I love to be organized. It just makes me happy. But let’s face it, the best laid organizational plans don’t always come to fruition. That’s true for my homeschool plans as well. Over the years I’ve kept a few different kinds of homeschool lesson planners.
Sadly, most of them required more work than I could realistically keep up with. The trouble was, I didn’t need to keep writing the next lesson number down, so I slacked off. I found myself opening up the plans day after day only to write down things like “Lesson 49.” To me, this became an unnecessary waste of time. I KNEW that lesson 49 was next simply by opening the book. I really didn’t need to spend all of Sunday afternoon making a master plan for this kind of curriculum.
As a single homeschooling mom, I found that pretty much all of my curriculum revolved around a next-day schedule. I like it this way because we school as we are able. If I need to work extra or someone is sick, we skip a day and nothing is pushed back. When we travel, there is no stress over getting something done or pushing something back. I love that the books are ready for us as soon as we need them next, whether it’s Tuesday afternoon or Saturday morning!
So I just stopped spinning my wheels and gave up on the good old-fashioned lesson plan book. Since I didn’t need to write down the next lesson, it was a useless activity. Tossing that plan book was freeing. It was a beautiful thing, but I needed to tweak the system so that it would work for record-keeping purposes. (In my state we need to write something down to show what we have learned.)
Instead of keeping a weekly homeschool lesson planner, I’ve moved to an accountability system for my kids. I keep an annual master list of what each child is working through for each subject. (If you need some help making a big picture homeschool plan, you can check out my Organized Homeschool Planner.) Then the children keep their own weekly school checklists, marking off completed assignments as they go. At the end of the year, these are all neatly tucked in their notebooks. I have the entire year’s records at my fingertips, plus I found a few added benefits that I didn’t expect.
Weekly Homeschool Checklist
Calendar
The top section of our checklist has a calendar for the week right up top. When I print these on Sunday, I fill them in with details about what is going on for the week. This is a great way to remind my kids about dentist appointments, piano lessons, etc. For my oldest, it’s very helpful for her to see the time that an activity starts so she knows when she will need to have her school completed.
Subject Checklist
The subject checklist is our primary focus. The subjects are listed on the left. Each day the child marks off if he/she has completed the next lesson in the subject by either coloring the box, writing the lesson number or score, or simply putting a checkmark. For the little guys, we work through the checklist together. Once they have transitioned to the stage of independent learning (more info on that in this video), I let them choose the order in which they complete their subjects for each day.
Once their work is done and checked off for the day, they leave their notebooks and assignments open on the table for grading. Then it’s my turn. As I have time, I check their work and assign a grade.
For the little guys (up to 3rd grade or so) I use a simple scale. E= excellent, S= satisfactory and N= needs improvement. My goal is simply to help them see when they need to do a better job. Once they get into the 3rd grade, we begin using the standard grading scale, but still in a light-hearted way. I think grades are a great way to measure your progress if you can keep in check that they don’t measure who you are!
Developing Good Habits
The next part of the weekly checklist is their habits. In this section, they are encouraged to mark off tasks such as morning devotions (quiet time), chores, piano practice, and more. This is a new addition to our year. I used to put these habits right in the subject areas, but the truth is, I didn’t like giving them a grade. I love having it in a separate section now. Not only does this help my kids understand the difference, it also makes it easier when payday comes around.
Weekly Payday
Oh yes, I said payday. I know that the discussion of paying children for good grades or household chores can be a can of worms and I truly don’t want to step on any toes. However, I have found a system that works well with my particular parenting style, motivates my children while still teaching them to do right because it’s right, and doesn’t break the bank. Again, this may need some tweaking to fit with your family or you can skip it all together. Do what works for you!
At the end of the week, I pay for excellence. I always expect them to complete each assignment for school. If they do not complete everything, they do not receive a payday at all. They get a consequence instead. The reward is for excellence. I give 5 cents per “A” or “E.” I also give $1 bonus for straight “A’s.” Typically my payout is between $1-2 per kid, so it’s not a ton of money even if they are very motivated to excel.
I also give 50 cents for each day where they have 100% of their habits completed. I’ve added that this year, so we will see if it comes out to be too expensive. We are two weeks into the school year and no one has gotten even 1 day so far. I told you… I’m picky. I won’t reward them for just doing it. It has to be excellent!
I think this is a crucial concept for children to learn. It’s not our mediocre work that will get us somewhere in life! Plus it gives me the opportunity to teach them to manage money, tithe to our church, and save for big purchases. I don’t buy things for them on a regular basis, as I really prefer that they learn these skills now!
Benefits of a weekly homeschool checklist
- Accountability for student and teacher. Of course it’s a fantastic habit to teach your children (at all ages) to take responsibility for completing their work. Mom doesn’t have time to micro-manage everyone, nor should she try.
- Time management. I’m always thinking ahead when it comes to education and life skills. What is the ultimate goal? To raise children who are confident and capable of learning anything. They need to be good time managers to be successful in life. I want this skill to be a natural habit!
