The Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling

So, you really want to try out homeschooling. You love the idea and you feel it is something that could work for your family, but it seems nearly impossible to get it all started. Where do you even begin? Which curriculum to choose? How do you get the kids to actually learn and focus on a lesson? How do you manage homeschooling and your other responsibilities for yourself and your family? Do any of these questions keep you from your dream of homeschooling? If so, I am here to help you see homeschooling is possible with the right planning and preparation.

Preparing to Homeschool

One of the most frequent questions moms ask me is, “How do I start homeschooling?” Most people think homeschooling means recreating school at home, but it is far from that! The beauty of home education is that YOU are in charge of everything from the schedule to the curriculum, and resources, you have in your home. Beginning your homeschool takes some hard work and effort, but it is possible and can be the start of an incredible journey for your family.

Homeschooling IS Possible

During the pandemic, so many parents were trying to follow a traditional school schedule from home. Everyone would come to me wondering how I could possibly homeschool four children! The truth is, it’s hard but not that hard. Homeschooling allows for a lot of flexibility. Yes, there are state standards and documentation that needs to be provided at times, but homeschoolers are in charge of many aspects of their children’s education.

Although homeschooling is not the right fit for every family, I think too many families give up on on an amazing privilege and opportunity because they think homeschooling is just way too overwhelming to manage. It takes some planning, research and observation, but homeschooling IS possible!

How to Get Your Homeschool Started

Ok, so now you’ve decided to homeschool, but where do you get started? As with anything, we want to build, we need a good foundation. There is no right or wrong way to homeschool, but there are some preliminary steps that I always advise new homeschoolers to take before the actual homeschooling begins.

Schedules and Systems, Laws, Standards and Curriculums, Learning and Life Goals (know the laws and expectations for your child so now it’s time to plan your goals with your child), Your Supplies, Your Space, Believe in yourself to HS your child and Trust your child to lead and show you the way

Make the Above Points into a PDF checklist for free downlaod

Schedules and Systems

Remember we are not trying to recreate a traditional school schedule at home. It’s draining, not productive and lacks creativity. However, we do want a solid schedule, or rhythm, to the day. This helps balance all our needs and responsibilities, homeschooling or otherwise. I suggest writing out your daily routine, reflecting on it, and seeing what time you feel is best for homeschooling. For some families (like my own) that is early in the morning and for other families it may be afternoons or even evenings! You know your lifestyle and children best, so make it work for you!

Along with a good routine, you need to develop systems for you and your children to help with a smoother flow to the day. What does a system look like? It’s a break down of steps to how you get something done on a regular basis. For example, every morning we have a system for getting ready for the day and making it to the kitchen for breakfast, we have another system for cleaning up after we eat and a system for our school time. Systems are great because they foster independence and help keep your daily routine more organized.

Laws, Standards and Curriculums

Once you have a solid daily routine with systems to help manage all you need to do throughout the day, it’s time to start to do some research on the homeschool laws where you live, as well as state academic standards and curriculums.

If you’re based in the USA, you can explore this site to see what laws, if any, your state has for homeschooling. If you’re living out of the USA, then I suggest you contact the department of education where you live to understand more about the laws around homeschooling. This is a very important early step in beginning your homeschooling because you need to know the laws and expectations from your local government so you can make the necessary legal preparations before you get started.

After this, it’s time to do research on the state academic standards and curriculums. Information on state academic standards in the USA can be found here. If you’re living somewhere outside of the USA and not following an American curriculum then I suggest you contact your local department of education to get the most up to date information.

When it comes to curriculums, it’s a very personal choice. There are so many curriculums to choose from and every family has their own unique approach and goals to homeschooling. You may go for a more traditional approach with workbooks and textbooks or you may be interested in a more alternative hands-on learning experience for your kids, such as Montessori, Waldorf or Reggio Emilia. Do your research and see what fits best for your family and lifestyle.

Set Your Goals

Once you clearly understand the laws and standards you’re expected to meet with your child, it’s time to set some goals. I suggest sitting down with your children and discussing as a family everyone’s goals for homeschooling. All goals are valid!

