As a new school year nears, you know you need to create a homeschool curriculum. But where do you begin?
It doesn’t have to feel paralyzing when you’re beginning. Your curriculum is adjustable; nothing is set in stone. It’s common to want to change up your lesson plan after a few weeks of learning more about the homeschool student’s learning style, as well as your own teaching style.
Here are a few tips on building a homeschool curriculum for a successful and enjoyable school year.
Vision
The first step in creating a lesson plan is to ask yourself what goals are most important. Brainstorm your vision for your student’s homeschool experience, either with a pen and paper or something more visual, like a Pinterest board. Some questions to ask include:
- What do you want them to gain from homeschooling?
- What accomplishments would you like for them to achieve?
- How can you best serve your student’s academic needs?
Learning Styles
Your homeschool student’s learning style is a vital element as you plan out the school year. Once you grasp the method that will suit their academic needs best, you can home in on an appropriate learning and development theory that will complement your teaching style and their learning style.
Subject Matter
Once you’ve determined your vision and learning style, focus your plans on specific subject matters. Consider what you want to achieve in the upcoming school year. You can center your learning plan around one topic, such as history or science. Emphasize improvement, and make your focal point increasing progress in a subject your homeschool student is struggling in.
Field Trips
Don’t forget to include the good stuff, like field trips! Homeschooling offers more scheduling flexibility than traditional classrooms. As you create your lesson plan, jot down ideas for field trips and other fun activities relevant to the subject matter.
Remember, you can continuously adapt your curriculum as the year progresses. One of the most helpful tips when building a homeschool curriculum is to tweak your plans and make improvements as you go.
