How to keep a daily learning log

What to write each day, plus a one-week log sheet you can print

A daily learning log is a short, dated note of what your child learned each day. If you homeschool through a charter school, it pays off at the end of each learning period: you can see what you covered, pick work samples (the pieces of your child's work you turn in) faster, and answer your teacher without trying to remember weeks back.

It takes a few minutes a day.

One thing first: every charter school sets its own rules, and teachers often add their own. Some ask for a log in a certain format, some count hours, and some only want work samples. Use this guide as a starting point, and check what your school and your teacher expect.

What to write each day

Write one line for each subject you did that day. Each line has the subject and a sentence about what you did. Here's one line from the sheet, written out:

Day, subject and what you did are the parts that matter. Time (minutes spent on that subject) is only needed if your school counts hours; leave it blank if you're not sure, and ask your teacher. Notes are for anything you want to remember: a book you used, how it went, or a photo you took.

If your kids did a lesson together, write it on each child's log.

Count the learning that doesn't look like school

Write these down too, under the subject they fit best:

• A trip to the library, a museum, a farm, or a nature walk
• Baking (fractions and measuring), shopping (money), or building something
• Reading aloud at bedtime, an audiobook in the car, a good documentary
• Music lessons, sports practice, an art class, or a class with other homeschool families

Your teacher may count some of this and not the rest. It's easier to leave something out later than to remember it.

How to keep it going

• Pick one time of day. Right after lessons, or after dinner. Same time every day, so you don't have to think about it.
• Keep it in one place. A notebook on the kitchen counter, a note on your phone, or the printed sheet below.
• Write it the same day. If you miss a day, fill it in the next morning. Don't try to fill in a whole week from memory.
• Snap a photo when you write. If something from today could be a work sample, take the photo now and note it in the log.
• Let your child help. Ask "what did you learn today?" and write down their words. Older kids can write their own entries.

Once a week, take five minutes

At the end of each week, read back over the log. Check which subjects show up and which don't. If one is missing, plan something for it next week. This small check is what stops the end-of-period scramble.

At the end of the learning period

Go through the log subject by subject, find the days with the best work, and choose your samples from there. Our guide to putting together learning-period work samples walks through the picking and labeling.

Printable one-week log

Print one sheet per child per week. Each day has four lines, one per subject; on a bigger day, use the back. For "Learning period", write whatever your school calls it, like a number or the dates.