Today I’m sharing organization tools and my *Newly Updated* Free Homeschool Calendar & Planner–created to help homeschool moms get organized! I hope this comprehensive planner will help you tackle your “to-do” lists and keep your homeschool planning simple, flexible, and organized!
Grab yours when you subscribe to my email newsletter…
Organization and Mental Health
For me—keeping organized is a big part of healthy living. I’m prone to anxiety.
And also prone to stuffing things in drawers and closets! (Sort of a vicious cycle!)
But the less clutter—the more peace I feel. So because it’s not my nature to be organized, I have to be intentional about my habits at home…
Establish Housekeeping Habits
I go to the FlyLady for help—I’d be such a mess without her! Her help and plans are totally FREE! She will help you too—don’t get overwhelmed by all her website has to offer. Start at the beginning, and jump in where you are!! (And as she always says, “You can do anything for 15 minutes!”)
I’ve been applying the FlyLady’s philosophy for over 15 years. And for me, her system boils down to four basic daily chores… (HERE’S a post with more details about what I do and how to get started!)
1) Keeping the kitchen sink clean
2) Making my bed
3) Doing a load of laundry every day
4) Cleaning one bathroom daily (just wiping things down)
In addition, I try to follow her advice to tidy up “hot spots,” for 15 minutes a day, and do a once-a-week “home blessing.” (AKA—dusting, vacuuming, windows, etc…for one hour.)
Here’s a peek at the printables I’ve created to help me work on those basic habits (including working out & drinking water):
Utilize Lists and Your Calendar
Lists also do wonders for my mental health—decluttering my mind! With 6 kids—my life would be so stressful without utilizing my calendar and lists.
I’ve added some beautiful calendars and pages for keeping your “to-do” lists organized–monthly, weekly, and daily!
The planner includes an 18-month calendar–July 2024 through December 2025:
Get Your Homeschool Organized:
After homeschooling for 20+ years…sometimes I find myself flying by the seat of my pants. Which is fine every once in a while (trust me—classroom teachers spend plenty of days winging it too). But really, I feel so much more effective and ready for the day when I utilize lesson plans.
Lesson planning doesn’t need to be complicated! I simply jot down the daily goals or lessons for each subject, and I’ve found that helps keep me consistent!
**I also created a beautiful & very thorough Homeschool Lesson Planner which is available to purchase on Amazon. I LOVE It and use it daily! My free planning option is great, but if you’d like it all printed, perfect, and ready-to-go…be sure check out my Homeschool Lesson Planner!!
How to Plan for Early or Primary Grades:
I truly believe the main focus should be Reading (with Writing incorporated) and Math.
(And A LOT of play time!)
Everything else is icing on the cake! Science and History can easily be integrated in gentle ways that connect to what your child is already excited and curious about!
My homeschool planning pages are perfect for young students!
How to Plan for Older Students:
In many ways–I still keep Language Arts and Math front and center in the middle grades (and even high school). But in addition, students are exploring their interests and becoming more independent! It’s so amazing to see it all unfold!
So I’ve also included pages for older students–the “My Assignments Page” is designed to encourage more independence and help kids take more ownership of their work!
*If you have high school students you may also be interested in my high school transcript template and grading calculator! It’s the perfect way to organize your child’s classes, grades, and credits!
Homeschool Record Keeping:
In addition to planning pages, my free homeschool planner includes:
- Attendance Log
- Reading Log
- Field Trip Planning
- Homeschool Goals & Mission Statement Planning
And I LOVE looping certain subjects…So you’ll find a page for creating loop schedules!
**For us looping looks like rotating through Charlotte Mason subjects throughout the week–like Shakespeare, Folk Songs, Hymns, Poetry, Art Study, and Composers. Ambleside Online (AO) is an amazing free resource to learn all about it! I follow their plans for all of those subjects!
You can grab all these planning pages—plus more (40 total pages) to keep your home and school running as smoothly and simply as possible!
Subscribe here to get your instant download!
Here’s to planning and getting organized!
With Love,
Jen xo
P.S. If you’re new to homeschooling–here are some other posts that will help you get started!!