The homeschooling process is not as hard to get started as you might think. Though it can sound intimidating to be the principal, teacher, counselor, cafeteria coordinator, coach, parent, and friend, it truly doesn’t have to be that complicating at all! If you are a new homeschool parent, or just want to learn more about how to start homeschooling your children, I hope you find this guide reassuring, helpful, and practical as you embark on your journey!
To begin, let’s take a look at the basics of how to start homeschooling. And, like anything else in this world, the most important thing to start with is the legality.
Research State Homeschool Laws
While there are some important legal requirements to consider before jumping headfirst into homeschooling your first year, I promise it’s not as intimidating as you may believe.
To make it as simple as possible, there is one resource you need to consult first thing to find how to start homeschooling in your state.
Bookmark this site, because it is a great place for you to find all sorts of legal advice and helpful resources throughout your home education journey:
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) https://hslda.org
On this website, you can search for your state and get the latest information on homeschool laws you will need to follow.
While some states have more “rigorous” laws, such as testing, reporting, and record keeping, other states have virtually no requirements, other than ensuring you cover certain subjects in some capacity throughout the child’s school year.
Before you do anything else, I strongly encourage you to check out this website, become familiar with your state laws, and know your rights as a homeschooling parent.
I truly believe you will be pleasantly surprised at how accessible homeschooling really can be for anyone!
“Deschool” Yourself
Now that you understand your rights and state laws surrounding homeschooling, you can truly begin to create your ideal learning pathway.
One term that is often thrown around the homeschooling community is “deschooling.”
Deschooling is the process of removing yourself and your child from the traditional school mindset.
After being raised in the public school system, it can be very hard to completely reorganize your thoughts and beliefs surrounding school. You will encounter people who hold traditional school mindset and will never understand your choice to homeschool. There are some who are unwilling to explore an alternative to what they have always known.
But, it is vitally important that you, as a homeschooling parent, rewire your brain just a little in order to have the most rewarding, productive learning experience you can provide for your child.
Homeschool is NOT School at Home
One of the first concepts you have to acknowledge is that homeschool does NOT mean you are just replicating the public school system at your house.
You don’t need a shiny boxed curriculum. No, you don’t have to have eight hours of school a day. And, you certainly don’t have to buy your kids desks to sit at while you stand at a whiteboard and lecture them.
Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely can do all of that… if you want to.
But, many people choose to homeschool because there is something that isn’t working in the traditional school setting. There is usually a reason why we choose this path.
So, replicating the public school system will usually just end up leaving you frustrated and feeling like you’re spinning your wheels.
Because, truth be told, only the public school system can replicate the public school system perfectly.
And, that’s okay. It’s more than okay, in fact!
Wrapping your mind around what homeschooling actually is takes some time. It’s hard to undo that public school definition in our minds. It can feel wrong to choose a different path. A little exciting. And, also, a whole lot scary!
Some of the best books I have read on this topic is The 4-Hour School Day, The Unhurried Homeschooler, Homeschool Bravely, and The Call of the Wild and Free.
I highly encourage you read through one, or all, of these books to get a new perspective on what homeschooling can actually be for you and your family.
Discover your educational philosophy and curriculum style
Homeschool educational philosophies can be a hot button topic.
Some are in the camp that you must have an educational philosophy and adhere strictly to it when choosing curriculum, materials, and even setting up your homeschool space.
Others believe that it is okay to be a mix of more than one philosophy or to not have any at all.
Whichever belief you hold, I do believe that at least having a grasp on what kind of homeschooler you are helps a ton with making decisions, finding your rhythm, and staying consistent.
You don’t have to be strictly Charlotte Mason, Classical, or Waldorf to be a homeschooler. You can pull ideas and inspiration from all the different philosophies.
This is actually it’s own philosophy: eclectic.
