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5 Reasons a Paper Planner Is Better Than a Homeschool Online Planner

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Hands down I choose a paper planner over a homeschool online planner for my homeschool planner each year. Even with the explosions of apps and online lesson planning, they still don’t beat a beautiful homeschool paper planner.

In addition, supplies of beautiful and colorful stationery, pens, and planner accessories has increased. There is no shortage.

Now that the digital age has been here a while, there is more data on the benefits of a paper planner over an online planner.

Using an online planner may appear to have several advantages.

However, there is one significant advantage that comes instantly to mind when I think about using my 7 Step Curriculum Planner. That is, I’m not constantly going from one thing to the next thing haphazardly.

The bottom line is that my paper planner helps me to not overschedule.

5 Reasons a Paper Planner Is Better Than a Homeschool Online Planner

It’s so easy with a digital planner to quickly drag and drop and fill in the online calendar. It looks pretty, but will it work?

And it may appear that you’re achieving your goals, or it could be that you’ve created unrealistic goals.

That is exactly what happened to my writing habits when I tried using an online planner.

Instead of slowing down and really thinking if my lesson plans or schedules would work, I just plugged-in arbitrary plans.

Why Is It Important to Use a Homeschool Planner

So, when making comparisons between any type of homeschool planners, you need to be clear how you best organized.

And don’t assume because we have a plethora of fun apps that you can’t use some of them.

However, what you choose as your main organizing tool should be given consideration.

Before you can do that, clearly focusing on why it’s important to use a homeschool planner will give you a bigger picture.

Look at these 5 questions.

  1. Do you need to see a big picture, or do you need room to write details?
  2. Will your method of planning help you to slow down and ponder what you’re planning?
  3. Is your homeschool planner creating stress or oozing relaxing vibes?
  4. Does your organizing tool encourage consistency or constant change? In other words, will you constantly be changing the form, adding pages, taking pages out, adding apps or sections. This is not being organized.
  5. Finally, most important does your organizing tool bend to our homeschool life? Or, does your homeschool planner lack flexibility by being dated and make you feel that is should be filled in?

5 Printable Homeschool Lesson Planner Advantages

Furthermore, look at some of the reasons why I love a paper homeschool planner.

Besides, loving the fact that my 7 Step Curriculum Planner encourages me to plan more realistically, it’s visual.

1. As a visual homeschool educator, my printable homeschool planner is a visual organizing tool.

I’m a visual teacher and love all the items which help me to stay organized.

An excel spread sheet is way too analytical and doesn’t excite me.

5 Reasons a Paper Planner Is Better Than a Homeschool Online Planner

Whether you love bookmarks as a way to find your place in a planner or larger rubber bands, make your printed planner suit you. For instance, I’ve always loved the Semikolon Sticky Tab Markers.

2.Your creative record keeping stays well past online homeschool planners.

Next, another favorite part about a printed homeschool planner is that it is UNIQUELY yours as a family.

I journal, add pictures, chart my children’ progress, and otherwise jotted down my fears as well as hopes. Nothing compares to my handwritten thoughts.

3. I can see the big picture glance at a glance instead of scrolling and scrolling.

Next, no scrolling is needed to see what you want to at an instant glance.

It’s a great brain break to step away from devices and use the planner I built specifically for my homeschool.

And then did I mention the numerous options, page designs and sections you can create with a printed homeschool planner?

4. Nothing compares to a creative planner with sections you specifically choose for your unique homeschool journey.

I say it all the time, why purchase something put together when you can create a one of a kind homeschool planner using my beautiful and free printables?

Finally, it boosts my creative energy.

5. It reduces the stress of several windows open at one time which can be very distracting to planning.

Instead of having several windows open with distractions, I am focused singularly on my family’s needs.

In the digital age we live in, don’t think we can’t use online tools. I love having our Google family calendar so we can all see what is coming up. But my use of them is balanced.

5 Reasons a Paper Planner Is Better Than a Homeschool Online Planner

Look at these other homeschool planner products that I know you’ll love!

My printed homeschool planner has proven to reduce my stress level, heighten my working time, and otherwise give me a creative record of my children’s work which I have kept for years.

What about you? How do you feel about your printed homeschool planner?

Look at these other helps.

Gorgeous 7 Step Free Homeschool Planner You Build

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Build your gorgeous 7 step free homeschool planner for your homeschool planner. With 7 easy steps you’ll not only be organized, but have a unique hard working tool.

When you create a planner for your homeschool, you’re making it unique to your needs. Planners which are prepared for classroom use are not set up to use for a family.

Plus, when you purchase one giant put together planner, you’re not hand picking the forms you need this year.

For example, your needs change each year. You may have elementary aged students and high school students.

