Our Homeschool Co-Op Experiences

I am writing about Co-Op Lesson Plans for beginners today, because I am a beginner!

(If you’d like the tips but don’t have time to plunge into this blogpost right now, you can grab the free PDF here: 12 Homeschool Co-Op Lesson Essentials for Success!)

Over the past three years, my kids and I have been part of two different co-ops.

• Co-Op #1 (2023-2025) was a weekly academic co-op, where all moms were required to teach. I taught a preschool class with another mom, for two years. We used Busy Toddler’s Playing Preschool Curriculum.
• Co-Op #2 (2023-present) is a twice-monthly social co-op, where I choose to teach. For this co-op, I created my own curriculum based on state standards. First, I taught a Spanish class for 1st and 2nd graders (read more about my background in Spanish, here.) This year, I am teaching a Mini Mathematicians class to PreK-K students. Next year, I hope to teach a Creative Writing class for 3rd-4th graders!

Last year, we decided to drop Co-Op #1 (described above). I liked the academic aspect, but the reality was that we were doing most of the academic work at home to prepare, anyway, and the co-op itself wasn’t contributing much to that end. We also felt a stronger sense of community and history with Co-Op #2, so we will continue there for the foreseeable future because we love it!

I wanted to write this post today because I have a learned a lot about teaching a co-op class, by trial and error.

1. Homeschool Co-Op Structures To Consider

When you think about homeschool co-ops, what comes to mind? Homeschool Co-Ops come in all shapes and sizes, so teaching a class will depend on a variety of factors.

If you are new to the idea of homeschool co-ops, here are some ideas of what’s out there:

• Affiliation: secular co-ops versus religious, or faith-based co-ops
• Frequency: most co-ops either meet weekly, or every other week
• Teaching model: many co-ops require parents to teach or volunteer in some capacity. Other co-ops may have a drop-off model, where you pay more, but are able to drop off your kids.
• Courses offered: Co-Op #1 (mentioned above) where we attended for two years, was an academic co-op. They offered Science, History, and P.E. Parents read the history & science content to kids during the week, and then the co-op classes discussed that week’s lesson. Co-Op #2, that we are still part of today, is more of a social, electives-based co-op. Each year, the course load looks different. I have taught Spanish, and now Math, at this co-op. Next year I hope to teach Creative Writing. My kids have enjoyed elective classes including: Stories & Art, Team Building, Around The World, Art of the Masters, and Botany. (This co-op actually hires out a teacher, for science!)

2. Teaching a Homeschool Co-Op Class: Food for Thought

Here are some other points to consider, when planning to teach at a homeschool co-op:

• Class Sizes: To plan a successful co-op class, it is important to consider class size! Teaching a group of 10 is different than teaching a group of 20.
• Student Ability: The Co-Op where I teach now is not considered an academic co-op. However, I still like to have a general idea of student ability, so that I can more effectively plan lessons for this particular group of kids. In this year’s group of PreK-Kindergarten students, for example, there could be a few kids who can already count to 100, and some who cannot yet count to 10. Both of these is completely fine! But, I need to be able to adjust instruction to meet the needs of a range of students.
• Co-Op Culture + Parent Expectation: Make sure you plan your class around the culture of the co-op, and parental expectations. Some co-ops are fine with homework, while some are strictly no homework (or outside projects). Know the culture of your co-op before you plan.
• Student Needs: This year, I made a simple Google Survey and sent it out to the parents of my incoming students. I wanted to be aware of any social, emotional or behavioral needs that may arise, even though I only see them twice a month. Being proactive helps everyone be successful!

3. Your Homeschool Co-Op Class Checklist: 12 Essential Concepts

Through trial and error over the past three years, I have brainstormed a list of must-haves, when planning a co-op class! I made a free PDF available here on my TPT site, if you’d like a printable copy to review at your leisure. I hope these items are thought-provoking and helpful, as you plan your co-op class.

