When I started homeschooling my kids a few years ago, some of my friends and family weren’t so sure about it. The truth is, not everyone had great things to say. As a matter of fact, even strangers felt it necessary to comment on how we choose to educate our kids. Fast forward to eight years later and “how to start homeschooling” has shot up in search popularity on search engines like Google. This is truly a sign of the times we are in.
This post is not about convincing you to take the plunge to homeschool your kids. Everyone has to make their own decision about what they want for their family, what their kids need and how they will go about achieving that education. In the face of the recent pandemic, online learning, distance learning, homeschooling and even in-person learning are real decisions that parents have to consider.
However, if you’re curious about why we decided to homeschool you should read, Why I Decided to Homeschool Even Though I Was Scared As Crap and maybe it’ll help you decide whether you want to or don’t want to homeschool your child this year.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken to friends and even strangers about our homschooling journey over the years. Over breakfast at a restaurant, on the telephone and in person. Eventually, I decided to write a post about the decision and that made it easier for me to help, it was less taxing on my time.
At this point, questions are starting to roll in again. Only this time, those questions are specifically about how to start homeschooling. So although this not a homeschooling blog, who better to get insight from than your favorite blogger and influencer?
I definitely knew that it was time to write something when I saw both Ice Cube and DL Hughley on ads in my social media stream.
OK, then. I’ll bite. So after six years as a homeschooling parent, digital entrepreneur and teaching two kids from home, I hope these tips will help you build confidence. “Yes”, you can start homeschooling today.
Deschool
Now here’s another thing to consider, if your child/ren have been taught in a regular school system all their lives, you’re going to need to spend some time deschooling.
Deschooling is basically spending time getting to know your child. An adjustment period between when their formal school education stopped and when official homeschooling begins.
It’s intended to help the child/ren decompress and everyone to adjust their expectations about what “school” is and what it will be.
A Little At A Time
If you read the the title of this post, you already know that this post is for people that are ready to jump into homeschooling with their hands and feet.
I like to compare starting homeschooling for the first time to jumping into a cold pool or frigid beach water. The only way to get over how cold the water is, is to just jump in.
I’m guessing that’s where you are. You’ve done your research, written pro/con lists, talked to your family and significant other and you just won’t jump in already.
I’ve been exactly where you are. And the best way I got past the fear was just to”jump”.
Obviously you have to do “official things” first like send your letter of intent to homeschool your kids to your specific school district and research what subjects you’re legally responsible for teaching and so one. But don’t let that hold you back from hitting the start button.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to wait until the school year starts in August or September to start homeschooling your child. You can start homeschooling them today.
And you don’t have to start teaching all subjects at once either. As a matter of fact, if you’re new to homeschooling, I recommend starting a little at time. For example, during the summer months is a great time to start dabbling in a subject or two.
Start getting to know your child’s learning style, what works, what doesn’t work and go from there. If you’ve never homeschooled before, picking a start date and attempting to teach every subject on day one will be overwhelming and frustrating for all.
Find a Support Group
One of the most important things you can do (starting today), is find a support group once you decide to homeschool. It doesn’t have to be all formal.
It can be someone you know, your spouse, the other parents in a co-op or strangers in an online group you don’t even know. In fact, one of my recommendations is to join online homeschooling groups. Personally, I’m a member of several homeschool groups.
There are homschooling groups based on location, homeschool curriculum, student learning style, style of homeschooling, religious affiliation and more. It feels so much better when you are in a group of people that understand your fears, concerns and challenges. As a matter of fact, in the very beginning when you decide to homeschool, even family members may not be as supportive as you wished. It’s in times like these that being a part of a supportive homeschooling community will be key to your and your student’s success.
Start Learning
Many times, when people think about school, they think about something that takes place behind a desk. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Learning can take place anywhere and at anytime.
At some point you’ll decide whether you’re doing a co-op, tutorial service, strictly online classes and/or what curriculum you will buy. These choices will depend on your child’s learning style, family dynamics, budget ,if or when you work and more. But until then, here are some great tools to start homeschooling your child today.
Home Delivery Education Services
Delivery can be a great resource to get your kids learning while still making it fun. Having educational resources delivered to your child ever month can get your child excited about learning while offering you a little “break” or “me time” too.
Here are some educational boxes focused on STEM, kids’ crafts, preschool activities and education for your little learners.
A monthly box specifically for preschools to get them engaged and get ready for school, no matter where that may be.
A complete monthly box to help you child get ready for kindergarten. No screentime or worksheets. All hands on!
A learning box of resources for your budding learner. Pick from preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade levels.
Monthly books for kids age 0-10. This book club is a great way to encourage lifelong learning and encourage kids to develop a love for reading!
Stem boxes for kids age 7-12. Each box contains 3 STEM projects a month (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to crank up your kids learning.
Online Resources
I signed up for access to this site a few years ago. It’s for the elementary years and has been such a big help throughout our homeschooling journey. You can choose from worksheets, activities, songs, games and more!
Outschool is great way to get your kids starting on the homeschooling journey right away. There are classes for any age group and of course you can pick classes according to your children’s interests.
This is a great way to keep learning interesting and fun. Some fun classes starting soon are:
- Exciting Careers: Start Your Career Research Now ( For Kids 10-14)
Sign up for Outschool and You’ll Get $20 off your first class!
Contrary to popular belief, homeschooling doesn’t have have to be overwhelming. Take things one day at a time.
And if you really want to, you CAN start homeschooling today.
This app makes it easy to understand math and explain it to your kids. Great for parents too! Just open the app and take a picture of the math problem. Not only will the app reveal the answers for the problem but, how to work it out as well.
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