Make Your Homeschool Planning A Cinch.
EASY AS 1, 2, 3
Homeschool is beyond special in the sense you can shape it into anything and in any way you want. There's never a day I do not recognize and appreciate the ability to homeschool my children using the chosen methods I desire, and the ones that I know are benefiting them most- even on the most challenging of days.
Sometimes though with that much freedom, knowing how and where to begin can be a bit daunting. Knowing if you are covering all the material, and what exactly that material is, can leave you as blank as a chalkboard. Not so easy as 1, 2, 3.
Let me assure you though, before you swamp yourself in loads of curriculum options, there is an easier way to build the core learning of your homeschool, and have fun doing it.
EASY PEASY.
So what's the secret formula to making your homeschool lessons a cinch? That will depend on, well, you.
What style of teaching do you fit best in?
How much structure would you like?
What learning level are your children at?
Do you want to make your own lesson plans or find flexible ones already prepared?
I know the questions can go on, but getting to know your method of how you want to present homeschool will help to make planning it easier.
That said, there is a way that I have found works for our needs and if it can help or inspire you, all the better. Or if it serves as a means to narrow down how you may not want to function, well that can be of benefit too.
So let's discover which method you are and get to making your homeschool lessons
easy peasy!
A. Build Your Curriculum.
As I started our homeschool journey, I was quickly overwhelmed by the curriculum options. For me, I am not the 'here is your workbook' kind of teacher mom. As we move on in our years, maybe they'll come a time, but being as at the time I had a kindergartener and a first grader, I wanted to be more involved and make learning more engaging. I knew that if I purchased the high costing curriculum workbooks, I would not use them. So, instead I opted for using free worksheet sites, like K5learning.com and Worksheetfun.com along with preparing my own worksheets. These options were more than enough resources for reinforcing their learning topics by way of worksheets, and didn't cost anything but the ink.
As to what topics to cover, I used the state's common core standards to get a reference of how to build our individual curriculum. The advantage of creating your own curriculum is that it advances as your child does, so if they master a topic move ahead, if not, slow and review. The main objective for me was to have a general guide, or list, of learning concepts and the common core fit the bill.
B. Plan Your Week
Now that you know what to teach, time to plan it out. Depending on your method, you can choose to plan day by day, weekly, or even monthly. I learned that although I have some idea as to what the theme of the weeks will be, it worked better for me to plan week to week. If I planned too far ahead, I was modifying too frequently to suit their needs. If you like more structure, you may choose to plan further out. Likewise, you may choose to plan day to day, if you find that fits your family better.
I plan a week at a time, mapping out what we will be doing in each day, topics we will be covering, games we will be playing, worksheets they will be doing, and so on. I choose to cover multiple subjects each day, you may choose one subject a day. There isn't a one size fits all, it is really about what works best for you.
Would you like an example of a lesson plan?
Get a FREE mini unit lesson plan HERE!
C. Repeat.
The only thing that has to be repetitious about your homeschool lesson plan is progression. It does not matter how quickly or slowly your child is learning. What matters is that they are progressing. Not everything will be mastered in one year, not everything will be taught in one year. As you know, by homeschooling, the focus is not on memorizing material and pushing along because they turn a certain age. The focus is on how they learn and progress in their own time. So each day may look different- plans shift, better learning opportunities found, or maybe a day spent away from the desk and chair will be what is needed. For homeschool to be successful, each day doesn't need to be perfectly planned and executed.
No matter which method you find yourself in, remember you can do this! Often times, the simpler the plan the better because then there is room to be flexible and move in the direction your child is going.
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