Homeschool Planning and Organization: How We Plan Our Year

Every June, we sit down with a blank notebook, a pile of curriculum catalogs, and a strong cup of coffee to plan our next homeschool year. After years of trial and error, we have developed a planning system that gives us enough structure to stay on track and enough flexibility to follow our children's interests, accommodate sick days, and not lose our minds when the plan falls apart — because it will.

This guide walks through our complete planning and organization process, from the big-picture annual plan all the way down to how we organize our physical school space. Whether you are just starting out with homeschooling or reorganizing after a few years of muddling through, this system can be adapted to any homeschool style and any family size.

Annual Planning: The Big Picture

Annual planning is not about scheduling every lesson for every day of the year. It is about making the big decisions so that the daily decisions become easy.

Step 1: Evaluate Last Year

Before planning anything new, we spend time honestly reviewing what worked and what did not. We ask ourselves:

• What curriculum did each child love? What did they dread?
• Where did we fall behind? Was it because the material was too hard, too boring, or because we were overcommitted?
• What were our best homeschool days like? What made them good?
• What were our worst days? What was the common thread?
• Did each child make appropriate progress in reading, writing, and math?

This review prevents us from repeating mistakes and helps us double down on what is working. We write the answers in our planner so we can reference them when making curriculum decisions.

Step 2: Set Goals for Each Child

For each child, we write three to five concrete goals for the year. These are not vague aspirations — they are specific and measurable:

• "Read chapter books independently by December"
• "Master multiplication facts through 12"
• "Complete one written narration per day without complaint"
• "Finish the first level of the piano method book"
• "Develop a daily journaling habit"

We also set one or two character goals: patience, perseverance, kindness, responsibility. These matter as much as academics, and writing them down keeps them in focus.

Step 3: Choose Curricula

With last year's evaluation and this year's goals in hand, we choose curricula for each subject. Our approach is eclectic — we mix and match programs based on each child's learning style and needs.

Core subjects we always plan for:

• Math (one program per child, used consistently all year)
• Language arts (reading, writing, spelling, grammar — this might be one program or several)
• History/social studies
• Science

Subjects we plan loosely:

• Art and music (often handled through outside classes or Charlotte Mason-style picture study and composer study)
• Foreign language
• Physical education (sports, outdoor play, swimming)

If you are choosing kindergarten materials, our best homeschool curriculum for kindergarten guide covers this in depth.

Step 4: Map the Year

We use a simple calendar (paper or digital) to block out the big picture:

1. Mark non-school days first — holidays, vacations, family events, planned trips
2. Count available school weeks — Most states require 170-180 days. We aim for 36 weeks, knowing some weeks will be lost to illness and life.
3. Divide curricula into terms — We follow a modified Charlotte Mason approach with three 12-week terms and breaks between them
4. Assign major units — History might cover ancient civilizations in term one, Middle Ages in term two, and Renaissance in term three
5. Mark quarterly review points — These are checkpoints where we assess progress and adjust the plan

This annual map fits on a single two-page spread. It is not detailed — it simply shows us where we are headed and ensures we are not trying to cram a full year of science into the last three months.

Weekly Planning: Where the Real Work Happens

The annual plan is the skeleton. Weekly planning adds the muscle. We plan one week at a time, usually on Sunday evening, and it takes about 20-30 minutes once you have a system.

Our Weekly Planning Process

1. Check the annual map — Where are we in each subject? Are we on track, ahead, or behind?
2. Look at the calendar — What appointments, activities, or events will affect this week's school time?
3. Assign lessons for each day — We list specific pages, chapters, or activities for each subject
4. Build in margin — We plan four days of academics and leave Friday as a catch-up or enrichment day
5. Note any supplies or preparation needed — Science experiments need materials gathered, art projects need supplies, field trips need reservations

Scheduling Approaches That Work

Not every family schedules the same way. Here are three approaches we have used, all with success:

Block Scheduling

Block scheduling assigns different subjects to different days. Instead of doing every subject every day, you might do math and language arts daily but alternate history on Monday/Wednesday and science on Tuesday/Thursday.

