Homeschooling is on the rise due to the Coronavirus. Parents who would have never considered homeschooling are choosing to do so even though students have been allowed back into classrooms. Depending on which source you check, home education has grown anywhere from 8 – 10% students being homeschooled in 2021 compared to only 3% in 2020 pre-pandemic. This sudden upsurge in the number of families juggling family life and careers, as well as homeschool planning has created a greater need for organizational tools.

Homeschool planners and homeschool printing are currently in high demand. Fortunately there is something for everyone. When I began homeschooling my five children in 1996 there was little variety. The homeschool planners I had access to were unimaginative, colorless, and expensive. Homeschool printing was non-existent and textbooks were also costly. Many years I did without a homeschool planner simply because there was nothing that worked with my teaching style.

Today’s homeschool planning trends are as diverse as the homeschool family. A lot depends on the personality of the parent doing the planning. Some like to schedule assignments weeks in advance while others like to leave margin for the unexpected. Some are minimalists and others prefer to over-plan. Flexibility is key since not all homeschool curriculums or families are created equal – which is a great thing.

The one thing most everyone seems to agree on is that a homeschool planner is essential. An effective homeschool planner will include calendars and planning schedules, as well as other handy pages such as: goals, book and reading lists, field trip planning, attendance sheets, password tracker, supply list, space for your own notes, etc. A helpful feature is tabs making it easy to find the month and various sections.  In fact, the best homeschool planner will have more options than you might feel you need at first. Remember, flexibility is key. The more resources at your fingertips the more they can be tailored to fit the needs of your homeschool.

Last but not least, a homeschool planner should be pretty. The homeschool family of 2021 is fortunate to have the availability of homeschool printing and flexible homeschool planners to guide them to their best school year yet.