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Tips to Set Up a Homeschool Calendar and Lesson Plan

Introduction

Homeschooling offers the flexibility to tailor your child’s education, but with that freedom comes the need for careful planning, especially for those who have chosen to do independent homeschooling. One of the most effective ways to stay on track and ensure your homeschooling journey runs smoothly is by setting up a well-organized school calendar and lesson plan. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your approach, these tips will help you create a structured yet adaptable plan that works for your family’s unique needs.

School Calendar

Creating a school calendar is essential when planning your homeschool year. I was part of a charter school but when I was independent, I preferred to craft my own calendar. This allowed me to have control over when our school year started and ended, and I included holidays. My first step was to decide how many weeks of school we’d have. On average, a school year consists of 36 weeks or about 180 school days. I would also check our curriculum to see how many days of lessons were provided and tailor our schedule accordingly.

Breaking Up the School Year

For our family, a year-round approach worked best. We followed a schedule of 33 instructional weeks, schooling 4 days a week, covering all subjects. I reserved 3-4 additional weeks for review or non-instructional time, which we used for state testing. During the summer, we kept the learning momentum by continuing with our math curriculum, either finishing up the previous year or getting a head start on the next. The kids also kept their reading skills sharp by picking books that interested them throughout the summer.

Creating a School Calendar

To get started, find a full-year calendar that suits you—whether it’s paper, digital, or a simple Word document. If you sign up for our newsletter, you can receive our Free School Calendar Template Word File. Begin by marking out your vacation weeks like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Next, decide on either your start date or end date, and count out your school weeks, skipping the holiday weeks. For example, I like to end our school year in mid-May, so I count backward to determine our start date. Many curriculums come with weekly schedules, so I add school week numbers to each week on our calendar to make lesson planning easier.

Lesson Plan

So, what exactly is a lesson plan? It’s your roadmap for the educational goals you want to achieve throughout the year. A lesson plan can be as simple as an overview for the entire year or broken-down week by week. It’s a great way to keep track of what you’ve covered and what’s coming up.

The Full Year or Semester Lesson Plan

Keep these lesson plans simple. Flexibility is key because you might need to adjust your pace or even swap out a curriculum. For years, my full-year lesson plan was just a Word document listing each subject, a brief description of the content to be covered, and how many pages or lessons needed to be completed per day or week. I’ve also created tables with columns for each week and subject, filling in the lessons or topics I wanted to cover. You could also do this by month if that’s easier. To stay organized, I color-coded the weeks by month or semester. If planning the whole year sounds daunting, don’t stress! Start with the first semester and finalize the second semester’s plan during your winter break.

The Month or Week Lesson Plan

While a full-year plan gives you the big picture, your month or week lesson plans should be more detailed. I’ve learned not to plan too far in advance because life happens, and adjustments are often needed. Specific page numbers, worksheets, and projects are best planned the month or week before they’re due. If you’re working with a charter, they might require a detailed monthly plan to show what your student is learning. I used to create a Word document with a table for this, but there are plenty of free and paid options available. Five J’s Homeschool offers a free Homeschool Planner and other resources. When my kids entered junior high, we switched to weekly student planners from Amazon. This shift helped them take more responsibility for their studies and taught them valuable skills in managing their time.

Lesson Plan Supplies List

Since I’m one of those people who likes to piece together my own curriculum, I found it helpful to create a week-by-week plan for subjects like fine arts, science, and history. I made a document where I could quickly reference the materials and books I’d need before each lesson. Having everything in one place saved me a ton of prep time and made it easier to compile shopping lists.

Bottom Line

Creating a homeschool calendar and lesson plan doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with the big picture, keep it flexible, and break it down as needed. Your schedule should work for your family, not the other way around.

Final Thought

Homeschooling is a journey, and planning is your compass. With a well-thought-out calendar and lesson plan, you can navigate the school year with confidence and ease, knowing that you’re setting your kids up for success.

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