However, most homeschooling parents do have a natural bent toward one or two of the homeschooling philosophies, whether they realize it or not. Tuning into your style of education can be extremely helpful in drowning out all the opinions that exist out there. It is beneficial for not only choosing a curriculum (or other learning style) that you will stay consistent with, but also with setting goals and visions for your homeschool that will ultimately make your experience a greater success.
If you are interested in learning more about which philosophy of education you lean toward, consider taking a homeschool philosophies quiz to help you better understand your natural inclinations.
You can also sign up for this curriculum planning guide for more information on identifying your philosophy and how it relates to choosing homeschool curriculum.
How to Start Homeschooling with your Local Community
Often, you will hear homeschooling moms discuss the importance of community when embarking on a homeschool journey. Even if you are a natural introvert, it is important to have someone you can lean on and seek out for advice during this journey.
Why?
The homeschool experience can be lonely and isolating.
Those who tell you it’s not lonely or isolating have likely found their place in a group or community of some sort.
Whether it’s just one friend who is also homeschooling, or it’s a whole co-op full of homeschool families, it is important to find community for yourself.
With the recent rise in homeschooling, groups are popping up all over the place of families looking to connect. There are groups who solely focus on taking field trips, some who do classes together, and others who follow a set curriculum (like Classical Conversations).
The best way to find a local homeschool group is to do a simple search on Facebook.
Many of the groups will have a private group to join where they share upcoming activities, classes, or just general information on how to get plugged into your local community.
These groups are a great resource!
Try searching the name of your city or county and the word “homeschoolers.” For example, “(County, State) Homeschoolers.” Maybe there’s even a larger statewide group and you can ask in there if anyone is more local to you or knows of any groups that are nearby.
If you still have trouble finding a community of homeschoolers near you, try asking around! Connect with a veteran homeschooler and see if they are involved with any local groups. Most are more than willing to bring in new homeschoolers, or are happy to point you in the right direction! You may have to explore a few different groups before you find a good fit. Which, is totally fine and a good idea anyway.
How to Start Homeschooling with the Basics
Now that you’ve discovered your homeschool personality, checked out the laws for your state, and researched local homeschool groups, you’re ready to dive in!
So, let’s talk about how to start your homeschooling journey, with some easy basic steps:
Gather some supplies
Start collecting pencils, notebooks, markers, crayons, highlighters, rulers, etc. *Tip: wait for the public schools in your area to go back to school. These items get really, really cheap around that time!
Check out some Youtube video reviews of curriculum that interests you.
These are especially useful for getting peeks inside the books and honest opinions about the quality/content. One of my favorite Youtube reviewers is Homeschool On.
Start small with curriculum.
Don’t try to do “all the things” the first time you start lessons. There are tons of options out there and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Want to keep it really simple? Choose a free curriculum for language arts, math, and handwriting, like The Good and The Beautiful pdf version. Then, just read lots of books from your local library for social studies and science. Follow your child’s interests! There is so much to learn from good, living books. And, unless your state requires you to submit specific lesson plans, don’t mess with writing them. Most of the time, the learning will take a different direction anyway and you will end up far from the original plan. That’s one of the great benefits of homeschooling: you get to really individualize the child’s education to their specific talents and interests, and do it all at your own pace.
My top picks for The 20 Best Homeschool Preschool Curriculum Options.
Don’t stress about your homeschool space!
There are plenty of “homeschool room” tours out there that will make you feel inadequate about your set up on your kitchen table. Just don’t fall for that lie! You don’t have to have the perfect desk, built in shelving, private room set up in order to homeschool well. Homeschooling can be at the table, kitchen island, living room floor, comfy chair in the corner, or blanket under a tree.
How to Start Homeschooling-Just get started!
If you wait to have the perfect curriculum, the picturesque homeschool room, and every manipulative/game known to man, you will delay the actual learning. Homeschool can start today. Right now. With only a few good library books, pen and paper, and you as the leader, homeschooling can really be that simple! Just start somewhere.
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