- exudepeace
- Aug 30
- 4 min read
Planning Your Homeschooling Year
Simplify with a Good Plan
One of the most empowering (and overwhelming) aspects of homeschooling is the freedom to design your own school year. Whether you’re new to homeschooling or have been at it for a while, creating a plan helps provide structure while still leaving room for exploration. Chico Homeschoolers has lots of free homeschool planning resources that are worth checking out.
Here are some steps and strategies to help you plan a year that works for your family:
1. Start with the Big Picture
Think about your goals for the year. Do you want your child to master multiplication? Finish a certain history era? Develop better writing skills? Explore art, coding, or music? Write down the top 3–5 priorities for each child. If you’re working with a charter school, we suggest sharing these priorities with your teacher. You can also collaborate with them to identify these priorities so they are age appropriate and tailored to your children. ChatGPT can also be a great tool to help you identify key learning goals based on grade level and current abilities. Try this prompt to get you started “My child is in [grade level]. Their strengths are [list a few], and their challenges are [list a few]. Please suggest key learning goals for the year—academic and personal—that match their grade level and abilities. Organize them by subject and include simple ways I can track progress.”
Tip: Don’t overload your list—homeschooling works best when you focus on what matters most.
2. Break It Down by Learning Periods
In California, many charter homeschool families work in “learning periods” of 4–6 weeks. Even if you’re not with a charter, this is a helpful way to plan. Ask yourself: What do we want to cover in the next month or so? Smaller chunks make big goals feel doable. California requires 180 days (or 36 weeks) of school a year which breaks down nicely into 6 learning periods each 6 weeks long.
Breaking it down in smaller chunks visually for kids is also helpful. This gives them a chance to see their own progress and avoid feeling like they are on a hamster wheel of never-ending assignments. One family said they like having 6 poster boards with 6 weeks charted out in calendar form on them. The kids would mark off the days as they made their way through the school year. At the end of each Learning Period, they would find a way to celebrate their learning as a family.
3. Find Weekly & Daily Rhythms
Decide how your week will flow. Some families prefer a subject-a-day approach (all math on Monday, all ELA on Tuesday), while others spread subjects across each day. You don’t need to mimic public school—find the rhythm that works for your household.
Sample rhythms:
Block days (deep dive into one subject at a time)
Loop schedules (rotate through a set list without worrying about exact days)
Morning core, afternoon exploration (math/ELA early, art/science later) - this is one a lot of Butte County families. With so many enrichment activities in town, families often find that completing math and ELA in the morning frees the afternoon for science and history through real-world experiences.
4. Build in Flexibility
Life happens—especially in homeschooling! Building flexibility into your schedule leaves a margin for sick days, spontaneous field trips, or rabbit trails of curiosity. A rigid plan can cause stress, while a flexible one gives you freedom to adjust without guilt. One popular technique is to plan work for Monday-Thursday and use Friday as a catch up day. Alternatively, you can plan work for the first 5 weeks of a learning period and leave the 6th week free for catching up on any missed assignments.
You are also not limited to the 8:00-3:00 Monday-Thursday schedule. You can work in the evenings or on the weekends so you never have to turn down a chance for community involvement.
5. Use Local Resources
Don’t forget about the opportunities right here in Chico and the North State:
Field trips: Bidwell Park, Chico Creek Nature Center, Gateway Science Museum, Sierra Nevada Brewery tours for older students.
Community programs: CARD classes, library events, music lessons, 4-H and FFA.
Support: Local homeschool groups offer park days, co-ops, and parent support circles. The Butte Homeschoolers Facebook group is a great resource or visit Chico Homeschooler’s community events page where we post local events we think homeschoolers will be interested in
6. Revisit & Revise
Your first plan won’t be perfect—and that’s okay. Check in every few weeks to see what’s working and what’s not. Involve your kids in these reflections; they often have valuable insights about how they learn best.
Closing Thought
Planning your homeschool year isn’t about creating the “perfect” schedule—it’s about setting intentions and building a framework that supports your family’s values and rhythms. When you have a plan, you’re free to adapt, explore, and enjoy the journey.
