There are many reasons that planning your homeschool days makes both your life as a homeschool mom and your children’s lives easier. In fact, I used to be an OCD, over the top planning homeschool mom, but that is not what I am anymore. Thanks to my husband, I gave up planning our homeschool days in order to live life outside our lesson plans.
I never thought that I would ever NOT plan our homeschool days. I lived for putting together an entire homeschool year’s lesson plans, field trips and activities. Yet, I had to stop because it was not working for our family. We needed a more flexible homeschool schedule that allowed us the freedom to take unexpected days (or a month!) off as our family or family business required.
Since I’ve stopped planning our homeschool days there are quite a few benefits that I had not considered or even imagined! If you are struggling to keep up with your daily homeschool plans or find yourself in need of a change for the upcoming homeschool year, consider the following!
- Everyone is Less Stressed
Every homeschool mom needs less stress in her life and not planning your homeschool days definitely helps that! When you don’t have specific lessons, activities and resources already listed out for the day it gives you (and your kids!) the freedom to complete what is possible for that day! All too often homeschool moms over plan their homeschool days and end up frustrated and stressed when the day’s lessons/activities are not completed. When there is no daily homeschool plan, you simply record what your children accomplish that day and move on tomorrow.
- Children Can Easily Lead Their Education
When you have no daily homeschool plans your children have the freedom to learn about things that they are interested in currently. If we are too strict with our homeschool lesson plans our children can’t discover new things because we are concerned about them completing their curriculum for this year. Without a set homeschool lesson plan if your child is interested in butterflies or airplanes, you can spend the day learning all about them and record that in your planner!
- There is No Need for Make Up Lessons or Days
Without planning your homeschool days there is no need to have to make up lessons or days. If you need a day off from homeschooling, you simply take the days off that you need to and pick up the next day (or later if need be). Since you don’t create lesson plans your child won’t have make up any lessons tomorrow that they didn’t complete today.
- The Best Homeschool Days are Unplanned
Homeschooling often happens best on the days when we don’t make plans, so be sure to pay attention to the times when your children are out discovering nature on their own, when they are checking out science experiments/videos on Netflix or when they spend the day in the kitchen baking and cooking for the family! These are the moments that make homeschooling a life changing journey!
Letting go of planning out our homeschool lessons was not an easy step, but it was a great decision for our family. We need the freedom to take days off without the concern of make up days and I needed less stress in my busy days. My children are enjoying the ability to learn about something new without it messing up our homeschool lesson plans. I don’t miss writing our homeschool lesson plans at all. I love the added freedom that this step on our homeschool journey has given my family!
Why do you or do you not plan your homeschool days?
I am right there with you. For the most part we just do the next lesson in books we are working through (like math). On Tuesdays and Thursdays we have Bible and Math. The rest of the day for the elementary kids starts with reading aloud while doing art projects or building with legos/blocks. Those days often develop into more of an unschooling style of learning. I don’t even always record what we accomplish in detail. But wow! The kids are just soaking up the knowledge. Vocabularies are growing; they are excelling in math. The 8yo is engrossed in DuoLingo learning German – for the fun of it. I am so glad we ditched lesson plans and relaxed. I should have done it earlier.