Planning for a New Homeschool Year: Phase 2 - Pondering.
- Whitney Stohr
- Mar 16
- 5 min read
As the end of this current school year approaches -- faster and faster, it seems -- I am busy, as a homeschool parent, actively preparing for next year.
Choosing to homeschool your kids is a significant undertaking. It is not an endeavor that one should take lightly. It takes work, planning and preparation.
(Of course, that is, if you do it correctly and with every intention of providing them with a well-rounded and effective education. But that is an entirely different conversation....)
I suppose, a long summer break could be used for the bulk of planning for the following year. But honestly, that sounds terrible.... I have no intention of spending my summer break rushing to create academic plans with the deadline of September marching ever closer.
Just like the kids of summer, this mom of summer wants to spend those warm, sunny months on vacation, traveling, enjoying the fun.
So, for me, I choose to start the planning process for a new homeschool year well in advance.
In my mind, January is just about the perfect time to start getting those ducks in a row.
In a previous post, I talked through the first part of my planning process.
(Not that I am the expert of anything related to teaching or home education -- not by any means -- and while also acknowledging that everyone has their own process that works for them. But, as an external processor, the idea of sharing my thoughts and writing them down in narrative form is the best way I have found to work through things in my head.)
So, for me, the first phase of planning for a new homeschool year is that of reflection. And really, this just means thinking a lot about the current year of schooling.
What has worked?
What has proven more challenging?
Where have improvements been made?
Where have you seen the most growth?
What skills need more attention? Etc.
You can find that full blog post on my "reflection phase" here.
So, what's next?
What comes after the reflection phase?
What are the results of all that thinking?
Phase TWO of Homeschool Planning: PONDERING
And maybe this "pondering" phase can also be conceptualized as the process of -- Settling on Methodology.
Every kid is different. What works best for one student will not work for another.
That is one of the weak points of traditional, brick-and-mortar schools: the reliance on standardization. Traditional schools are set up to operate as if every student will learn the same thing, in the same way, at the same time -- and that's not realistic. Children are not robots, and we don't (or we shouldn't) want them to be!
In contrast, the fact that kids are different -- that each student is an individual creative mind -- plays directly into the positive power of home education. Homeschooling allows for the individualization of education in a way that reinforces the strengths of each student by empowering them to learn through methodology that works best for them.
Maybe your oldest child has really specific interests and hobbies that ignite their passion for learning. Great! Through homeschooling, you can use those interests as a foundation for learning all of the important skills that school-based curriculum is designed to teach.
Maybe your middle child is a social butterfly that excels in a more structured learning environment, interacting and engaging with their peer group. Cool! There is an abundance of homeschooling co-ops, either in-person or taught in real-time online, that may pique their interest. Libraries and museums and art galleries and zoos also often have special programming offered during the school day because homeschooling has grown in such numbers.
And maybe your youngest does best with worksheets and one-on-one online tutoring, going subject-by-subject through a more traditional and expected route. Fabulous! Get that little detail-oriented thinker online and in sit-down classes.
And all of this can happen for each child at the same time. That is what I find most interesting about homeschooling: the ability to meet each of your children where they are at, giving them what they need to be successful, and having the time and opportunity to develop a closer relationship with each child, and as a family unit. It's a gift!
That is the outcome of the reflection phase of homeschool planning: Giving yourself the space to understand what works best for each child, so then, you can determine what more is needed.
I have shared before that, this year, I developed a homeschool curriculum for my oldest son Malachi (7yo) based on the letters of the alphabet.
It was a simple methodology. We went alphabetically, in regular order, and each week, we practiced identifying the letters, hearing the letter sounds, writing the letters, and learning about words/topics that begin with whatever letter.
Admittedly, it was/is not my favorite way to approach learning. That is just my personal preference. I don't feel like it is a "bad" or "wrong" way to structure curriculum. I just find it overly constraining.
However, it still did exactly what I needed it to do.
This year, I wanted to focus on repetition around letters, sounds, and simple unit-based learning. I wanted to help my son learn to use a writing instrument to make simple marks on paper and practice the motions of early writing skills. My son loves sensory-based activities and learning around nature and the natural sciences, and a "letter of the week" provided an easy way of integrating mini learning units that added to the repetition of letter identification and sounds/pronunciation.
And because I chose topics that were of great interest to my son, while integrating a TON of hands-on learning, movement, and sensory-based activities, he excelled. He has made tremendous gains so far this year.
But still, I will be doing things differently next year, and reflecting on my methodology this year, helped guide that decision.
Decision Time: What methodology or curriculum focus will guide our home learning plan for the 2025-26 school year?
After some thought, I decided to really lean into my kids' interests and use those themes to build out a curriculum that incorporates every other learning goal.
So, we're talking about HEAVY theme-based learning.
Luckily, both of my boys have shared interests in topics that will allow me to scale-up learning for my older kid and scale-down learning for my youngest, but around the same theme.
I have selected THREE themes that I anticipate expanding out into learning units for 6 to 9 weeks each. Within each theme, I will incorporate all of the important skills and subjects: math, reading, writing, fine and gross motor skills, etc.
These three themes are --
Dinosaurs
Sharks
Disney Cars
In addition, we will continue our engagement is community activities -- such as library story time, drum circle, homeschool park playgroup, and Forest School co-op -- to continue supporting the boys' social-emotional skills and peer engagement.
Also, there will be a continuing focus on language learning and assistive technology use for communication for my oldest son through speech therapy, as well as whatever medical appointments and related needs arise.
Next comes PHASE THREE: Curriculum Development
This is the meat and potatoes of homeschool planning.
This is the diving in and getting my hands dirty part of planning.
This is the bulk of the planning time: Actually, sitting down in front of my computer and finding or creating the materials I will need for the year.
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