If you believe learning should feel inspiring, meaningful, and real... this is for you.
The Self-Directed Life Planner isn’t just another planner — it’s a life learning companion.
Created for unschooled, homeschooled, and self-directed young people who are carving their own paths — with curiosity, creativity, connection, and real-world learning at the centre.
180 pages of flexible templates, inspiration, and space to dream, plan, reflect, and grow — ready for you to make completely your own.
What's Inside
Inspiration & Creativity
🌟 Creative prompts to spark curiosity, new ideas, and passion projects
🌟 Brainstorming spaces
🌟 Project inspiration pages — idea starters, prompts, and mapping spaces
Growth & Wellbeing
🌟 Self-care checklists, gratitude pages, and mental health reflections
🌟 Life skills challenges to build real-world independence and confidence
🌟 Friendship and connection pages to nurture relationships and community
Flexibility & Freedom
🌟 Fully customisable — print what you need, when you need it
🌟 Comes in a full-colour version and a minimalist neutral version
🌟 Start anytime, use year-round — no dates, no pressure
🌟 No rigid structure — choose your own path through the pages!
🌟 Encourages ownership, autonomy, and real-world learning
🌟 Built on a foundation of respect for children’s autonomy, freedom, and capability — empowering them to trust themselves and create their own path
Planning & Organisation
🌟 180 pages of flexible templates
🌟 Yearly, seasonal, and monthly goal-setting pages to dream, plan, and reflect
🌟 Project planning templates — from first idea to final reflections
🌟 Time management tools
🌟 Habit trackers, mood trackers, and progress reflection sheets
🌟 Multiple page styles for different thinkers — structured templates, loose plans, and everything in between
🌟 Built for unschoolers, homeschoolers, and anyone designing their own education
This planner wasn’t just made
for homeschoolers — it was made with them.
Every page grew out of real conversations, real needs, and real experience.
My own unschooled kids helped design parts of it, based on what they actually needed — tools to help them capture their ideas, plan their projects, and spark new ideas when they felt stuck — and they're using it too!
When you can't find what you need, sometimes you just have to create it yourself.
And really, don't we all know that by now?
Ticking boxes isn’t real learning.
Living, wondering, exploring, creating... that’s real learning.
This planner is here to help you trust yourself, dream bigger, and create the life you want — not the one someone else decided you should have.
Who This Planner Is For:
This isn’t a planner for ticking boxes or steering your child’s every move.
But if you want your child to have the freedom to direct their own learning — with tools that support them, not box them in — this planner was made for you.
Perfect for parents who:
🌟 Believe real education comes from ownership, not obedience
🌟 Want to nurture independence, creativity, and confidence
🌟 Want to help your child dream, plan, and create — without taking over
🌟 Believe kids learn best when they’re trusted and respected
🌟 Are looking for a way to support goal-setting, project work — without pressure or rigid plans
🌟 Want to empower their child to lead their own journey, with gentle support
🌟 Know your child’s ideas are worth trusting — but want tools to help them grow
This planner empowers your child (or teen) with the tools to dream, plan, reflect, and grow.
You're already doing the important work.
This planner isn’t about adding pressure or changing what you’re doing.
It’s simply a space for your child to capture their ideas, plan their adventures, and reflect on the journey they're already on.
A gentle tool to support their growth, curiosity, and confidence — in their own way, on their own timeline.
A little extra support for the incredible path you're already walking together.
FAQ
Got questions? We've got you covered.
Here are some quick answers to help you feel confident.
The Self-Directed Life Planner is for homeschoolers, unschoolers, and self-directed learners who want to take ownership of their education and life. It’s designed for kids and teens — and built for families who value autonomy, freedom, and trust.
The Self-Directed Life Planner is designed for kids and teens who enjoy dreaming, planning, and exploring their ideas for the future.
Age 10 and up is a great starting point — but you know your child best!
It’s flexible enough to meet different needs: younger kids can explore their ideas with gentle guidance, while teens can dive deeper into setting goals, tracking projects, and building their own path.
Because it’s built around curiosity, passion, and self-direction — not grade levels — it grows with your child.
Nope! It contains one calendar page for 2025-2026, but other than that it’s completely undated, so you can start anytime, use it year-round, and skip anything that doesn’t fit.
There’s no pressure, deadlines, or set pace — your child sets their own rhythm.
Absolutely. The planner is fully customisable. You can print the whole thing, just the sections you want, or multiple copies of favourite pages. It’s made to fit your child’s unique needs, not the other way around.
Yes — especially!
Teens helped design some of these pages, so the planner feels mature, inspiring, and empowering. It's made to meet them where they are, encourage reflection, and help them plan their own goals and projects.
This planner offers a mix of options: structured templates and free-form spaces.
Kids and teens can choose how much structure they want — detailed plans, loose ideas, mind maps, or a combination. It’s flexible by design so they can work the way that feels natural to them.
There is no right way!
This planner isn’t about perfection. It’s about giving your child tools they can grow into, adapt, and make their own. The best way to use this planner, is the way that works for you.
This is a digital product, not a physical item.
After purchase, you’ll receive a downloadable PDF that you can print at home.
Print the whole thing, choose your favourite pages, or print different sections as your child’s needs grow and change.
A Few More Pages to Love...
Designed with love and intention — 180 pages to inspire, empower, and support self-directed learning.
Get your copy of the planner below!
If you've made it all the way down here, I just want to say thank you.
No matter where you are on this journey, you’re doing something extraordinary.
Trusting your child, giving them space to grow, choosing a different path... it makes all the difference.
I hope this planner can be a small part of the beautiful story you're already writing together, and a companion to all the dreaming, learning, and growing that’s already happening in your family.
Here’s to trusting the journey and all the magic along the way.
© 2025 Sara Macdonald, Happiness is here. All rights reserved.