Your needs are different for each student.

So, having an unnecessary form in your planner hinders your organizational efforts. Worst are forms which have tons of useless blanks with no guidance.

My homeschool planner it built by you with my guidance.

Gorgeous 7 Step Free Homeschool Planner You Build Yourself

I’ve been creating and sharing how I put together my planner for 10 years. I can help get you on the road to organization. With my 7 Step DIY Homeschool Planner, I have OVER 600 free pages for you to go through.

However, I do not make it stressful for you. Instead, I guide you STEP BY STEP for each step. You decide what you need and don’t need this year.

After you set up your planner a few times, you can go through this process quickly.

7 Step DIY Free Homeschool Planner

First, look at the 7 steps. Then, I’ll share how to best to grab the homeschool forms you need at each step.

 Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! 

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

Next, I have over 30+ free front or back covers. The beauty of choosing the forms is that each year you create what you like.

I don’t encourage matchy-matchy pages. There is nothing striking about a planner where ALL the pages match. Nothing.

Our homeschool journey is a wild one and your finished project should reflect YOUR personality.

Another important section is the calendar section. I create 3 different types of calendars each year. Look at each type of calendar.

  1. One is a colorful reference calendar to place throughout your planner in several places
  2. The second calendar I prepare is a Scheduling or Planning calendar. Read my post How a Homeschool Planning Calendar is Superior to a Regular Calendar to use it.
  3. And the third one is a beautiful 2 page per month calendar which has ample room for writing your appointments.

Custom Homeschool Planner

The next step is 3 and you’ll want a variety of goal setting pages in your homeschool planner. Goals are the very foundation of your homeschool.

Whether you have general goals or specific goals, you’ll find a form on Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives.

Also, when you can get to Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You take your time. The lesson planning pages or templates are the largest part of your planner.

Be sure you’re printing both sides of your paper. I use regular all purpose bright white paper.

Do not print using cardstock. There is no way you can bind it because it will be too thick and big.

And I do not use any special printer. I’ve been using my favorite which is a mobile printer for years.

In addition, another section where you’ll spend most of your time is Step 5. You’ll notice I have 3 pages for Step 5.

There are numerous unique forms like attendance, student schedules, reading logs, field trips trackers, high school planning, and readiness checklist to name a very few of the forms.

DIY Homeschool Planner

Lastly, for Steps 6 and 7, I go over the best ways to add extra storage to your planner and how to bind it.

However, there are others solid reasons to build a diy homeschool planner.

  1. It is an undated planner. Dated planners can make you feel behind when you need to skip a day to take care of life. Using an undated planner you simply pick up where you left off and adjust to life. Make the school schedule fit your life.
  2. Another huge advantage is that it can be used for multiple ages. Instead of planners which contain numerous columns, it suits family with multiple kids.
  3. And I mentioned it before, but I’m mentioning it again. It is to be printed on both sides. Do not waste paper.
  4. Finally, one of the most important is to coil bind it. I do not encourage notebooks because the rings get in the way of writing. Too, something else I’ve learned along the way. Some homeschoolers want perfection in their planner.

An unorganized person is one who constantly wants to keep adding to a system instead of utilizing one that is close to what she needs.

Organization is about sticking to a system not constantly adding more work for yourself.

Look at these other homeschool planner products that I know you’ll love!

Gorgeous 7 Step Free Homeschool Planner You Build Yourself

6 Ways a Homeschool Daily Planner Beats a Weekly Planner

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Hands-down my preference is a homeschool daily planner when I create my homeschool planner. Although a weekly or even monthly planner have a place, it doesn’t even compare to a daily planner.

In addition, many planners can be overly classroom focused. Some planners make the mistake of having columns for too many students while others seem too minimalist.

Besides flexibility to add forms you like in a daily homeschool planner, it doesn’t need to be complicated.

Today, I’m sharing 6 reasons why I use and create daily planning forms here on my site Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

6 Ways a Homeschool Daily Planner Beats a Weekly Planner

First, look at my original l80 daily lesson planning page.

6 Ways a Homeschool Daily Planner Beats a Weekly Planner

As you can see, the top part has room for skill subjects and the bottom part is for content subjects.

The skill subjects are math and language arts. And the content subjects which you can teach your children together are Geography, Science, History, Foreign Language, Bible and Art share

That box at the bottom of the form for content subjects has enough room to write or lesson plan. There is enough room because you do not do content subjects every day.

From this form, came by passion to stick to this kind of planning.

Benefits of a Daily Planner

Look at my 6 other reasons for using such a solid planner.

