Making a homeschool checklist is super easy! At least it is if you know all the subjects you’re going to study. If you do, skip to the section about making the checklist. If you don’t know how to decide the subjects, I”ll explain that briefly here.
Deciding the subjects for your homeschool checklist
In the spring I start brainstorming with the kids which subjects we want to do for next year. Maybe we did Early American history this year so we’ll do Middle American history next year. But other subjects may be harder to choose. Which science do we want? botany? chemistry? astronomy? Do we want to do language arts together like a poetry course we all learn, or individual grade workbooks? What about special subjects like first aid or social skills? And their personal goals of learning a foreign language or an instrument? There’s so much good stuff to learn, it’s hard not to choose them all every year! But narrow it down to the ones you feel best about this year and save the others for another year.
When you have your list of group subjects, decide which subjects you want your kids to do for personal subjects and how often. Will they do a L.A. workbook? or just do spelling 3 days a week? Will they read every day? How often do you want them to do math? Maybe you want to include other subjects like art, outside time (PE), or music every Friday. I sit down with each child as I make them their checklist and ask them what subjects they want to do. I do the bulk of deciding–meaning I suggest their subjects and frequency–until about age 10. Then over 10 they do the majority of deciding and I just give a bit of input/guidance/suggestions.
How to make a homeschool checklist
Checklist #1: Make a simple table on Google docs.
- Make 6 columns across the top.
- Put the date in the first box. Put the days of the week in the next 5 boxes.
- Make 7-8 rows going down, or however many subjects you’re going to do, plus one.
- Put the subjects in each box going down underneath the date.
- Copy the table and paste it below two more times so you have a total of 3 tables per page. Then put 3 tables on the next page and you will have enough checklists for 6 weeks and can print double sided.
- Change the date to be each Monday of the next 5 weeks.
- Print double sided and tape to the wall where your child can check off everything he/she does.
Here’s a copy of Talea’s checklist.
Filling it out: The child can put a simple checkmark in each box that he did the subject. Or you can write the amount of pages or minutes. For example, write 2 pages of math or 45 minutes of exercise. “Extra” can be practicing the piano, having a friend over (social), going on a field trip, cooking, anything that doesn’t fit in the other subject categories.
Checklist #2
- Make a table with 10 columns and 7 rows.
- Put the days of the week in every other box going across the top, starting with the first box.
- Shorten the blank columns to just a check box size.
- Fill in all your subjects, taking note of which day you want to do them. For example, History MWF, science T TH. Or poetry recital on Friday.
Notes
In comparing the two checklists, you will notice that I took the same subjects in the first checklist and put them in the second checklist, just divvied them out between which days we aimed to do them. Like history MWF and science T Th. Or for language arts I was more specific of spelling 3 days, writing 1 day and journal 1 day. This is easier for kids to look at today, say it’s Thursday, and see what subjects they need to do and do them and check them off. The cons are that it is less flexible than the first one. It makes me want to check off everything on our list everyday. With the first one I’m ok checking off math 2 days, language arts 4 days, history 1 day, etc. And writing in that we went to a science museum to count for science, made a birthday card to count for art.
Final thoughts about how to make a homeschool checklist
My children all have their own checklists. They are pinned to the bulletin board and every day each child goes and checks the subjects off as they do them.
Some of my kids put down 12 subjects–everything they want to do each day including seminary (bible class), reading, math, science, history, read aloud, piano, guitar, cooking, French, ASL, and play outside. Some weeks they’ll change it up and take off ASL and put on origami. That’s what’s so awesome about homeschooling. You can learn what you want! If kids are interested in a foreign language, encourage it. If it only lasts for 2 months and then they’re on to origami or juggling, let them quit and try their new interest. This is their time to explore, try lots of different things, and figure out what they enjoy. You wouldn’t want them to do French for 4 years in high school just because that’s what they decided as a freshman and they should stick with it. When really they love Spanish and Spanish culture. Anyway, let them put down any subjects they want to learn and study each day. And let them change it whenever they want.