In order to have a successful homeschool, you will need to be very organized. With this in mind, it is very important to find the perfect homeschool lesson planner to use. Unfortunately, though, a lot of lesson planners are geared towards teachers who are planning lessons for an entire classroom who are all working at the same grade level and using the same materials.
Since homeschoolers usually have multiple children, all of whom are working at different levels, this type of planner will not work. Fortunately, there are a lot of companies that have now developed homeschooling lesson planners that are specifically designed for homeschoolers. Here are some of the best ones on the market today that are recommended by veteran homeschool moms.
The Well-Planned Day Family Homeschool Planner
Contents
The Well-Planned Day Family Homeschool Planner is a beautiful full-year printed planner that contains more than 200 full-colored pages. This planner is designed to accommodate up to 4 students.
The first part of the lesson planner includes a place where you can enter information about your child, record important contact information and list your resources and goals.
Next, you will find a section that contains weekly planning pages that are laid out on a two-page spread. These pages contain 7 subject boxes (1 of which is blank) that are labeled: Bible, English, Math, History, and Science. There is also a place where you can record your weekly dinner menu and there is also a short catechism. This planner costs $24.95. You can buy it online at The Family Christian Academy website.
Christian Light Publications Student Planner
The Christian Light Publications Student Planner is designed so that each student has their own personal student planner. At the beginning of each week, there is a memory verse that is followed by a place to list the week’s special appointments and weekly responsibilities.
Then there are 11 subject boxes where the day’s assignments can be written in. Three of these subject boxes are blank while the other ones are labeled Bible, Math, Language Arts, Reading, Science, Social Studies, P.E./Health and Art/Music. There is a checkbox next to each subject so that it can be marked off once completed.
At the bottom of the lesson plan page, you will find a place where you can record your child’s daily reading and a checklist that can be used for self-evaluation. The next page is for journaling each week. This planner costs $12 and can be purchased online at the Christian Light Publications website.
Computer Software For A Homeschool Lesson Planner
Your other option is to use computer software for your homeschool lesson planning. There are lots of these software programs available. They can be found by going online to a search engine. Once you look through them you will be able to find something that will work for your homeschool so that you will be able to very easily have much more effective lesson planning. Some of the most common items that are included within almost all homeschool lesson plan software include:
- Detailed methods of structuring each day’s schedule
- Optional charts that will help you to keep accurate and professional grades for each of your students
- Various ways in which you will be able to note your own personal ideas (i.e. notes and tricks)
Homeschool Tracker Lesson Planning Software
One of the most popular homeschool lesson planner computer software programs that are available today is Homeschool Tracker. There are 2 editions of this software available. First, there is the basic edition, which is quite simple but will allow you to create a teacher’s journal. Secondly, there is the plus edition, which has a lot more to offer, including:
- Much more detailed record-keeping (i.e. you can record reasons for half days or absences)
- You can create and maintain transcripts.
- You will not only have your teacher’s journal but your child can create one of their own as well.
- There are tools that allow you to create lesson plans or import them from other sources
- There are 36 different types of reports that you can use when and if you need them
Both versions will allow you to maintain attendance and work with your child’s assignments and create and maintain report cards. If you would like to purchase this software, you can do so on the Homeschool Tracker website. Since it costs $49 and there are no refunds given, you should try the free 30-day trial version first. If you choose to purchase the program within 30 days, then you will receive $5 off of your purchase.
