5 Questions to Ask Before You Plan Your Homeschool Year

Before you print out another planner page or pin 47 sample schedules on Pinterest… pause. Planning your homeschool year is important, but jumping straight into lesson charts and daily rhythms without some honest reflection can leave you stressed and off-course before fall even starts.

Whether you're brand new to homeschooling or heading into another year, these five questions are designed to help you plan with purpose, not pressure.

Use them to get grounded before you start mapping anything out on paper.

Homeschool Planning Questions

1. What’s our main goal for this year?

This might feel like a big question, but it’s one of the most clarifying things you can ask yourself.

Are you trying to:

• Catch up in a certain subject?

• Focus on character-building or habits?

• Try out a more relaxed or child-led approach?

• Prepare for a transition like high school or a big move?

Choosing one or two guiding goals gives you a lens through which to make other decisions, from curriculum to daily rhythm. It also helps you feel like you’re moving forward, even when the day-to-day feels messy.

2. What’s my child’s current learning style?

Learning styles can shift as your child grows, so even if you’ve done this before, it’s worth checking in.

Ask yourself:

• Do they need lots of movement and breaks?

• Are they visual learners who thrive with charts, diagrams, or YouTube?

• Do they absorb things best through stories, conversations, or hands-on experiments?

You don’t need to label your child forever. You just need to notice what helps them thrive right now. That insight should shape how you choose curriculum and structure your days.

3. What worked (and what didn’t) last year?

If this isn’t your first year, now’s the time to do a gentle review. What brought peace? What caused burnout?

Think about:

• Subjects that always felt like pulling teeth

• Curriculum that sat on the shelf untouched

• Days or times of day that consistently worked well

• Co-ops, activities, or commitments that felt life-giving or draining

Even if last year felt chaotic, there’s always something you can learn from it.

4. What subjects need structure and which can stay fluid?

Not every subject needs the same level of planning.

For example:

• Math might benefit from a consistent curriculum and steady progression.

• Science or history might work great in unit studies, projects, or interest-led chunks.

• Reading could be scheduled or simply integrated through audiobooks and cozy afternoon reading.

Identify what needs to be tracked closely and what can be allowed to breathe. You’ll save yourself hours of unnecessary stress.

5. What kind of schedule supports our actual family rhythm?

Your homeschool isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s happening inside real family life.

Ask yourself:

• Are there babies or toddlers in the mix?

• Is someone working odd hours or juggling other commitments?

• Do we do better with short daily sessions or a couple longer blocks?

• Does a 4-day week work better for us?

Forget what works for someone else on Facebook. Instead, focus on building a schedule that fits your life, not one that fights against it.

You don’t need all the answers right now. Just a quiet moment, a pen, and a little space to think about what actually matters to you this year.