How to Make Your Homeschool Planner Work for You

 

 

Your homeschool planner can help you get it together and maintain focus. With the right approach and system, this tool empowers you to kick overwhelm to the curb. The key is learning how to make your planner work for you so that you’re actually following through with those plans and know you're doing enough.

I’ve found an amazing resource that guides you through finding your homeschool purpose and peace. If you could use some tips and tricks for homeschool planning that works, you need to check this out! Oh, and don't miss the special bonus that ends May 7!!

 

Disclaimer:  I received this product for free to review and was compensated for my time. All opinions are honest and I was not required to post a positive review.

 

Your Homeschool Planner Helps You Pick & Pivot

There are a lot of decisions to make as a homeschooler. And it’s easy to get overwhelmed with those decisions and responsibilities.

Stuff like picking out a homeschool approach and making sure you have the homeschool supplies you need. Finding a curriculum that you and your kids actually like and will stick with. Oh, and having more than just crumbs in your pantry since you have all these kids in your house 24/7. Or is that just me?

And those decisions don’t just stop after a certain stage of homeschooling. Oh no! Your kids get older, schedules start going crazy, and you need to figure out how to pivot and keep on rolling.

You know it shouldn’t be this hard but just can’t seem to get it together. All of those choices leave your head spinning, so even simple choices like what to have for dinner or who should clean the toilets leave you stuck in analysis paralysis.

In the past, all those decisions and responsibilities made me want to pretend I’m an ostrich, dig a hole in the sand, and stick my head in it. Or at least find a warm, sandy spot with a fruity drink to sip on 😉

Since I haven’t discovered the Wild Kratts' powers of transforming into animals nor live near the shore, I found a tool to feel better about those decisions and responsibilities. 

Your homeschool planner.

When you have a homeschool planner system that’s based on your family’s goals and vision, you won’t feel buried. You’ll have a one-stop place to jot down your 153 ideas, plot out lessons, and pick what works for you and when. And you’ll have a foundation for staying focused while being flexible to accommodate for life’s curveballs.

 

Why Our Homeschool Needed a Better Planning System

Although we’ve been homeschooling for eight years and have a routine in place, our homeschool planning system needed to be tweaked. As someone who loves all things planning, I was getting lost in my washi tape collection and DIY tabs. But, pretty stickers and a rainbow of pens do not make an effective homeschool planner 😉

I wanted to get the most out of our homeschool planner. Our five boys are getting older, with levels ranging from Kindergarten to high school. Plus, competitive soccer and church activities overlap for an erratic schedule that requires preparation, organization, and flexibility, even homeschooling on-the-go.

After my third mommy meltdown on a Monday after a crazy weekend out of town for a soccer event, I’d had enough. I hit the pause button on our homeschool day, plopped down with a mug of Chai, and had an ugly cry. With tears dripping down my cheeks, reflection on our family and my personal functioning led me to recognize that:

• I was suffering from overwhelm which was leading to anxiety and mild depression. (Self-diagnosis at it’s finest!)
• Due to that overwhelm, I had zero motivation and focus.
• I felt like a homeschool zombie, going through the motions and checking off boxes.
• Our homeschool fun activities were being pushed aside, forgotten in a pile of to-dos and errands.
• Although we were “busy”, my boys and I didn’t have enough quality time together 🙁
• And the biggest shocker...I wasn't using my homeschool planner! I'd fallen into a rut of just doing the next lesson, without jotting down ideas, materials, and such. I wasn't making time for my planner-and our homeschool was suffering from it! I had forgotten how much using my homeschool planner helps me get excited for and eagerly anticipate our homeschool time together. 

 

I pulled myself together and had a good long chat with my boys. As a homeschool, we decided that our system needed attention. Our homeschool wasn’t feeling like our homeschool anymore. It was feeling like a machine and definitely not how we envisioned it.

To get back on the right track and start enjoying our homeschooling adventures again, I knew that I needed to go back to the basics with my planner.

 

Build Your Foundation & Let the Rest Flow

Maybe you can relate to needing to tweak your homeschool planning system?

