Homeschool Planners Round Up

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There is a deep satisfaction that comes from crossing something off of a list. So much so, that many of us add finished items to our To-Do lists just so we can check them as completed. {All the list-making Mamas say amen?} As homeschoolers, the satisfaction of finishing a list can often be elusive. Homeschool planners help us navigate the waters of chaos, but choosing the perfect planner can be its own kind of chaos. There are a lot of options out there!

homeschool planners, homeschool planning resources, homeschool planning

The first step is determining what you want out of a planner.

Do you want it to be rigid or laid back? Rigid planners often look appealing when we’re feeling adrift, but can be more difficult to stick with if you’re a type-B personality. A laid-back planner can be there to offer guidelines or record what you have finished.

Do you want digital or paper? Digital is nice (if you find a good fit) because it keeps track of everything for you. Transcripts are a breeze with the right program keeping track for you. You don’t run the risk of losing papers and it’s faster to type than to write everything out. However, if the power goes out, will you know what to do for the day? Often, online planners still require printing out lessons, so there is an additional cost involved.

What features are a must? Some planners are impractical for families with more than one child. Some don’t allow room to record more than the basic subjects.

After a dozen years of homeschooling, I’ve tried a LOT of planners. After hating a lot of planners, I settled into creating my own forms for many years. Then, two months ago, I found the perfect planner for my family. It is simple, but complete. It is online, so it keeps track of all of our information, but it is easily printed for my students each week.

We’ve used Homeschool Manager for nearly two months now and I still want to sing hymns of thanksgiving every week as I print out our checklists.

Homeschool Manager doesn’t cut me off at 3 kids, it doesn’t cut me off at 6 subjects, and it doesn’t take an hour to correct mistakes when we get behind. I don’t have to enter every page and project; I copy and paste. If I want to assign it to multiple students, I click a button. It takes five minutes to enter assignments for the week. FIVE MINUTES! If we have a surprise vacation or come down with the plague, I can slide the assignment boxes over and put them on a different day. My plans are rearranged in seconds.

I am very visual and this lets me see everything I need at a glance. I can see when we’re ahead or behind. I can see if we’ve skipped assignments for three weeks. (I’m not the only one who forgets entire subjects for months at a time, right?) There are so many fabulous features to this planner, which you can learn about in my more detailed review of it at Simblissity Cottage. If that’s enough information for you already, be sure to try their free one-month trial.

*Jennifer received a free copy of Homeschool Manager in exchange for her honest review*

https://www.yearroundhomeschooling.com/product/essential-year-round-homeschooling-planner/

Summary – The Essential Year Round Homeschooling Planner is a digital, undated homeschooling planner that contains every planning resource that you need for year round homeschooling! Inside you’ll find over 80 pages to help make planning your homeschool year easier, from pre-planning pages to grading helps and MUCH more!

Price Point – $19.99

Erin Condren

Summary – This is not just for homeschooling, I am able to plan everything from my housework, to homeschooling and our family business and more inside these pages! There are two layout choices for you, you can order a horizontal or vertical layout. Each month you’ll have a monthly calendar and a weekly calendar. As you can tell from the image below, you can even customize your planner’s cover! You can read more about why I love this planner here.

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Summary – Inside you’ll find the following resources to help keep your homeschool mom life on track! There are monthly calendar pages, a financial section, menu planning pages, a weekly planning section, a shopping list, an amazing cleaning section, a personal fitness page, prayer pages and of course a well thought out and organized homeschool planning section to help keep your homeschool year on track! 

There are over 100 planning pages inside that will make planning and keeping your life on track simple and easy!

Price Point – $19.99

relaxed mom homeschool planner, relaxed homeschool planner, homeschool planner

Summary – Inside you’ll find a homeschool vision planning page, a goal page for your children, quarterly planning pages, weekly routine and record pages and much more! I love the relaxed layout of this homeschool planner and the best part there are no check boxes to fill in! As a busy homeschool mom you will not feel defeated or like a failure because you didn’t get everything you had planned done! If you’re looking for a planner that allows you to have a general layout and simple plans for your homeschool The Relaxed Mom Homeschool Planner is perfect for you! 

Price Point – (Launches August 2, 2016) 2 Week Introductory price of $9 AND it includes an eCourse to help you see just how this planner can work for you!  

Not everyone has the same needs in a planner, so here are a few more options available to you:

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Summary

An idea, not a product. This is for all areas of life, not just homeschooling. Basically, you use it to keep the million thoughts and commitments that are swimming in your head nailed down to paper so you can think again. It allows you to adapt your planner to your life rather than making your life revolve around your planner. It does require a graph paper journal of your choosing.

Price Point – FREE

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Summary

It looks similar to the ideas behind the bullet journal, but it is all laid out for you, very pretty and therefore is the opposite of the premise of the bullet journal.

Price Point – $20+

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Summary

A Simple Plan by Mardel is an online lesson planner This one is basic, clean, and attractive. It is available for the teacher and for students.

Price Point – FREE

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Summary

CM Organized by Simply Charlotte Mason is an online lesson planner designed specifically for Charlotte Mason homeschoolers.

Price Point – $9.95 (per month or $99 per year) They do offer a free basic option as well.

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Summary

The Well -Planned Day paper planners are pretty, but I did not find them practical. There wasn’t enough space for writing assignments. There are excellent articles in them, but they bulk up the planner, stealing space from the nitty gritty.

Price Point – $26.95

wpdbookSummary

While the demos look attractive, I’ve yet to hear a successful review and they are well known for abominable customer service.

Price Point – $64.99 (They do offer a Free 30 Day Trial)

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Summary

Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education by Simply Charlotte Mason is an excellent ebook for planning out a new year. I highly recommend it for laying a foundation and then using a planner throughout the year.

Price Point – $11.95+ (Digital Planner)

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Summary

Scholaric is a web-based planner with a free 15 day trial and great reviews.

Price Point – $3+ (per month for 1 child)

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Summary

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner by Debra Bell is pretty printed planner that gets rave reviews.

Price Point – $29.00

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Summary

Five J’s has lots of free homeschooling resources. I used many of these when I compiled our own homemade planners.

 

 

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Summary

Homeschool Tracker has been around for years, but has a brand new look. They do still offer their free Basic Edition, but support is limited and it is not what you would call intuitive by any means. The new version has good support and a good reputation.

Price Point –  $7.50 (per month) $69 (per year) $99 (every 2 years)

Summary

Donna’s free printable planners offer flexible options for printing your own.

Price Point – FREE

Personally, I use the CM Organizer to lay out my school year. And, of course, I now use the Homeschool Manager to plug in the plans I come up with. I don’t enter more than three weeks at a time, because it is so easy to find yourself ahead and behind in different subjects and it’s easier to stay on top of in short intervals. I use the bullet journal for life, but not homeschooling.

What are your favorite methods of homeschool planning? Favorite resources? What do you look for in a planner?

 

*Please note that the pricing was current at the time this post was written. Always check pricing before checking out.*

You can find the rest of the homeschool curriculum round up series here

Year Round Homeschooling Curriculum Round Up Series

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