- Encourages good work ethics. This is actually one of the biggest reasons I started this checklist. I wanted a way to indicate to my girls that they were doing sloppy or even poor work at times. The checklist communicates that in a fair way and helps them develop better work habits.
- Helps children see progress. This is quite possibly my favorite feature of the checklist. It really helps the kids to SEE the progress and improvement they are making. It also helps them to see how much they have accomplished.
Making a weekly checklist work for you
Step 1: Look over your homeschool day and write down the activities you want your children to accomplish. It’s going to look different for each age group, so be sure to account for that. Trust me, this changes often, so don’t fret over getting it “just right.”
Step 2: Download your copy of the Student Lesson and Planner. Then click each subject area space to add your own subjects for each child. If you choose the “save as” option and rename the file for each of your kids, you can come back and edit their form anytime. This makes it easy to add or subtract a subject when needed. Of course, the good old “cross it out” method is used around here sometimes, too! (You will find a tutorial video for editing on this page.)
Step 3: Print and enjoy. I try to print my sheets on Sunday nights. I don’t print them too far in advance, because I want the freedom to change things as needed. I 3-hole punch them and put them in the front of each child’s notebook, so it’s ready for the week. I actually set out the notebooks each night before I got to bed. It’s part of my routine so they can get started on their habits right away when they get up.
And that’s it! What do you think? Do you use a checklist system or a homeschool lesson planner? I’d love to hear your tips!
Through practical tools & Bible-based resources, Kim Sorgius is dedicated to helping your family GROW in faith so you can be Not Consumed by life’s struggles. Author of popular kid’s devotional Bible studies and practical homeschooling tools, Kim has a master’s degree in education and curriculum design coupled with over 2 decades of experience working with kids and teens. Above all, her most treasured job is mother and homeschool teacher of four amazing kiddos.
Crystal says
I love your goal setting idea. I may try to incorporate it in to my childs accountability binder…I think it would for a lots of my friends, unfortunately it wouldn’t go well with my family! My child has severe behavioral and mental issues and as much as I hate it…A plan must be in place and she must know ahead of time of any changes to avoid meltsdowns that last for hours or days…But maybe we will get to a point someday where we can be more relaxed!
Lauren says
KIM! Are you in my head?! This is exactly my struggle – I’m so type A and hyper yet anti organized that if we get off schedule, I throw the whole thing out and wing my way through the rest of it, which drives me and everyone else batty! I may just have to try this out – but one question: How do you handle lessons that are on the last spot they left of, or in the middle of a page or not the start of a chapter? LOL
Kim Sorgius says
Haha. Yes, I’m totally in your head! 🙂
Kayleigh says
I have all 3 children’s notebooks ready to go for school. Excellent product! Thank you Kim for helping me to become a little more organized, it’s a skill I lack in and have started praying for the Lord to help me with. =)
Kim Sorgius says
So glad to hear this. Have a great year!
Rolayne says
I’ve tried 10-15 planners, and like you, realized it’s redundant. So I quit, then feel guilty for not planning. I like your packs, thanks.
Sarah says
Thank you for sharing! It’s my 3rd year of homeschooling and I have struggled with the lesson planner each year feeling like a waste of time. I am using a checklist for my oldest this fall and it is much better already. Thanks again!
Shannon says
Oh my goodness, I LOVE the Habits and Evaluation sections of this! I’ve got a planner right now that is working for us, but it’s really mine an not hers. I might try to see how I can incorporate this as her checklist. Thanks so much!
Shannon says
Is it possible to purchase parts of this portfolio pack but not the entire thing? I am interested in 5 out of the 10 sheets.
Teresa says
I really like this, but I just purchased a planner a couple of days ago online. I did read one blogger who said that she uses her planner to record what they did instead of what they are going to do, so I think I can combine the planner with your method, if I think that will work for us. This is our first year of homeschooling where I am being more intentional (I have a four year old girl and an one year old girl and everything before has been pretty much winging it on the spot), and I know that I have many years of trial and error ahead of me 🙂
Definitely re-pinning for at least future use!
Adrienne says
I made my own lesson planner, but I write everything down in pencil. If something changes, I erase and write in what we actually did. If a box gets checked, we completed it. If not, at the end of the well, I shift things to next week’s plans. (I only write down plans week by week.) I have a year-long outline of what I hope to accomplish, and I try to anticipate what’s coming up for the next four weeks at the first of each month. But for most subjects, I am more worried about mastery than finishing the book.
Gina says
I love this ides because I got completely stressed last year (my first year homeschooling) when something happens (someone sick, having a hard transition to a stricter schedule, ect. )and then I was thinking “Oh no, now we are behind for the year- they are going to have to do extra days in the summer”.
This takes the stress out however it makes me nervous not having everything planned out for the year . Do you have an idea of what materials and activities you will be doing to teach each subject? What does your Educational Snapshot look like? Do you just write each assignment the kids have to do as they do it?