As the parent, you may bring the more foundational goals to building your child’s home education journey but you may also hope to achieve and educate your child on particular life skills, events in history or your religion. Your goals will likely be merged with your purpose for homeschooling. Be intentional and honest with yourself (and your children) on what you hope to achieve in the coming year.

As for your children, they may have very different goals and that’s OK! Have them write down their goals and support their journey. If your child, doesn’t have any goals for their homeschooling that’s OK, too!

Gather Your Supplies

So you have picked your curriculum, you know your state curriculum standards and have your goals set, so now it’s time for the fun part – the supplies!

When it comes to supplies, less is always more! The internet and social media can make you think you need all the things but you really do not. To prevent overbuying, study your curriculum and state standards so you fully understand what you’re doing and what you need. You may want to consider investing in a printer if you plan to print a lot of your learning materials.

I find that buying materials for each season (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer) prevents me from buying things that I don’t need. So for example, coming up to the Fall season I will plan out what lessons I anticipate we will do and then buy the materials I need for those expected lessons.

Buying supplies is fun but it can quickly drain the homeschool budget and you can end up with a bunch of materials you never use or that your kids have no interest in using. So prepare yourself, study your curriculum , know your lessons and channel your money to items that are really worth it.

Prepare Your Space

Another fun part of homeschooling is preparing the space. Some families are blessed to have a whole designated homeschool room where as other families may just have a few bookshelves and a dining room table. Both are valid and great!

No matter what your space looks like it’s important to have some discipline about where the homeschooling will generally take place. Now yes, homeschool is not restricted to one room or table but it is important to start off most of your days with the structure of a designated spot to conduct lessons and do follow up work, experiments and so on.

Keeping the space clutter free is also important. Keep the materials available purposeful and interesting, and try your best not to overbuy materials. I know how easy it can be for things to pile up with kids, but keeping the space minimal and organized will reduce the overwhelm for you and help your children to be more focused in their homeschooling.

Believe in Yourself

If you don’t have confidence and believe in your ability to educate your child, homeschooling is not going to go so well. You CAN do this. You CAN ask for help. You CAN outsource lessons and certain subjects you don’t want to teach. You CAN outsource all of your child’s lessons and still homeschool your child!

Be honest with yourself in what you feel will work best for your family, but also be open to change and adjustments along the way. Just because you want to outsource math lessons or maybe are going through a season of not being so productive, doesn’t mean you aren’t cut out for homeschooling. Life is not linear and neither is homeschooling. It is an ebb and flow. Believe in yourself and enjoy the process.

Trust Your Child

And finally, the most important part of homeschooling is your child! Trust your children in this learning journey you’re embarking on together. Follow their lead and go at their pace.

One of the sweet perks of homeschooling is breaking free of all the exams, needless demands and stress that traditional school can put on children and their parents. Take time to slow down, enjoy life and connect with your child. Put your child’s relationship with you before any lessons, academic standards or even your own homeschool dreams and aspirations.

The ebb and flow of homeschooling can seem messy and unpredictable but that is all a part of the process. You will find a rhythm with your child and things will smooth out over time. Trust the process and trust your child.

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My Number One Tip for Success

So after all that, how can you be successful?

Build a good relationship with your kids. Yes, your kids! It’s not about meeting every state standard for the academic year, or having the picture perfect well-organized homeschool space or all the swanky supplies. Success lies with your child. Homeschooling should be a way to build the bonds between you and your child, not break them down. Find ways to connect with your child while building a lifelong love of learning by making it fun, be silly, take lessons and activities outdoors and have a lot of grace.

The road will be bumpy at times, after all it’s a new endeavor you’re taking on for your family, but if you keep your child’s joy of learning at the forefront of all you do, you will be successful!

Frequently Asked Questions

Remember This Before You Go

Homeschooling is so much more than teaching. It’s a way of life and how it looks will be different for every family.

It is a lifelong journey and an opportunity to build amazing memories with your children. There will be hard days, off days, overwhelming days and regretful days, but there will also be some of the most amazing days you could have ever imagined. When you homeschool you are building a deep connection with your child. You get to see the “aha” moments as your child masters a concept they have been struggling with or learns to read their first word.

Homeschooling is a full-time job and it takes a lot of dedication and patience. Although the focus is on the child learning and progressing, you will also learn and grow. It can be a beautiful and rewarding journey!