Planning backwards has revolutionized our homeschool and my sanity! I first heard about it last school year and it was a like a lightbulb went on for me! It has been a game-changer.
What IS planning backwards?
Planning backwards is simply writing down what we did each day, after the fact. I still have a basic idea of what should be accomplished any given day or week, but I am not bound to that.
No more late nights planning
Ions ago, when I was a classroom teacher, my favorite part about the job was lesson planning. I loved finding ways to engage my students and help them learn in a fun way. This was pre-kids of course, and I had the opportunity and TIME to work 12 hour days and create awesome lesson plans. Enter in real life – marriage, kids, sleepless nights, and homeschool. Time is at a premium.
In the past, I have been known to stay up too late getting everything set up for our next school day or anything really. Maybe I’m a little obsessive in that way… Maybe. I do this to set everyone up for success. Rather than succeeding, however, these well laid out plans just frustrate my highly creative child.
Also, late night planning is just not a sustainable practice (unless you are a high energy person… which I am NOT).
Leaves room for rabbit trails and other things
If you have especially curious kids, rabbit trails are inevitable! By planning backwards, we can go on rabbit trails without feeling the guilt of going off course. We can experience learning in a relaxed state and simply enjoy the rabbit trail! And often times the BEST LEARNING happens in those rabbit trails. When you are addressing kids’ natural questions their brain is like a sponge. They are learning A LOT in those moments!
Planning backwards also allows more flexibility for going to the park, on a hike, or possibly even a last minute field trip. You don’t feel like a slave to the schedule.
No checkboxes to worry about
Confession here… I am a card-carrying member of Box Checkers Anonymous. When I have boxes to check, I am one motivated lady! It helps me GET STUFF DONE.
However, that box-checking mentality does not work as well for our homeschool. And removing the boxes to check off allows me to feel more relaxed and engaged with my kids’ learning.
I should mention there are a few things that absolutely need to be done each day. For those items, I give the kids a daily schedule where they need to check things off when finished.
Could planning backwards be a game-changer for YOU?
Obviously, planning backwards is not necessary, or even best, for everyone. However, if you are more right-brained or have a right-brained creative child, and need a method of homeschool planning that doesn’t feel so rigid or restrictive, backwards planning could be your answer! It has definitely breathed more life and joy into our homeschool.
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