Kim Sorgius says
Most of the things we do simply make sense. Meaning, we just do the next lesson in the book. For a few things, I create a plan at the beginning of the year. This would be something like the books we plan to read in 7th grade. There is no set time frame, per say, but a list to follow. In the Educational Snapshot, I list curriculum or resources we use. I use one sheet per year. However, if you change often and/or don’t really use a single book of some sort, you could fill it out monthly. I know some moms who do that.
Jamarys Hwang says
Hi. I used your portfolio last year and although we weren’t 100% consistent it did improve our HS alot. My struggle is figuring out how to set up their work so they know what to do next. You mentioned that you don’t right out a schedule or plan but how do the kids know what to do next?
I mean math is easy because u just do the next lesson but what about other subjects like IEW for example, do u write somewhere what to do for that day or week?
Hope you understand what Im trying to say 🙁
Thanks a ton
Kim Sorgius says
I find that I don’t really ned to write it out. We always do the same things for each subject. However, if you do need to write it out there are two places that work for this. First, you can write it in the boxes at the top of the checklist instead of writing extra-curricular activities in there. I’ve also seen families use the calendars in the front for this purpose. Occasionally if I need to remind one of my children of what to do next, I’ll use a sticky note in a book, too. Hope this helps!
Tanya says
Oh my Goodness I think this pin was just an answer to my prayers! I have been using an online planner that has been eating up so much of my time, I am now behind, frustrated and overwhelmed! I didn’t want to be a slave to a planner again, and was looking for something simple that could give us this kind of flexibility to pick up where we left off, but still keep good records and have my girls be accountable for themselves! I’m going to download all of this tonight and get started immediately! Thank you so much for this blessing!
Kim Sorgius says
So glad to hear this. You’re going to love it!
Melesia says
I so love what you do. I don’t do a lesson plan I have so much other stuff to do. I think I may try your idea.
Kim Sorgius says
Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
nicole says
Kim,
the link for the video tutorial gives a 404 error
is there a new link or different instructions? I wanted to watch to amke sure I would be able to edit before purchasing
thanks
Kim Sorgius says
Sorry about that. You can find it here: https://store.notconsumed.com/pages/how-to-edit-the-portfolio-pack
Janell says
Love the planner idea! I have 4 in school, plus 2 younger…it’s not like you have only one child either! So, my trouble, and therefore question is…how do you manage to look through and keep the accountability going for each of your children?
Kim Sorgius says
For younger kids, they turn it in each day so I can make sure they are staying on track. As they get older, the frequency is less. My teens only turn it in once a week at most.
Beth says
Thanks for sharing all of the helpful information. I was wondering how and when you schedule in assignments that need one on one tutoring time with mom? This is an ongoing and almost daily need (especially with my son).
Kim Sorgius says
I only work with little ones and I schedule that in daily. If anyone over 4th grade needs specific help they can grab me anytime without the need to be scheduled. They know I won’t babysit them and they must come with specific questions after having read the text themselves. Hope that helps.
Sarah says
I have a quick question…Can you given an example of what you write for a subject in the “Educational Snapshot?”
Kim Sorgius says
This is a place to document the curriculum you use for each subject.
Kari says
I can’t find the link to click on to get to this weekly checklist? I don’t give grades but it would be good to use as a spot to check and make sure they did a good job or not. Thank you!
Also, I use a separate piece of paper per kid for what they are doing in school that week…do you use the weekly checklist in addition to that?
I really enjoy what you put out. Thank you!
Kari says
Oh, and what do you use to make all these lists and printings?
Amy says
Maybe this is stupid – do you keep the weekly checklists? I mean, at the end of the year do you have a binder full of them? Do you save that for all their school years?
Kim Sorgius says
Yes! I keep them in a binder as a portfolio for the year. We keep them in the attic forever so we have a record of what we’ve done.
Kat Negrete says
I’m new to Not Consumed but you are my new Shero and I am excited to implement this among other strategies you have!! I’m a bit consumed with reading all your awesome articles. THANK YOU!
Deb says
This is brilliant! Thank you so much.
Jmjudd says
I have a question! I am a single mother as well and would like to try to homeschool my kids. What kind of work do you do that allows you to do both? Are you working from home? Outside the home?
Suzanne says
Greetings! Blogging is one way you can work at home and homeschool your children as well.
Here are a few links to posts that may answer some questions for you 🙂
https://bit.ly/2I2XFzU
https://bit.ly/2r6neYK
Suzanne@Not Consumed
Tanya says
Hi Kim. Your information is so refreshing! Thank you for sharing!
Do you use your weekly grading for your end of year grading? I am not so crazy about grading but feel it is important to keep track of where my kids experienced challenges or where they were fine, or did really well. I live in South Africa by the way and have 3 kids.
Blessings
Tanya
Suzanne says
Yes, weekly grading can be used for year-end grading averages. 🙂
Suzanne@NotConsumed