Pros:

• Fewer subjects per day means less transition time and less mental fatigue
• Longer blocks allow deeper engagement with a topic
• Easier for the teaching parent to prepare

Cons:

• You cover each subject less frequently, which can mean slower progress
• If you miss a science day, it might be a full week before you return to it

Loop Scheduling

Loop scheduling lists subjects in a sequence and you work through them in order, picking up where you left off each day regardless of what day of the week it is. If your loop is history, science, art, geography, you do history on Monday, science on Tuesday, art on Wednesday, geography on Thursday, and history again on Friday.

Pros:

• Nothing gets permanently skipped — every subject gets its turn
• Eliminates the guilt of missing a subject on its "assigned" day
• Adapts naturally to disrupted weeks

Cons:

• Harder to predict when a subject will come up, which can complicate co-op schedules or outside classes
• Some children prefer the predictability of knowing what comes on which day

Morning Basket (or Morning Time)

The morning basket is a group learning time where the whole family gathers to read aloud, discuss ideas, study poetry, listen to music, look at art, practice memory work, and cover shared subjects like history and science. It is inspired by the Charlotte Mason tradition and has become one of the most beloved parts of many homeschool families' days.

What goes in the morning basket:

• Read-alouds (literature, history, science)
• Poetry reading and memorization
• Composer study or folk song practice
• Picture study or art appreciation
• Bible or character study (for families who include this)
• Calendar, weather, map work (for younger children)

Why it works:

• Creates a warm, connected start to the day
• Covers multiple subjects efficiently
• Allows children of different ages to learn together
• The teaching parent enjoys it too — this matters more than people admit

After morning basket, each child does their individual work: math, language arts, and any independent reading or writing assignments.

Daily Rhythms: Making It Flow

A daily rhythm is not a minute-by-minute schedule. It is a predictable sequence of activities that everyone in the family can anticipate and rely on.

Our Daily Rhythm

• 8:00-8:30 — Breakfast and morning chores (children make beds, get dressed, tidy rooms)
• 8:30-9:15 — Morning basket (whole family together)
• 9:15-10:00 — Math (each child works on their own level, teaching parent rotates between them)
• 10:00-10:15 — Snack and movement break
• 10:15-11:00 — Language arts (reading lesson, writing, copywork, or dictation)
• 11:00-11:30 — Loop subject (history, science, art, or geography — one per day)
• 11:30-12:00 — Read-aloud while the teaching parent prepares lunch
• Afternoon — Free play, outdoor time, projects, errands, extracurricular activities

This rhythm holds most days, but we do not stress when it does not. If a science experiment takes all morning, we call it a science day and celebrate.

Record-Keeping: What to Save and How

Your state's requirements dictate the minimum records you must keep. But beyond legal requirements, good records help you track progress, identify gaps, and create portfolios that demonstrate your child's growth.

What We Keep

• Daily log — A brief record of what we did each day (one or two sentences per subject). We use a simple spiral notebook.
• Work samples — We save two or three representative samples per subject per month. Writing samples are especially valuable for showing progress over time.
• Book list — Every book read aloud or independently goes on a running list. This becomes a beautiful record of your child's literary life.
• Photos — Hands-on projects, science experiments, field trips, nature study. We snap quick photos on a phone and dump them into a "Homeschool 2025-2026" album monthly.
• Test scores or evaluations — If your state requires annual assessments, keep these organized chronologically.
• Attendance record — Some states require a specific number of days. We mark school days on a wall calendar and count at the end of each month.

