The start of a new school year is just around the corner! If you are like me, then you have already gotten a head start on your homeschool planning so you can plan a successful homeschool year! If you are trying to plan your homeschool year, these six steps will help you get started! Here is how to plan your homeschool year.
Take a look at last year
The best place you can go for inspiration and lesson ideas is from last year’s homeschool lesson plans! This will give you an idea of what went well and what went wrong. Take notes and use these valuable insights into your lesson plans for next year!
Set goals for your homeschool classroom
For your homeschool classroom, set a few goals that you can achieve by the end of the year. These should be actionable goals with clear deadlines so you don’t just put them off. If you are able to, make them into SMART goals (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, time-bound) to help make sure that you can stick to them.
Create an ideal homeschool schedule that you can follow
This schedule may end up being different than last year and what you actually do during the school year. The goal here is to set up a schedule to give your homeschool structure. This will help make sure you hit all your subjects and help you stick with your homeschool goals throughout the year. Depending on your teaching style, you may need an A/B style schedule or time blocks.
Make a list of lesson plan ideas and start searching for resources
Now that you have your goals and schedule, it’s time to start preparing lesson plans. Think about what you both need and want to cover during the year. Look online for curriculum, resources, and printables that you can use you put together lesson plans for your homeschool classroom. There are several apps you can use within your homeschooling lessons.
Make any curriculum or lesson plan purchases
If you need to buy materials, book a field trip, or purchase curriculum for your lesson plans, go ahead and start doing this now! This will allow you to be more familiar with your materials and start organizing them in the next step. You can also take advantage of sales and end of summer sales by starting now!
Organize your curriculum and materials
Once you have all your materials, it’s time to organize them! For the things you don’t need until later in the school year, use files and bins to store them until you’re ready. When you need them, pull them out and put them back when you’re done. A clever hack is a parts sorter that you can hold paperclips, erasers, post-its and some small items that you want to keep in once organized place. At the end of the year, you can choose what you need to save and what you can get rid of from there. Make sure to keep your first day of school stuff handy so you don’t have to go digging for it later.
No matter what grade you teach, these tips can help you plan any grade level! I hope that this post has helped you make a plan for your homeschool year so you can have a successful school year.