Your Guide to Getting Started with Homeschooling
Thinking of homeschooling your kids? It is exciting (and a little nerve-racking) to get started, but the journey is well worth it. Your family will have so much flexibility and freedom while homeschooling and build so many memories of your time together. So make sure to start out on the right foot to make your homeschooling adventure a success!
I homeschooled my kids for six years, off and on, as it suited our needs. The most important advice I can give you is to be flexible and follow your child’s lead. That doesn’t mean that they make all of the decisions, but you will soon find that some curricula work better than others for your little learners. Don’t be afraid to change things up to make it work for you and your children.
State or Country Regulations
There are a few things to keep in mind when homeschooling. The first thing to know is what regulations there are in your state or country. Homeschool regulations vary widely from hardly any oversight to heavy oversight (and even to not being allowed in some countries). In the U.S., each state has its own set of rules and requirements, covering aspects such as curriculum, record-keeping, and testing. A quick online search or a visit to your state's education department website will provide you with the necessary information. You may or may not need to let your local school district know you will be homeschooling. In addition, there may be additional resources or regulations if your child has special needs. Research what is applicable for your location to know what you need to do.
Set Expectations
Your child or children may not have experience homeschooling or know anyone who homeschools. That is okay! Whether your kids are begging to learn at home or are reluctant, you can help them get excited by setting the stage. Let them know what kinds of things you will be working on and learning for the school year. Ask for their input and include their interests in your plans.
In addition, talk to your children about why the things they will be learning can help them in their own lives. For example, if you have a budding artist, you can talk about how they may want to submit their art to a gallery someday and will need writing skills to talk about their process and artistic ideas. They may need to give the gallery dimensions of their artwork for framing or display purposes and will need to use measuring skills. Knowing that their homeschool subjects have a purpose will help get buy-in when it is time to settle down and get to work.
Start Light
That said, I don’t recommend starting homeschooling with a full load of subjects. Start out with the most important (most likely reading and math), then gradually add things like science projects, art activities, music exploration, and more. Also, keep in mind that you do not need the same amount of time each day as they may be used to in school. Because of the one-on-one nature of homeschooling, learning can be accomplished much more quickly. Feel free to use some of that extra time for activities, nature walks, and making social connections. One great thing about homeschooling is you can be flexible and do a lot more hands-on and active learning that would be more difficult to accomplish in a classroom with many students. Use that flexibility to your advantage!
Plug Into the Community
Find local homeschoolers through classes, clubs, and groups in your area. Most locations will have local park days where kids can hang out and have fun. If you can’t find one, you may want to start one! A local homeschooling mom near me organized a monthly field trip group that was amazing. Some locations have homeschool co-ops where parents take turns teaching different subjects. If you don’t click with one group, try something else. If you think you might have found a group that fits, keep showing up to get to know people.
You can also find fellow homeschoolers and parents online. Join an online group or forum to learn more from experienced parents. Your kids may make new friends through online classes such as on Outschool.com. (Note, if you go to Outschool and sign up for a class with this link, you and I will both receive a $20 credit towards any class!). My kids have taken Outschool classes for vocal lessons, vocabulary learning, coding with Scratch, drawing portraits, baking pies, learning about reptiles, math tutoring, and even a full year of math instruction. There are also social clubs where kids get to know each other and play games.
Crafting a Schedule
After you have a few classes or park days in your schedule, decide how much time you want to set aside for each subject. One thing to note is when your child is able to focus best. For many kids this is in the morning, so I usually schedule things like writing or math as our first subjects of the day. If you have a child that takes a bit of time to warm up in the morning, you may want to start out with something a little more fun like art or music to get them going.
Another consideration for your schedule is what curricula you are using. Some lessons will give you an estimated length, but it may vary based on your child’s background knowledge and interest in the subject. This may be something you get a feel for over time, so feel free to change your schedule as needed.
Be sure to plan breaks in your day! But also notice if your kids have a hard time getting back to “school time” after a break. You may want to have your after break activity be something fun like a game for P.E. or something cozy like snuggling up with a book.
Teaching Multiple Grades
If you have multiple children in different grades, take some time to think about what you can do all together and what you might want to split up. We have always studied science, history, art, and music together, but kept math and language arts separate. How this works may depend on how much of a gap there is between your kids’ grade levels.
You may want to plan for some independent work (reading, journal writing, online classes, educational online games) for one child while you are working one-on-one with the other child, then switch. For example, child A might be writing a story while child B is doing a math lesson with you. Then child B writes their story while child A has a turn with math instruction.
Encourage Independence
If your kids are in upper elementary, middle school, or high school, you can start assigning them things to study without always being there to supervise or teach yourself. Gradually build their independence and study skills by giving them assignments on a checklist or helping them learn to use a planner.
In addition, as your kids get older, you can start to hand over some of the reigns of your homeschool. Let them start to choose what they are learning and how they want to learn those things. You may be surprised by the creative ideas they come up with! Keep guiding them, but let them start to lead the way.
If you haven’t already, take a look at our post about ways to help your students self-assess their learning. You can join our email list there to download a free packet of student self-assessment worksheets to use through-out the year.
Remember: You Can Do This!
Although it may be daunting to start something new, know that you can do it! Take the time to note what is working and what is not - then change things up to find the best methods, curricula, and schedule that works for you. Connect with other homeschoolers for friendships and ideas. Take breaks when you need them. Take lots of pictures along the way (we even made our own homeschool yearbooks each year!). I wish you the best and please remember to enjoy the journey!