Teaching kids how to plan is an important life skill that is often overlooked.
It may be an easily overlooked life skill, but teaching kids to plan in homeschooling has many benefits. Even in the early elementary years, there are some easy first steps to get them started in the habit.
The first thing to check is your own habit of planning. If planning in homeschool does not come natural to you, let’s start there. Establishing your own routine and joy in planning is a lot easier to pass down when you have bought in to the idea first.
Reports have shown that writing your plan down is more effective in reaching your goals. I have seen this evident in my own experience, and is a reason why I love to share this skill with my children. After reading this post, my hope is you have some takeaway tools to implement with your family.
This post is all about teaching your kids the life skill of planning.
[RELATED POST: My Favorite Homeschool Planner]
Benefits of Teaching Your Kids to Plan
Efficiency
When I homeschooled with just one child, I had my lesson planner to keep a schedule and it was sufficient. However, as I had my second child, and then my third child enter our homeschool time, I started to hear a certain phrase repeatedly.
“Mommy, what do I do next?”
I found myself struggling to keep up with the demands of 3 different levels of homeschooling. I felt inefficient because while I was in the middle of helping one child with a grammar lesson, my other two kids were waiting to know what to do next in their math. They felt frustrated with me, and so did I.
My oldest daughter is a natural planner, and getting her her own planner was an easy next step. Even though I was filling out her plans, the small amount of time I put into that paid off. I saw immediate rewards as she knew what she had to accomplish for each day without consulting me. A seemingly small win, but it felt huge at the time!
It worked so well, I decided to get my other two kids their own planner as well! I started out with these inexpensive starter planners. It had the same effect. Everyone knew what they were to do for each day – what pages to read from what book, if were doing a science experiment later, and what read aloud was planned. This brought peace of mind to all of us! If anyone ever asked me again what was next, I could redirect them to their planner and ask what they can get started on.
Staying on Track
Seeing your week laid on, it becomes easier to see the big picture. I notice that it helps us to stay on track with our curriculum, and complete it! Rather than seeing it as a rigid tight ship, we hold the plans loosely knowing that God only knows what will happen that day. It does keep us accountable to each other and gives us a goal to work toward daily.
Grows as They Grow
The planners I have chosen for my children have changed as they change. Some kids may want a straightfoward checklist of things to do. Others prefer to have some creative freedom and enjoy the actual process of planning. I’ll list some of our favorites below!
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Planning Skills for Kids
Some bonus skills planning has unintentionally given my children:
calendar
They have unknowingly practiced calendar skills each time they reference their planner. Days of the week and months of the year were being reviewed daily without much thought.
[RELATED POST: Charlotte Mason Inspired Resources]
time management
Over time, they have seen that if they focus on what they need to accomplish, it gets done! Easy lesson when you see what you need to complete before we can play. They also get a realistic idea of how long a lesson in each subject takes to complete. This is a skill I hope will help them in their later schooling years for time management.
organization
A little organization goes a long way. When kids can learn some organizing skills, especially in a large family, they win all the hugs. Haha. I am kidding, but the simple act of following a planner can naturally help start the ball rolling into other areas like coming up with their own chores or planning a fun night for the family.
Awesome Planners for Kids
A Starter Planner
The very first planner I get for my littlest ones (starting around age 6) is this one from Amazon. Low cost, and a great starter planner! They come out with the new one each year, and there are a variety of designs to choose from.
Planners that Offer Encouragement and Cues
My upper elementary and middle school students have enjoyed using these student planners (use TRISHA15 for a discount). They offer plenty of space for writing assignments, and even give some encouragement in their diligence and effort.
I was recently introduced to this student planner, and was impressed with the helpful checkboxes and layout. I’m not sure if it has enough lines for me for older kids, but it looks like a potential winner for one of my kids.
Planners for Your Creative Child
My youngest child loves to design and doodle whatever she can. This minimalist, yet beautiful and high quality planner, is the perfect fit for her. It has just enough structrure for weekly layouts, and my girl can set it up to her delight. She likes to make each week different, and makes it her own. I personally use the Anna Vance Paper Co homeschool planner, which is the loveliest small business (and homeschool family too!).
[RELATED POST: How to Order Your First Anna Vance Homeschool Planner]
Other Posts You May Like:
- Homeschool Rhythm for Multiple Children
- Studying the Bible in Your Homeschool
- 2022-2023 Homeschool Curriculum Choices
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