1. Enthusiasm Is Contagious: If you have the option, teach something you personally love. If you aren’t excited about a subject, students can usually tell. Your enthusiasm, energy and curiosity will rub off on them; on the flip side, so will your disengagement if you aren’t “all-in.” Share your heart with them, and they’ll reciprocate! For example: my background is in Elementary Education & Spanish. My personal favorite subjects to learn & teach revolve around the Humanities. So, it makes sense that I have taught preschool, Spanish, and Creative Writing. (I am also teaching math this year, but at the preschool level, involving lots of hands-on activities, songs and games). I would not choose to teach high school chemistry, or middle school math! Those are not my strong suits, or things I am passionate about.
2. Know Your Audience: In traditional settings, teachers gather information about students before the school year begins. They also see their students on a daily basis, so it is imperative they understand the whole child! If you are able, put together a brief survey to check in with parents. I used Google Forms, and got a great response! Parents can choose to share any social, emotional or behavioral concerns with you, and this helps immensely as the school year progresses. Even if you only see your co-op students once a week, or twice a month like I do, it is very helpful to get ahead of potential hiccups and understand where each student is coming from. With my PreK-K students this year, the parent responses were helpful.
3. Child Development Matters: Do some research on developmental norms for the age group you’ll be teaching. Even if you have a child that age at home, it doesn’t mean you’ll feel equipped to handle twenty of them! Within a classroom there is a wide range of temperaments, learning styles, academic ability and many other needs. Be attuned to these. There are often checklists or free printables that coincide with each age. Here is one put out by Coral Care Pediatric Center, but there are dozens more if you look!
4. Manage Expectations: Working with students once a week, or twice a month, is wildly different than seeing them five days a week in a traditional setting. Be thoughtful about what you expect them to retain from week to week, and establish a few simple routines that help solidify desired knowledge & skills. For example: for my 1st-2nd grade Spanish Co-Op class last year, I knew learning brand new vocabulary in a second language would be hard for them to retain, since we only met twice per month. I made sure to reinforce the vocabulary in multiple ways, each class session, and also over a period of several months. For example: when we learned clothing vocabulary, we practiced with recitation, visuals, then relay race competitions where they would run to a pile and grab the correct article of clothing after receiving the Spanish direction. (Later we took it a step further, and the directions included the type of clothing and color of clothing to grab). I knew the kids would need to hear & experience the learning, in multiple ways, for multiple class sessions, in order to retain it.

5. Routines are Key: The presence of routines will make or break your co-op class. Brainstorm creative, consistent ways to begin your class (song, story, Q&A, warmup problems), teach the main lesson (whole-group, stations, partner work) and conclude your class (reflecting, organizing materials, tidying the space). Many teachers will say that having a solid routine is the backbone of their success. Routines give kids a sense of security, encourage confidence & competency, and maintain a sense of order in the classroom. You can think of cute names for routines, designate class helpers, or specialize the routines in other ways if you want; regardless, kids will appreciate and adjust to routine.

6. Classroom Management: Call-and-response phrases (1-2-3, eyes on me! 1-2, eyes-on-you!) or clapping patterns work great for Pk-2nd grade, but if you try this with sixth graders, they may roll their eyes at you! Do a little Googling and find some common classroom management strategies for the grade you’ll be teaching. Having two or three ideas on hand will prepare you, should the occasion arise! (And…it will!) Here is a free PDF that Prodigy put out. I tend to like more specific chants or phrases, so blogs or Pinterest is a great source to find management phrases by grade level!

7. Goal Setting & Vision: It is helpful to know where you are going, with your students. What do you want them to know? What skills do you want to impart to them? Make small goals for each class period, semester and the full year. If things turn out differently than you expected, you can always adjust your goals as the year progresses. I do this frequently! If you use a Co-Op Lesson Plan template, you can jot down your goal for each class session. I do this, and it helps me plan the lesson, as well as stay on track while I’m teaching!

8. Mix It Up: Incorporate as much movement and variety as possible in your class. Some kids are visual learners, some auditory, some kinesthetic. Music is hugely impactful to learning. Allowing flexible seating options can work wonders. Teaching through cooperative games, stations, manipulatives and other tactile methods is infinitely more effective than lecturing a passive crowd. During a single class period, I try to use whole-group teaching, a game with movement, a song, partner work and individual work. Keeping things brief and encouraging movement keeps the kids engaged, and management issues to a minimum.