  1. The best reason is you have ample room for thoughtful legible plans.
  2. When the planner is undated, it can be used for an academic year or to school year-round.
  3. Also, if you prefer to print as you go instead of binding the planner, daily plans can be checklist.
  4. Adding the sections you need for each year matter. For example, you may be in a state which requires attendance. Simply download the attendance record of your choice. If you need high school planning, grab forms for high school planning.
  5. Stress levels can be managed daily. Weekly planning can get out of control, but with a daily planner, you have a pulse on what is going on day to day. I prefer to head things off before they get to a stressful point.
  6. And the last big point for me is that we homeschool to adjust at the moment when our children change. Whether my children need to move ahead or stay a few more days on a subject, I have that luxury with this type of planner.

How to Combine Types of Planners

However, I feel that a section should include glancing at your week.

Although a day to day planner is my preference for my homeschool, there is an advantage to glancing at your week.

Moreover, a glance for the week is a big picture while a daily planner is a smaller one.

Using both in your homeschool can fill both of those needs. My weekly planning form below you can find at Step 5a. Choose Unique Forms JUST for You. I have several color choices.

Even a month at a glance works. Placing those forms either at the beginning of your month or week can give you direction for meeting your goals.

You determine how you choose to plan.

However, planning perfection can be time consuming. It’s best to choose a method and stick to it.

Every now and then I will place weekly glancing pages in my planner, but for the most I prefer a larger daily planner.

If you want a daily planner, you’ll love this one. You can read more too at The Best Colorful Undated Dynamic Daily Homeschool Planner.

What type of planner do you find useful?

6 Ways a Homeschool Daily Planner Beats a Weekly Planner

Look below for more tips:

How a Homeschool Planning Calendar is Superior to a Regular Calendar

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Once you learn the differences between a homeschool planning calendar and regular calendar there is no going back. When creating my Homeschool Planner, my planning calendar is one of the first things I print.

It’s ready way before my year starts or I print my planner.

What exactly is a planning calendar?

How a Homeschool Planning Calendar is Superior to a Regular Calendar

It is a calendar which communicates the dates you and your children will count as official school days; it’s a visual of which dates you plan to have off during the year.

In addition, your family can see your in-teacher dates, (yes I have them) vacation times, and end of the school year date. Noting winter breaks and summer breaks are equally important.

Additionally, if you live in a state where you have record keeping, you notate reporting periods. If you must report to a proctor, you add report card dates.

Planning Your Year Homeschool

As you can see, it’s VERY different than just a regular calendar. A regular calendar is not for planning, it’s just for reference.

By using a schedule you are getting these benefits:

  • freedom because you see a plan for how to fit in learning
  • setting the pace of the year to suit your family
  • planning for rest periods which suit your family
  • keeping family time a priority by planning vacations
  • making time for you the teacher by shading in your workdays
  • seeing a visual of the year keeps your goals realistic and within reach

From this list, you see that making school fit you and your family is what is important.

Although some feel that planning like this is confining, they miss the point.

It has quite the opposite effect. Freedom comes from controlling what you can and letting go when you can’t.

After all, it’s not the schedule or plan that is a mistake. It’s the part where some think a schedule can’t be changed or moved around.

There is no doubt about it — this quote may be overused and I whole heartedly agree. It’s timeless for a reason.

“If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail” — Benjamin Franklin

It’s that simple. There are many reasons that I’ve homeschooled, worked, and been able to run a site/ blog.

The best one is no secret and that is I planned every year.

Everything has a place. Oh, don’t think by any stretch that I maintained everything in stone. I didn’t and still don’t. I have many days where I’m frazzled, but I have way more where I’m fulfilled.

However, I never allowed a planning schedule to make me feel like I was hemmed in.

Tracking Your Homeschool Year

Next, there is another feature on the homeschool schedule which I add and is important. The feature is a part to help you track your days and weeks you homeschool.

Even if you don’t need to record keep, tracking days and weeks is an extremely visual way to track your success.

Hear my heart when I say you can be constantly barraged either by self-doubt or from others if you’re doing enough. That was my initial mindset when I started creating these forms more than 10 years ago.

How to Plan Your Homeschool Year

Little did I know the feature of tracking days and weeks would keep me positive. You don’t worry if you’re doing enough because you see your progress daily and weekly.

So, look exactly at how I planned and use the form every year. I’m using one of my schedules from a previous year.

First, look at how my form is set up. By the way, after I update it each year, I keep the updated version at Step 5a. Choose Unique Forms JUST for You.

