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