I’ve tried a number of different homeschool planner options through the years, and it always seems that there is something that bugs me.
- I can’t do my planning online; it has to be on paper.
- I don’t like the feeling of my pen scratching across cheap paper.
- I hate large planners; the 8×11 planners are just too big and clunky.
- And I hate plain and ugly; I need something beautiful if I’m going to be successful.
- I don’t prefer days of the week on the planner, since our homeschool week doesn’t include the traditional Monday through Friday schedule.
Maybe I’m a planner-snob, but I just know if I’m going to be faithful to use something every day to plan, it has to be something I enjoy using. Because I’ve had so much trouble finding something that fits all my criteria, I finally took some time last winter and made my own homeschool planner. I’ve loved it! My homeschool planner is so much fun that I’m actually disappointed when I’ve got all my planning done. I spend a few minutes wondering if there is anything else I could possibly write down.
Here’s a look at what’s included in my homeschool planner (and info on how to get it for free) as well as how I set up and use my planner.
Homeschool Planner Features
Weekly Overview — My new homeschool planner is undated and unlabeled, allowing me to plan my week by subjects and topics or by days of the week. (Scroll down for a tour of how I set up my homeschool planner.) The Weekly pages also include inspiring Charlotte Mason quotations, 36 different ones.
Daily Agenda — For those of you who like to add a few more details in a daily format, this agenda allows you to customize the headers as well. Like the weekly, it is undated and unlabeled.
Attendance — I have two Attendance options included in the download. The first is mostly blank, and this is the one I prefer. I fill the blank space with the Carpe Diem calendar stickers. But just in case this isn’t your preference, I’ve designed a second attendance page option as well.
Log Pages — Keeping records is a personal preference for me, not necessarily required by state. It helps me remember what all we’ve accomplished, teaches the kids about grades and testing (for later years), and helps them work through any anxieties—and helps my husband get a picture of what all we’ve been up to. I keep track of grades, the books we’ve read, and the field trips and nature walks we’ve taken.
Notes — I’m always making notes, working through problems, writing braindumps, jotting down thoughts for the next term or the next year, keeping a list of possible curriculum items for the future, etc. I can never have enough notes pages!
Tips for Homeschool Planner Set Up
Because I’ve had a number of you ask me how I set up my planner and what headings I use in the blanks, I’m giving you a tour of my homeschool planner set up. The beauty of this planner is its flexibility. I often change how I want to set up and organize my week. When a heading is no longer working for me, I change it. I’ve intentionally left the planner open-ended to allow for that kind of customization. I’m sharing my ideas to hopefully inspire you, but there is no limit to how you could arrange and organize with this planner. My top planning advice is to find a method of organizing that makes the most sense for you.
Printing
My favorite planner size is A5, and it is so hard to find that size for a homeschool planner, which is another reason I finally made my own. To find paper the right size for printing, I settled for half sheets; it was the easiest and most economical way to get pretty close to the size I was looking for. I picked up a ream of 24 lb. paper from Costco, a little thicker and smoother than standard printer paper. Then, I took my stack to Staples and had it cut in half for just a couple of bucks. Very economical, all in all—I still have tons of it.
When printing, I had to make sure that my printer settings were adjusted to print on A5 paper and that I had my paper loaded correctly for double-sided printing. Other than that, printing was a breeze, and I had my complete planner ready to go in just a little over an hour.
For binding my planner, I shopped the Hobby Lobby sales to pick up an A5 binder (Agenda 52) and 6-ring hole punch. I love it! But if you need a cheaper option, I noticed some cute A5 three-ring binders for just $5 at Staples while I was waiting to have my paper cut. Either one works, depending on your preference and budget.
Organizing
I’ve always found traditional homeschool planners too confining. In fact, for a while, I simply used a notebook of graph paper to organize our week, almost like a bullet journal. But now that I have this planner, I’ve found my homeschool planner peace!
Ideas for Inspiration. Last year, I had headings for each child’s reading books (I have three kids), our audiobooks for the week, our projects for the week, and my prep materials. In the second row, I had notes on what I personally needed to do with each child. (I’ve created checklists to organize my kids’ assignments for independent work, so I only use my planner for what I need to teach my children directly.)
This year, my headings include: (first row) weekly objectives, weekly prep, weekly cohort details for our charter school, and notes for each child; (second row) Monday-Saturday. I include the details of what I personally need to oversee for each child, plus the extracurriculars for our day off (Friday). Saturday is our casual day of learning with videos and gameschooling.
I haven’t used the Daily Agenda page as much this year as I did last year. However, last year my headings included: My Quiet Time, Family Bible Time, Reflections, plus our activities and to-dos.
For attendance, I circle the days we do school on my Carpe Diem stickers and have a system of symbols that I use for vacation and sick days. At the end of each term, I count up our total days and fill in the information at the bottom of the page.
I love my homeschool planner, and it really is something I look forward to opening up each day. Planning doesn’t have to be a chore if you find a method that you enjoy. And for me, that means a homeschool planner has to be flexible, beautiful, and inspiring.
If you’d like to try it out, my homeschool planner is currently available as a free download for my subscribers! Sign up for my email list and receive it for free.
Click here to sign up for my free homeschool planner!
