Plan to make a syllabus for each of your children. This way, individual needs will be met, and it will be easy to track each child's progress. You will also need to create a separate syllabus for each subject.
Assess where your child currently is functioning in each subject that you teach. You can assess your child through formal assessments such as the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, subject tests or your own observation. This information will be your starting point for each syllabus.
Locate skills and objectives for the subject and grade level for which you are making the syllabus. A good place to start is the Texas Education Agency, which has a list of TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) for every subject at every grade level. You can find a link to TEKS in the Resources section below.
Review the skills that are recommended for your child's grade level and cross out any that your child has mastered already. Select the skills that you believe are important to teach your child. Add skills from other grade levels (higher or lower) as dictated by your child's learning needs.
Make a timeline. Start with skills that your child will need in order to understand later skills. Allow your child plenty of time to completely master a skill. A good syllabus will include flexibility. For this reason, consider making your syllabus a monthly one rather than planning each day.
Discuss items of interest with your child and think about how you can work them into the syllabus. If your child is interested in fishing, this can be incorporated into science (ecosystems in which fish live, types of fish), social studies (where certain fish are located), math (average weight of a bass) and English (read "Hatchet," write a "fish story"). Write these ideas down with the skills you want to work on so that you don't forget them later.
Type the syllabus. Use a clear, readable font in point size 14 or larger so that your children can read it as well, and take responsibility for what is on it. Hang the syllabus up next to a calendar.