9. Meaningful Takeaways: Part of your routine can be a meaningful takeaway (skill or knowledge), but you can also be thoughtful in how you spend your class budget (a tangible takeaway, from your class!) Maybe you have $15 per kid, for the year: you can use that strategically. Perhaps you spend some on consumables, some on fun snacks, and the rest on high-quality materials they can take home at the end of the class (like materials or a portfolio).

One meaningful “learning takeaway” from my 1st-2nd Spanish class last year was very simple: I had them say “presente!” each class period, in Spanish, to indicate they were present that day. It was one word, repeated every class period, that they definitely committed to memory! We also did the same introduction song each week, since music is hugely impactful in memory as well. Think of tiny routines you can implement, that involve knowledge or a skill you want them to remember–and you can have a huge impact!

As far as a tangible “takeaway,” I like to plan creatively so that my students can take something tangible home at the end of the year. For the Spanish class, I purchased inexpensive drawstring bags, and put their Spanish portfolios inside. Within the portfolios were various projects we had done throughout the year, including 12 issues of “Let’s Find Out”, the Scholastic Magazine–in Spanish. We had used the magazines during the course of the year, and then at the end, I put each student’s copies in plastic sheets, within their final portfolio.

10. Repetition: One of the most effective (yet commonly overlooked) ways to reinforce learning is repetition! Don’t be afraid to repeat an activity-especially a game or kinesthetic activity-to reinforce learning. Co-Op classes meet so infrequently, repetition is paramount. Repetition, like routines, are also a natural management tool. If kids know what to expect, they tend to stay more in line. With my PreK-K Mini Mathematicians Co-Op class this year, we will often read the same book twice. Last class session, we read The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins, to introduce number concepts, addition and distribution. I made cutout cookies to reenact the story, and the kids really enjoyed it! We will likely do that activity once more, next class period, to reinforce the concepts. Since the class is only twice monthly, this doesn’t bother the kids.

11. Communication: Consider sending out a weekly (or bimonthly, in my case) summary of what you did in class that week. I have parent emails saved in a Group email setting to streamline this process. After each class, I spend about five minutes typing up a quick summary, and include a few photos of what we did. It’s nice to keep parents in the loop, if they’re curious about what was covered in class! Parents can choose what to do with this information; since no homework is assigned at our co-op, nothing is required. However, some parents from my Spanish class last year utilized the Spotify Spanish Playlist that I sent, to listen to at home!

12. Pivot, if necessary: If something you planned isn’t working, drop it! This year I am teaching PK-K. I had structured a lot of the class based on stations. However, because I only see my kids twice a month, the coordination & logistical learning curve for stations was simply too confusing for the kids, and never “landed.” I restructured the class to better fit their needs, and now everyone is happier! Don’t be afraid to regroup and replan, if you need to. This is common.

Here’s a bonus tip, that I didn’t include in the free PDF: practice-teach your class, before class happens! Here are a few things I always do:

• Have my own kids try out the projects at home, with the materials and directions I’ve prepared. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes I realize I’ve forgotten something! If my own kids are confused by my instructions, a class certainly will, too. I often tweak things after our practice-run.
• Time things out: check what you’ve planned for co-op class and test out how long each element takes. This helps immensely with even classroom management; if kids have run out of things to do, things can quickly turn chaotic.
• Always have more than enough material! Don’t under-plan, over-plan. Have something for early-finishers to do. This sets everyone up for success. I always plan for more than we can likely cover, just in case.

Alright–I think that’s a wrap! If you are planning a co-op class next year, check out my free printable here. It is a PDF that summarizes these points. I hope it is helpful in planning out your awesome co-op class!

For a practical, week-by-week tool, I also created a Weekly Planning Printable for co-op teachers. It is bare-bones-basic, but I love it! I use this every week to plan my Mini Mathematicians class! It is basic yet helpful. I hope you love it!

Cait