If you’re homeschooling or teaching more than one learner, this schoolwork planner for kids is great to help manage the work load.
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**The free download can be found towards the end of this post. Look for and click on the teal download button.
FREE Schoolwork Planner for Young Learners
When teaching multiple learners, it is so important to carefully balance 1-the work they can do only with your help and 2-the independent work they can do on their own. While you’re working with one of your kids {or a small group of kids}, the other ones need to be doing something they can do on their own, without your help.
Without this delicate balance, schoolwork time can feel chaotic and stressful for everyone. Your lessons may be constantly interrupted by pleas for help from those working “independently”. Or if the work is confusing to them, they may just sit and do nothing at all, wasting valuable learning time.
For years, I’ve used a simple method for balancing both kinds of learning with just a small dry erase board in our homeschooling. This year, I decided to create one that was a little more put together for my 1st and my 2nd grader {They each have their own}.
To make the schoolwork planner re-usable, I slipped into a plastic sleeve protector and write on with a fine dry erase marker. You could also laminate it.
On the left side of the schoolwork planner are learning activities that learners can do independently {on their own}. In order for this to work though, these activities must be ones that learners can truly do on their own {independent learning}. If you aren’t sure what I mean by this, read some of my tips for independent work.
The activities are numbered, so if you have a learner that needs a bit more guidance, you can say something like, “I’m going to listen to your sister read right now. I need you to work on numbers 2 and 4 from your On my Own activities while I do that.”
For my 1st grader, who would stop me every 5 minutes to ask me what the list says, I’ve created more of a picture organizer. I can quickly sketch things in the boxes or write simple words for her to visually see what she needs to do. If you have an even younger child, you may enjoy our free independent choice board organizer.
Once learners have done an activity, they can cross it off the list. {I encourage my kids to cross it off, as opposed to erasing it, so I can re-visit or check the activities.} This gives kids a sense of accomplishment and helps them visually see what they have left to do for the day. It also helps prevent the question, “How much more work do we have to do today?”
At the bottom of the schoolwork planner are a few lines where you can write “Other Notes” about your day or an encouraging word.
You Might Also Like:
Independent Choice Boards for Young Children
Enjoy!
~Becky
Thanks so much Becky. This is exactly what I need now. I am homeschooling my 3 & 5- year old, but with my growing 18 months old boy, it is getting harder and harder to teach my older kids. I’m not sure what should I do . Of course, I tried to put out different toys for him. And I’m like a flying robot that fly to the table to help my older kids, then fly back to the floor to play with my boy. Trust me, I’ve tried everything. It is super tiring and stressful most of the time. I feel like the time for me to teach my older kids is getting lesser and lesser. Hope this planner will save everyone.
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