5 Steps to Begin Planning Your Homeschool Year

How do I plan my homeschool year? Below is a list of some of the major aspects to consider.

For some, this would be a trick question because they don't plan! That's ok, but most homeschooling parents I've meet feel more comfortable with some idea of what they are doing. After all, in this state of North Carolina, parents are held responsible for the "scope and sequence" of the curriculum they develop (or don't develop), though they do not have to be the sole teacher.

So here is a simple guide to make sure you have the bases covered for your academic year.

1. Consider the reason you are homeschooling. What is your "school philosophy"? What are the most important reasons you are homeschooling? Some examples are: homeschooling to instill values in your children, homeschooling for flexibility to travel, homeschooling for the safety and welfare of your child, etc. Go ahead and write this down first so you can check back later and make sure it hasn't gotten lost.

2. Consider what you are doing for each of the core academic subjects. These include Language Arts, Math, Science/Health and History/Social Studies. Language Arts is a big subject including Spelling, Vocabulary, Grammar, Writing, and Reading. Some people want to include other subjects. Define your list. This is where you begin planning the "scope and sequence" of your school.

3. Talk with your spouse, if applicable, about the time and money you both want to spend on homeschooling. Be honest about both your money and your time for each child, especially the amount time the main teacher in the home will spend in actual instruction. Plan for travel, extracurricular activities and special rewards as well as the main curriculum.

4. Putting all this information together, you can begin to plan your week. What days will you cover which subjects? Who will teach them? How will you budget for this? If your child is of age to have an opinion, don't forget to consider what they want to do. Get them in on some of the planning.

Here is an example of how to plan your child's week:

Sally is in 4th grade. She will do Language Arts with Mom 2 mornings a week: Monday and Wednesday, Science with Dad one night a week. Math, History and Art will be at the local co-op on Friday mornings. No classes on Tuesday for field trips and/or other appointments. During the summer Mom and Sally will read their health book and she will do outdoor summer camp at the YMCA for two weeks. Sally will also take ballet during the school year.

5. Now check back in with the reasons you wanted to homeschool in the first place. Did you stay true to your most important goals? Did you budget your money and time to achieve these goals? If not, make adjustments as necessary. You most likely will become frustrated with homeschooling if your most important goals are not being accomplished.

For example in Sally's case, if your most important reason was to instill your faith or values in your child, when will you take the time to do that? Sally's parents could add a family bible study night or begin every day by reading a chapter together in the bible. They could enroll Sally in an age-appropriate bible class.

Contact us today with help in planning your homeschool for this year. We can help make home

schools happy and stay successful!