Paper vs. Digital Record-Keeping

We have tried both. Here is what we have learned:

Paper works best for:

• Daily lesson planning (faster to jot down than to open an app)
• Work sample portfolios (physical artifacts in a binder)
• Children who enjoy checking off boxes and seeing physical progress

Digital works best for:

• Attendance tracking (a simple spreadsheet automates the counting)
• Book lists (searchable and easy to share)
• Photo documentation (phone camera to cloud folder)
• Long-term storage (boxes of paper accumulate fast)

Our current system is a hybrid: a paper planner for daily and weekly plans, a binder for work samples and records, and a shared Google Drive folder for photos and digital documents.

Physical Organization: Setting Up Your Space

You do not need a schoolroom. But you do need systems that keep materials accessible and prevent the dining table from becoming a permanent disaster zone.

Supplies Organization

• A dedicated shelf or bookcase for curricula, workbooks, and reference books. We use one shelf per child.
• An art caddy or supply station with pencils, colored pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, and tape. Everything the children need should be reachable without asking.
• A "today" basket for each child, stocked each morning with the materials they need for that day's lessons. This prevents the "I can't find my math book" scramble.
• A finished work bin where completed assignments go before being filed in portfolios.

Paper Management

Paper is the enemy of homeschool organization. It multiplies when you are not looking. Here is how we manage it:

1. Sort immediately — Finished work goes into the "to file" bin. Do not let it pile up on the counter.
2. File monthly — Once a month, sort the "to file" bin into each child's portfolio binder. Save two or three strong samples per subject. Recycle the rest.
3. Purge annually — At the end of the year, keep the best work from each binder, photograph anything bulky, and start fresh.

Curriculum Storage

We store next year's curricula and materials we are not currently using in labeled bins in a closet. Active curricula live on the main bookshelf. This prevents the overwhelm of seeing everything you own all at once.

Planning for Flexibility

Here is the planning principle that took us the longest to learn: the plan serves you; you do not serve the plan.

When a child is struggling with a math concept, we slow down and spend three days on it instead of one — regardless of what the schedule says. When spring arrives and the children are begging to be outside, we move school to the porch or skip it for a nature study afternoon. When life throws a curveball — illness, a family emergency, a spontaneous opportunity — we close the books without guilt.

This is why we plan only four days of academics per week. Friday is our flex day: catch-up if we are behind, enrichment if we are on track, field trip if the weather is beautiful. This single practice eliminated more stress from our homeschool than any planner or organizational system.

When to Throw Out the Plan

There are times when the right move is to scrap the plan entirely:

• A child is consistently miserable with a curriculum — Switch. No curriculum is worth tears every day.
• You are burning out — Take a week off. Read aloud, go outside, bake cookies, and rest. You will come back stronger.
• A topic sparks genuine passion — If your child becomes obsessed with volcanoes, follow that rabbit trail. Drop the scheduled science unit and spend two weeks on volcanology. This is called interest-led learning, and it is one of homeschooling's greatest gifts.
• Life changes — A new baby, a move, a family crisis. Scale back to the bare essentials (reading and math) and extend your year if needed.

Planning Resources We Recommend

• Homeschool Planet — A digital planning tool that syncs with many popular curricula and allows you to reschedule easily when plans change
• The Well Planned Day planner — A beautifully designed paper planner with space for multiple children, attendance tracking, and book lists
• A simple bullet journal — The most flexible option. You design exactly what you need and nothing more.
• Google Calendar — For appointments, co-op schedules, extracurricular activities, and shared family events
• Trello or Notion — For families who love digital organization, these tools allow you to create customizable planning boards

Your Planning Starts Here

If you are feeling overwhelmed by all of this, remember: you do not need a perfect system. You need a system that is good enough to keep you moving forward. Start with a simple notebook and a list of what you want to cover this week. That is a plan. Everything else is refinement.

The best homeschool plans are written in pencil. They give you direction without becoming a prison. They remind you where you are headed while leaving room for the beautiful detours that make homeschooling worth the effort.

Grab your coffee, open your notebook, and start with this week. The rest will follow.