Or you’re a new homeschooler who doesn’t know where to start?

No matter where you are in your homeschool journey, I truly believe you can benefit from learning more about making your homeschool planner work for you.

And what’s awesome is that it doesn’t have to be complicated or take forever and a day to do it.

 

Your homeschool planner can be the foundation of your focus, follow-through, and even flexibility.  

Want to know how I turned our homeschool life around in a simple, no-fuss way?

Plan Your Year.

 

Pam Barnhill’s homeschool planning resources are more than just printable pages that you fill in and forget.

Her materials beautifully combine to guide you through creating a system of organization, preparation, and, of course, planning. You’re not just figuring out what subjects to do on what day. You’re taking a big picture look at your homeschool life and breaking it down into manageable chunks that you can handle.

And once you have that strong and solid foundation, you can tweak and pivot as you rest assured that your homeschool will continue to grow and flourish, no matter what life throws at you 😉 

 

So, enough gushing. How has it helped me? And how can Plan Your Year help YOU?

 

 

Homeschool Planning Made Simple for You

Plan Your Year (PYY) has led me through the process of simplifying and optimizing my homeschool planning system based on our homeschool goals and vision.

This approach to planning our homeschool is huge for us! My boys and I have always enjoyed creating a homeschool vision board and love how it fits with PYY. And yeah, you can learn more about it in the book where Pam featured how we work together on this homeschool project. Totally blushing over here!!

I've been using Pam's homeschool planning resources for a while. Having this reference in an easy-to-use tangible book format has been priceless! I simply carry it around in my homeschool soccer mom bag and tuck in during practices, appointments, and whenever I need a homeschool planning fix.

Also, I love how Plan Your Year includes tips and tricks for putting together a homeschool portfolio. We live in Pennsylvania and are required to have a portfolio evaluated each year for ages 8+. Now I have Jamie Erickson’s recommendations right there for me in print to consult and use! Lifts a lot of pressure off this homeschool mama’s shoulders 😉

Speaking of letting off some pressure, I’m so thankful for the explanations and examples provided for traditional, block, and loop scheduling. You are NOT stuck with only one way to plan out your homeschool year. Discover that it’s okay to think outside the box and get creative in mapping out your homeschool plans.

And speaking of getting creative with your planning...there’s a whole section on How to Plan Your Own Study! Fabulous ideas and tips from my girls Shelly and Pam on putting together your own unit study to enjoy with your kids.

Oh, and did I mention that Mystie Winckler shares her tips for finding the best homeschool planner for your personality type? I find personality types fascinating and love applying this helpful information to my planning and homeschool! (I'm an INFP-do you know your Myers-Briggs Personality type? Take a free quiz here!)

The best parts of Plan Your Year:  encouragement and reminders that whatever your homeschool planning system looks like, your homeschool and how it functions is A-OK.

Download a sample of Plan Your Year to see what I'm talking about 🙂

And make sure to pick up your FREE Homeschool Planning Mini-Kit! 12 pages that you can download, write OR type in, and print. 

 

Special Bonus: Plan Your Life Companion Guide!

Oh my stars!!! When you order the new Plan Your Year, you get this super special Plan Your Life Companion Guide for FREE! (Offer ends May 7 so don't dilly-dally!! Get that deal today!)

This guide packs a powerful punch. In this guide, you get Pam’s personal recommendations on:

• How to organize your life
• Getting food on the table
• Housekeeping systems

PLUS, my absolute favorite >>> a one-page daily planner that fits your schedule, to-do list, meals, hydration, and more! (Honestly, I’ve used this one page the most so far!! My boys now know to go check mom’s clipboard to find out what’s happening that day.)

 

Don't let homeschool planning struggles get you down anymore! Believe me, you CAN Plan Your Year and enjoy it, too. 

 

All this talk about homeschool planners and such has me incredibly pumped up to share my experiences with Pam's Put Your Homeschool Year on Autopilot very soon!! 

 

Still got that homeschool planning overwhelm?
Tell me about your concerns & struggles in the comments below.
I pinky swear to get back to you A.S.A.P.! 

 

 

Sharing is caring!