When is the Best Time for Elementary Teachers to Lesson Plan?

Here's a question I get a lot. When should I be lesson planning?

Short Answer: It depends on your schedule and your preference.

But here's the longer answer...

You need to write your lesson plans sooner rather than later. Mondays are the best (in my opinion and experience).

Shouldn't I Just Lesson Plan Over the Weekend?

Look, you're free to lesson plan whenever you want! And if Sundays work for you, then keep doing you, friend. But if you're tired of spending all weekend lesson planning, I'm just here to tell you that you don't have to do that anymore. 

Here's the problem that ultimately arises when we wait to lesson plan during the weekend, though. Inevitably, you'll have materials that you need to prep on Monday morning, that you need for that day (and the rest of the week). 

This creates a cycle of overwhelm, and constantly playing catch up. If your morning routine looks like you rushing around, it could be because you're lesson planning over the weekend.

What If My Team Lesson Plans Together Later in the Week?

Now you might be saying: But Stephanie, I plan with my team later in the week. I can't lesson plan on Monday before I've met with my team! Or maybe you have a different meeting or a personal responsibility after school on Monday. Ok, no problem. Here's what you do:

Set aside a small amount of time on Mondays to fill in any part of your lesson plans that you know you are going to have the following week.

For example, I always know what my Shared Reading plans will include because we follow a lesson framework week after week. Mondays are always focusing on comprehension. Tuesdays are always focused on print concepts. So because I already have this routine, I know what will go into those plans week after week. I don't need to meet with my team to know what those plans will include.

Are you starting to see how that might work, friend?

So here's my question for you: What can you plan on this upcoming Monday to set yourself up for planning success?

Struggling to come up with ideas? Listen in on the Instagram Live conversation I had with teachers here:

For more guidance on how to kickstart your productivity today, check out my Free Productivity Quiz for Elementary Teachers!