Throughout each step of the homeschool preparation journey, you’ll need to be praying for wisdom. This is why prayer is the first step of homeschool prep. Step two, planning, is my favorite part of homeschool prep, but it can be very overwhelming for many reasons.
For that reason, it is important that, as we move on to the next stage of prep work, we are faithful to continue to pray. One of the biggest reasons planning is so hard for many is the amount of curriculum out there. It is an ocean that can become overwhelming rapidly.
Preparing for the Homeschool Year – Step Two: Plan
I’ve found that breaking down the homeschool planning process into three steps or stages makes it less stressful. With the overflowing plates we moms have, it also allows us to balance things better.
- Research
To get started researching for your homeschool year, begin by making a list of the subjects you want/need to teach to each student in your homeschool. As you make your final curriculum selection, you can plug it in to ensure you have every subject covered.
Finances are often a big concern for just getting started and even for seasoned homeschoolers. Just because it has a high price tag or great reviews does not mean it will work for your family.
Take the time to really look at each curriculum that catches your attention and then pray about it. Homeschooling is meant to be a blessing to families, not to strap them down financially.
A great resource for researching homeschool curriculum is Cathy Duffy’s Reviews. There are several ways to sort through the curriculum reviews on her site. She also offers a physical book featuring her top 100 or so picks for those who prefer a real book to peruse rather than a website.
While you’re researching homeschool curriculum, make sure you take the time to write down how many lessons are in each of your final selections. You’ll need this information for the next step in the planning process.
- Design Your Schedule
A lot of year round homeschoolers don’t follow a set schedule, but I’m an over-the-top planner. I find that keeping a loose schedule helps my children and me stay focused throughout the school year. Be sure to check your state laws for their homeschooling requirements. Most states require 170 days of school per year, but there could be other laws that you need to know prior to designing your schedule.
There are many different schedules to follow and there isn’t one that is perfect for everyone. My husband and I are self-employed, so our homeschooling journey always followed a unique schedule. The beauty of homeschooling year round is that it provides the ultimate flexibility, so don’t be afraid to do something different than anyone else if it works for you and yours!
Not sure how to design a homeschool schedule that doesn’t just follow the “normal” school year? Check out these 5 tips to help you create a year round homeschooling schedule that works for your family!
- Plan Out Your School Year
This is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling! Getting ready for the new year, lining up all the lessons and seeing what we’ll be covering throughout the year is SO exciting! My dining room table was almost always covered with homeschool planning resources throughout August during our homeschooling journey.
How you design your homeschool schedule will determine how much planning you’ll want to take on at a time. If you’re homeschooling at particular intervals, then you can plan out that way. If you’re not following a set schedule, you might want to plan on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Your homeschool schedule is probably unique to you; that’s what homeschooling is all about. It’s your life, so make sure that your homeschool fits you and your family!
When we homeschooled by the quarter, I loosely planned out the entire year based on our family business‘s schedule. I found that being able to visibly see where we should be at each quarter, I could keep us on track better. However, our homeschool schedule changed several times throughout our homeschooling journey. At times, I planned our homeschooling by the month and other times, planning by the week was all I could pull off.
I didn’t stress out if we were off a bit, but we tended to stay on target better if I had everything lined up ahead of time. Once we began our homeschool year, I would tweak our lesson plans as we went along to keep us up to date. Please remember, this is how I planned our homeschool; it doesn’t have to be how you choose to plan yours. I’m admittedly an over-the-top planner!
Still feeling overwhelmed even after I’ve broken down the planning process a bit? That’s ok, I’ve got you! I created a planner designed just for year round homeschoolers that has pages to help you through this process and beyond! It is exactly what I wish I’d had access to when I began homeschooling year round!
Remember to keep praying that God would direct you for your homeschool journey as you continue to prepare for your upcoming homeschool year!
This is the second post in a series on preparing for a homeschool year. You can find links to all of the posts in the series here.
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