How a Homeschool Planning Calendar is Superior to a Regular Calendar

Further, here are the flexible ways you can use it:

  • Because there are 12 months, you can begin and end with the months you want. If you don’t school year-round, no problem. Again, just pick up at the month you’re starting and plan to when you want stop. The point is the form is very flexible.
  • After the month where you kept track (look at picture below) of the days you homeschooled, note them on the line provided. Add the days as you go along so you have the total at the end.
  • Use the key at the bottom of the form to use different color highlighters or symbols for dates you want to track.
  • In addition, highlight holidays you celebrate. Everyone does not celebrate the same holidays, so I don’t include U.S. holidays. The form is there for you to note the important days to your family.

Now, look below at how my hardworking and highly useful no fluff schedule works.

How a Homeschool Planning Calendar is Superior to a Regular Calendar

Notice these 5 important points in how to use it.

  1. Use one color to shade or outline the days you plan to school.
  2. Then use another to plan the days you won’t school.
  3. Also circle or add in teacher days for you. I didn’t include any here because I wanted to focus on showing you how to track school days.
  4. Count the days cumulatively. This way you know EXACTLY where you are at in your school year. For example, 180 days is a typical school year. Some schools follow 130 or 160. Knowing how many days you school in a 12-month period is empowering.
  5. Likewise, seeing my flex days or days not planned shows me how much time I have to move around.

Also, if you’ll notice on my form, I took off almost the whole month of April. Here in Texas, it’s plain insane to try to do too much during the hot summer months.

More Homeschooling Year Around Tips

Instead, we enjoy the cooler days of spring and finish up my year in the summer; I still have time in June to flex with.

How a Homeschool Planning Calendar is Superior to a Regular Calendar

Don’t homeschool another year without this awesome form.

What do you think? Can you use this form?

Look at these other planning topics:

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How to choose the perfect homeschool planner for multiple students can be easy when you have the right tools. And a homeschool planner should have unique sections to use for multiple children.

Besides keeping you organized, a homeschool planner for multiple children should include distinct lesson plan templates.

Too, I will show you exactly how to choose the almost perfect homeschool planner for multiple children without breaking the bank.

Besides, using a teacher planner which is used for 30 students is not the same as creating a unique homeschool planner for multiple kids.

Don’t adjust your unique lifestyle to a premade planner that is not created for our homeschool lifestyle. Teacher planners are created for classroom use and not family use.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

First, learn what you need exactly in your homeschool planner for multiple kids.

Look at 5 questions you want to consider before you purchase or put a planner together.

5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy Or Put Together a Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

  1. Will you homeschool year-round or use the same calendar months used by public school?
  2. Do you want assignment sheets to be filled out by you or will your students be filling out assignment sheets?
  3. What are the advantages of putting together my own versus buying one premade?
  4. Do I live in a state which requires more stringent record keeping and thus need more recording keeping pages?
  5. How important is room to write which is directly related to the size of the planner you want?

So, after you have your clear goals in mind, whittle down your choices.

For example, when you’re teaching multiple students, you need a choice of lesson planning templates.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

I used lesson planning templates when my kids were younger and when they are older, I did a mix and match of forms.

Using an editable lesson planning page allows me to pick and choose the subjects I want to fill in each year for each child.

I’ve created unique lesson plan templates which can be used for at least 4 if not more children when you use the two-page spread.

Because almost every line is editable you can fill in with your student’s name or a subject. You need lots of flexibility when you have multiple children because you have multiple ages.

Having multiple ages creates problems for most planners. They will either have something too young-ish or templates not flexible for young children as well.

Homeschool Planner to Use for Multiple Ages

I’ve found making my own has been the key to getting that perfect homeschool planner

Also, I use a combination of either a DIY Student Planner OR a weekly checklist. You may need both in your planner.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

In addition, if you’re trying to save ink (me not so much because I love color) I have an editable form for a 180 lesson plan template.

You can find black and white lesson plan templates here at Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages of my 7 Step DIY Homeschool Planner.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

Moreover, a lesson plan template created for homeschool use should have spaces for you to pen in lesson plans for you to teach your children together.

This lesson planning template I create for 3 or 4 kids.

It also has room at the bottom to pen it topics or subjects your kids learned together.

You don’t really need that much room to write skill subjects in when kids are real young. Jotting down main ideas is what I noted at younger ages.

By the way, if you have 4 kids and one or two of your children are in PreK or K grades, you can divide this template where you list your children’s names with a light pencil.

All my forms have so much flexibility so take your time choosing.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

Unique Forms for a Multiple Children Planner

Although lesson planning pages and weekly checklist are the heart of keeping your organized, there are other forms you may want for multiple ages.

Organized the pages for a unique homeschool planner to use with different ages does not have to be complicated, but it should be unique.

Again, don’t try to adjust your unique needs to a planner which may have a bunch of useless forms.

More Homeschooling Multiple Ages Tips

What else would you add to a planner for multiple children? Look at these other planners and tips