The Daily Folder System

Ok, so you all know by now that we are eclectic homeschoolers that lean towards unschooling.  Eh- or maybe you don't.  What this looks like in action, can vary.  But on most days, we have goals that we would like to accomplish and then I simply leave the rest up to chance.  Our goals are fairly simple, Monday through Thursday the kiddo has classes to attend and then we aim for one hour of workbook or online learning and one hour of quiet reading.  From there, the kiddo is free to pursue his own ideas.

For years now, this has been working pretty well.  Some days, there's more home learning then others and many times he reads for way longer then just 60 minutes.  However, this year- it seems we've turned a corner.  Since September, I have spent the majority of the day yelling at the kiddo to get his workbook and reading done while he's spent his time NOT doing it.  It's a battle of wills in my house with no clear winner.

And so- I'm switching things up!  Ah- one of the many great benefits to homeschooling.  When one thing isn't working, you can change it.  Love that!  So I wanted to share with you the folder system that I came up with one afternoon.  Perhaps it just might help you too?


What You'll Need

• 5 folders with pockets
• sharpie
• post its or paper clips
• worksheets, curriculum, workbooks etc
• computer/printer

The process is easy.

Step 1:  Create a daily checklist in either Word or Excel for the next month or two.  You could also do this by hand and simply make copies if that's easier for you.  

Daily Checklist

Keep in mind your schedule constraints for each day.  For example, the kiddo has several hours of classes on M/W so for those days, the daily checklist is different then it is for T/Th.

Step 2:  Write the day of the week on the outside of each folder with your sharpie marker.  On the inside, write "Assigned" on the left pocket and "Completed" on the right pocket.

Assigned & Completed Assignments

Step 3:  Tape the daily checklist on the outside of the folder with the corresponding day.  So Wednesday's checklist on Wednesday's folder.  Easy, right?

Step 4:  Pull assignments, worksheets, curriculum etc for each day.  Paper clip together and label it.

Because the checklist is 5 weeks long, I pull 5 weeks worth of curriculum at once.  If you prefer to only have to do this every couple months, or every 6 months- then by all means, extend your checklist to include the length of time you prefer.

And that's it.  Seriously, you're done.

How It Works:

Your kid pulls the folder for that day.  So if it's Monday, then pull Monday's folder.  Look inside the "Assigned" pocket to find that dates assignments.  

Once the assignments are done, they mark them off the daily checklist located on the outside of the folder and move them to the "Completed" pocket.

*Tip- I also include quiet reading, science experiments, crafts, chores etc on the checklist.  Same principal applies here.  So even though there might not be items in the "Assigned" pocket, they will still need to complete these and mark them off the daily checklist.  Like quiet reading for example...

You can then check their work in the "Completed" pocket and make note of anything left to be done on the outside daily checklist.

Pretty simple right?  We are on week one of this new system but already, I'm seeing big improvements!  

The Daily Folders