How to Start Homeschooling
The Homeschool+ Advisors share their tips on how to start your homeschool.
Starting your homeschool can feel exciting and overwhelming. Our Homeschool+ Advisors have years of homeschooling under their belts and are here to share their best secrets for when you’re just getting started.
Keep it Simple
Figuring out how to start homeschooling can feel overwhelming, but having the right tools and resources in place can be the most fulfilling experience you’ll ever have. My greatest piece of advice is to keep it simple. There are many options for curriculum, supplies, planners, and everything. To start, choose the basics that truly resonate with your goals for homeschooling. Keep your materials, schedule, and activities simple so you don’t overwhelm yourself or your children.
My other tip is to be flexible. There are so many benefits to homeschooling, but sometimes we get caught up in all the things we could and should be doing. It’s OK to cut your homeschooling hours short one day. It’s OK to not stick to the plans for one week. It’s OK if your child isn’t grasping the concept right away.
Give yourself grace and instill flexibility into your homeschooling experience. Things happen and plans change, but our children still need us to be the best version of ourselves so they can learn from us. Take your time, be flexible, and enjoy every moment…even the ones you weren’t counting on.
Embrace Change and Pivot
My best advice, which I have to keep giving to myself even after all these years, is to embrace change! Especially in the beginning, we tend to invest so much time and effort in each decision. Which math curriculum should I buy? Which homeschooling style are we? What does the “perfect” homeschool schedule look like? Then, we become disenchanted when something isn’t working the way we thought it would.
Adaptability is key. Cultivate the skill of knowing when a change needs to be made. Maybe it’s a little change, like starting school an hour later. Sometimes, it’s a bigger change, like cutting your losses with a curriculum and starting over. Trying to force something that isn’t working only risks burnout and frustration for everyone involved.
It’s easy to feel like we should just persevere and make something work. However, the reality is children change, we change, schedules change, and life changes. Don’t be afraid to let go of something to try something new. It might be fabulous! It might not work, and then you can try something else.
Curriculum Can Make Planning Easier
The best advice I got when I started was to buy a complete curriculum. I wasn’t a school teacher with that lesson-planning background. After a year, I knew what worked and what didn’t and was able to change our curriculum to fit my and my children’s needs. But early on, I really appreciated having a plan.
Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few resources, go to the different websites and download samples or sign up for free trials before you buy to make sure it’s a good fit for your family. Then once you pick one, prepare the first week’s lessons and set a start date. This doesn’t have to be the same day or week as your local school district. Start when YOU are ready.
Break It Down
How to educate your children is a personal decision, taken with great care. In the last few years, the options for education have increased exponentially, and the sheer volume of information is overwhelming. As a homeschool parent myself, I know figuring out how to begin is daunting. Chunking down the process into manageable steps helps minimize stress and streamline the process. Here are my tips for the three things to focus on most.
- You’ll first want to learn and follow the steps required by your state to homeschool your child. Spend some time researching the requirements for setting up your homeschool.
- The next step is choosing the curriculum and resources you want to use. Take into consideration your child’s interests when making a selection. Ask yourself questions like: Do they do best with workbooks or hands-on? Are they creative and inquisitive? Physical and athletic? Studious and academic?
- Last step—consider the space you’ll need to have your lessons. This should directly correlate to the type of learner your student is. Some kids do best in a quiet workspace with a desk and ambient lighting. Others do best in an outdoor setting or a more casual environment. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Take time to create a space that supports your learner.
Quick Tips for Beginner Homeschoolers
- Keep it simple, be flexible, and give yourself grace.
- Be adaptable and learn to see when it’s time for a change.
- Don’t force something that isn’t working.
- Understand your children’s learning style.
- Test out different curricula and resources to find what’s best for your family.
- Teach in a space that supports your children’s learning styles.
- Don’t worry about what others are doing. Do what’s best for you and your family.
New homeschoolers need a curriculum that supports their goals. See if Homeschool+ is right for you.
