Do You Need a Planner?
I will be the last person to tell you that you do not need a planner. A planner helps you be prepared. That said - Unless you must keep certain records, you do not have to make a homeschool planner. Although I recommend being prepared in some way for the day, it isn't my purpose to tell homeschoolers that they must use a homeschool planner, my purpose is to provide resources for those who prefer to use a planner book.
A Homeschool Planner is a Tool
A planner is supposed to be a helpful tool for the homeschool teacher. It is supposed to be the place where keep track of admistering your daily school routine. Based on what you have added to your homeschool planner, it is supposed to help you stay prepared. I've spoken with homeschoolers and while many find their choice of homeschool planner useful, it is not true across the board. This makes sense because everyone is different and not one type of planner is right for everyone. Personally, I made planner adjustments and I think that is normal to do so.
My Homeschool Planners
Having a homeschool planner was incredibly useful to me. Homeschool planners are not static, they have to change during certain phases that are related to your children's ages. If I tracked my homeschool planner book style over the years, it was like this:
Early to Middle Years - Weekly Homeschool Planner
Middle Years - A combined subject and weekly planner
Middle Years to beginning High School Years - Subject Planner
Remaining High School Years - Subject planner forms given to teens, little to no planner use for mom
Read a little more at Over the Years, Donna Young's Homeschool Planner
