You decided to homeschool, now what?
Making the decision to homeschool can arouse so many different feelings. Excitement for knowing you have control over your days and the time you get to spend together, worry and anxiousness over how to figure it all out, and fear when you overthink just how you are going to accomplish this huge step. Those feelings are all normal and valid. If you did not have any of those feelings, I would be a little worried.
So here you are, deciding to homeschool but now you are wondering, now what? What do I first, how to do figure out where to even start? I hope this post provides you with some insight and encouragement as you are navigating the beginning of your own homeschooling journey.
There are many pros and cons that can be found in any school choice, homeschooling, private school, and yes even public school. We are not going to get into the pros and cons here, just know that different choices can work for different families and sometimes you may even find yourself needing to reevaluate your schooling choices each year. That’s all okay.
Here are my biggest tips when you are just starting your homeschool journey.
1. Look up your state’s homeschool laws. Each state will have their own laws and you need to be aware of yours (if you live outside of the U.S. then find out about the homeschool laws for where you live).
Find out if you need to file any paperwork, follow any specific guidelines, track hours, etc. For example, in my state of Iowa, we have different homeschooling options to choose from and I need to be aware of which options we are planning to use and what the requirements are for those options.
Find state homeschool groups on Facebook. You will find a wealth of information, suggestions, tips, and community there. They are a great way to meet other homeschool families in your area.
2. Take time to un-school/de-school. You will hear this term a lot in the homeschool world. This means to take time where you are not focused on “doing school”. Homeschool is not doing traditional school at home, it is much different. Traditional school was structured to be able to house and teach lots of children at one time. It had to be able to be systematic. Homeschooling does not serve the same purpose so it can look differently. So what does un-schooling look like?
If you are pulling a child out of public/private school then I have heard it recommended to take off 1 month for every year they have been in public/private school. If you are starting homeschooling from the beginning then it might look a little different. So what do you do during this time?
Spend time together and observe. It might sound too simple but I have found this step to be critical is starting off on the right foot.
Take the time to have fun, spend time together, and build a good relationship. Relationships are fundamental in life, family, and homeschool. Get to know each other on a deeper level. You will be spending a lot of time together so it’s important to learn how to work together, manage difficulties and disagreements, provide structure, and connect.
This is also a great time to build routines and rhythms to your day. Does your family tend to be early birds or night owls? If it’s the first then you might want to plan your homeschool lessons for the morning, if it is the latter then afternoon homeschooling might work better. Start getting into the rhythms and routines that you want before you jump into lessons so that you are not trying to change everything at once.
Observe. Take the time to observe your children. How to they like to play? What kinds of things are they interested in doing? These answers will help to guide you on how they learn best and what types of curriculum you may want to look at using. Take notes on habits and interests that you notice. Knowing your child’s learning style, their strengths and weaknesses, their love language, and their interests will all be invaluable information moving forward.
Also, take time to observe yourself. What does your daily routine look like? Can you handle chaos or do you need more structure? Do you need a daily quiet time to rejuvenate? Are there virtues that you need to work on improving to help you be the best homeschool parent you can be? Do you need to set up help from a spouse, family member, or friend? These are all questions that benefit attention when planning your homeschool.
This time is also a good time to try doing a fun unit study or nature study together. Something that is fun and low-key but deep learning that the whole family can get involved with doing. This provides a great opportunity to explore together how learning can be fun, exciting, and even simple. There are so many great ones that can be found online!
3. Write out your WHY. We all have reasons that we choose homeschool. Whatever your family’s reason is to homeschool, write it down and keep it somewhere safe. You will need to pull this out on the hard days.
4. What are you goals? Now I use the term goals loosely. I do not necessarily think you need to write out super structured goals for each school year, however, it might be helpful to write out what you goals are so you have it to guide you. What are you long-term goals for your children at the end of their formal education? What are you goals to accomplish for just this year?
This is an example of what I like to focus on for preschool and kindergarten:
Children will know their full name, family members names, address, phone number, safety information, colors, shapes, numbers, letters, letter sounds, recognize their printed name, counting, basic hygiene, at least 1 chore, manners, a hobby or skill, and demonstrate growing independence.
I use this goal/list to help guide our homeschool year. It helps to keep focused, not get overwhelmed, and not get side-tracked on other things that may not be needed for our current stage in life.
5. Research curriculums. Now I will warn you that this is the part that gets to be a little overwhelming. Okay, it can be a lot overwhelming. But, I also want to encourage you that homeschool curriculum is not the end all be all. In fact, many families do not use curriculum at all!
Here are some questions that can help guide you as you are looking:
1) Do you want online learning (this will limit your search down significantly)
2) Do you have a preference over secular or Christian-based?
3) What ages/grades are you needing?
4) Do you want something more natural learning/play-based or structured?
5) Do you want a curriculum that is open and go?
You will likely need to purchase different curriculums for different subjects at some point (depending on your family and children). But, also know that you do not always need curriculum to teach a subject, this is homeschool after all and life is full of natural learning opportunities!
Also, do not think that curriculums are limited to the “big name” ones that you hear thrown out a lot. Many of them are great and I am not discrediting them at all, however, there are also several to be found through blogs and small businesses. I have come across many former teachers who have turned into bloggers and create resources, including curriculums, that are beautiful and really great to use.
Do not be afraid to take pieces and parts from different curriculums to make it all work for your family.
6. Read together. Every day. Even if you are not doing anything else, read together. It is literally one of the best and simplest things you can do for your children. If you don’t want to read yourself then look into audiobooks that you can all cozy up on the couch or bed together and listen to. If there is ever one piece of advice I can give to parents it is to read to their children, not just for the academic benefit, but because it creates a routine of togetherness and connection that is unparalleled.
This is not a complete list, but I hope it is enough that can help you get started. Take it one day at a time and remember that God chose you to be the mama for you children. He will equip you in your homeschooling if only you seek Him in it.
Stay encouraged!
Alycia