How I Use AI to Help Plan Our Homeschool Year

This year, as I sat down to plan Luke’s homeschool, I found myself feeling… stuck. With Lochlan leaving us to be healed in heaven less than 7 weeks ago, I have been exhausted and homeschool planning has been far from my mind. But seeing how much Luke is growing and changing I know that homeschooling needs to change for him to continue to thrive and grow. So over the last couple of weeks I had ideas, resources, and a vision for the year but getting it all organized into a clear, balanced plan felt overwhelming.

That’s when I decided to try something new: using AI to help.

And honestly? It’s been a game-changer.

I didn’t hand over all our planning to a computer (no robots running our homeschool here!), but I did use AI as a thinking partner — a way to get ideas out of my head, organized, and tailored to Luke’s needs.

Here’s how I did it:

1. I Started With a Clear Picture of Luke

AI works best when you give it details. Instead of asking something vague like “make me a homeschool plan,” I told it about Luke, his interests, strengths, challenges, and the kind of learning environment we value. I explained that we follow a blend of classical and Waldorf-inspired education, that he’s creative and hands-on, and that we don’t do tests.

The more personal detail I gave, the better the suggestions were.

2. I Asked for Big-Picture Structure First

I started with broad prompts, like:

• “Create a year-long English plan for a creative 13-year-old who loves reading but hasn’t done much writing.”

• “Make a daily science plan that takes 15–20 minutes and is project-based.”

This gave me an outline I could then adjust to fit our rhythm.

3. I Refined and Customized

The beauty of AI is that you can say, “That’s great, but can we swap this book for something different?” or “Make this more hands-on.” It’s a conversation, and each round makes the plan more “ours.”

4. I Still Use My Teacher Heart

AI can suggest, organize, and inspire but it doesn’t replace the human touch. I still choose what’s best for Luke, add the creative elements, and keep our values front and center.

5. I Keep It Flexible

Plans are living things in our homeschool. If Luke gets passionate about welding or we want to spend a week in the woods, the plan shifts. AI just makes it easier to get back on track when we’re ready.

If you’ve been curious about using AI for homeschool planning, think of it as a tool like a curriculum guide or a great planner. You’re still the captain of the ship, but you’ve got a new co-pilot to make the journey smoother.

If you want to try it yourself, I’ve shared exactly how I word my prompts to get the most helpful results in the pdf below. Give it a try! You might be surprised at how much lighter planning feels.

Homeschool & AI.pdf

Download PDF • 2.87MB