How to Homeschool – Tips to Get Started

What a crazy couple of months it’s been! I was really hoping the pandemic would fizzle out by now, but many families are facing the decision of whether to send their kids back to school this fall. Some still want to isolate due to health concerns. Others don’t want their kids in a restrictive environment with masks all day and social distancing. Whatever your reasons, I hope these tips on how to homeschool will help get you started down this new and exciting journey!

 

School-at-Home vs. Homeschool

Don’t be discouraged if you were overwhelmed this past spring when schools closed. Many families were thrust into an unimaginable situation of trying to juggle many abrupt changes to their life’s routine. What many experienced was pretty far from what homeschooling actually looks like. Most homeschoolers put a lot of thought into the decision to homeschool instead of being thrust into it. For a better look at the differences, check out Tips for School at Home During School Closings.

But now that you’re looking into homeschooling….

 

Know Your State’s Homeschool Law

It is legal to homeschool in all 50 states with each state having its own homeschool law. If you’re unsure of your state’s law you can find them all at HSLDA. Some states have no paperwork or requirements while other states have a strong regulatory hand in the homeschool community. You can also find people knowledgeable about state law in local homeschool groups. They can answer questions specific to your state.

Many school districts are expecting more parents to jump into the homeschool world this year. While teachers and school officials may seem like a good source for information, they often don’t understand homeschool law and they have a vested interest in keeping kids in the schools. Always reach out to experienced local homeschoolers if you have questions about how to file the paperwork to withdraw your kids from school and homeschool them. Your state may even have an organization dedicated to homeschooling. You can find many local homeschool groups and organizations on Facebook. If you’re in NV, check out Nevada Homeschool Network.

Keep in mind that there are some online public school options available that are often confused with homeschool. These usually fall outside of homeschool laws. If you’re considering an online option double check to see whether it’s considered public school at home or homeschool in your state. This will determine if you need to follow your state’s homeschool law.

If you find that your plan is really public school at home, don’t hesitate to reach out your local homeschool community anyway. Many groups still welcome these families. The distinction is really just important from a legal paperwork standpoint. Beyond that, not many people care when it comes to participating in homeschool events.

 

Homeschooling Because of the Pandemic?

You can always change your mind, but it is helpful to acknowledge if you just want to homeschool until the pandemic passes. If you want to homeschool but expect your kids to head back to regular school ASAP, you might want to pay attention to what they would be doing in that school so that they can easily transition back into that environment. You don’t have to copy it exactly, but you may want to keep it in mind. Usually transitioning into a regular school is fairly easy until you get to high school. Make sure you understand your school’s requirements and follow them.

 

How to Find Homeschool Curriculum

Even though I live in a low regulation state (at least for homeschool law), we still have to provide an Educational Plan when we submit our Notice of Intent to Homeschool. As scary as it may sound, creating an educational plan is a vital step in homeschooling. I see many new homeschoolers who want to copy someone else’s plan or use a generic one they find online. Please don’t. Put in some time to think about what you are going to teach your kids and the materials you want to use. This should look different for every family.

You can find a “typical” course of study for each grade at World Book. Many new homeschoolers in our area are encouraged to look up the grade they need and copy the information into their Educational Plan. Go ahead and use it as a starting point, but please adjust it for your own kids. You’ll have to do that anyway when you start looking at curriculum.

We are fortunate to live in a time when there are many homeschool curriculum options available, but that can make it overwhelming too. I go into detail in this post with tips to get you started looking at homeschool curriculum.

Related: Homeschool Planning with Plan Your Year

 

 

Get Your Kids’ Input

One of the beautiful things about homeschooling is that we (and our kids) can have a say in what they learn. Ask your kids if there’s anything in particular that they want to learn this year. Keep asking them throughout your homeschool journey. You may need to help them narrow their list down to a few choices. Pick one or two things (or more!) and be their guide by helping them find books, videos, supplies, courses, and perhaps even a mentor. THIS is what can truly set homeschooling apart from regular school. Don’t be afraid to give some control over what they learn to your kids.

 

Deschool

While you’re thinking about curriculum, take the time to deschool with your kids. This is the process kids should go through when they transition from regular school to homeschool. Many problems that arise when families start homeschooling come from skipping this important step. Learn more about this process here.

 

Create a Unique Homeschool Routine

There are many ways to create a homeschool routine, but it can often take time to find something that works for your family. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t succeed right away. Notice that I’m talking about routine and not schedule. You don’t have to recreate a regular school schedule in your home. In fact, I highly recommend against it.

As you get moving on your homeschool journey, you’ll see that some subjects take longer on some days than others. Some subjects don’t need to be done everyday. Sometimes, your kids will get on a kick and complete three days of work for one subject in a single day. If your kids are really into something they’re learning, don’t break that focus to move onto the next subject. So, if you downloaded a color-coded schedule that some homeschool bloggers put out in an attempt to help regular school families when schools closed, toss it. Very few of us actually use a daily time-based schedule for subjects.

Personally, I love to start our day by reading aloud to my kids during breakfast and the early part of the day. Then we move onto difficult subjects so we can complete those before they get too tired. I try to have one kid working independently while I work one-on-one with the other. We save art projects for the end of the day because we’d end up doing only art if we started our day with it. Each year looks a bit different. It’s fluid and flexible. Take a closer look at our school day in this post. Whatever you decide, feel free to change as needed.

Related: Morning Basket Tips to Get Started

 

Connect with a Homeschool Community

This is one of my favorite parts of homeschool and it’s going to be one of the hardest this coming year. We are fortunate to live in a city with a vibrant homeschool community. I guess it’s one of the perks of living in a state with the worst schools in the country. We have close friends that we see at least once a week for field trips, park days, nature outings, group classes, holiday parties, book clubs, and more.

This year may look a bit different for us and other homeschool groups. Some families in our group have started meeting again now that our state is opening up and group events are allowed. Other families aren’t comfortable to be out with friends yet. I’m not sure exactly what this year will look like in terms of community, but I still encourage you to find a local homeschool group to join. The online connection will still be better than nothing. Facebook is a wonderful place to connect with local homeschoolers. If your state has an organization dedicated to homeschoolers, they may be able to suggest local groups for you to join.

 

Above all else, remember that your homeschool journey is not going to be perfect. It takes many of us a good year (or three!) to gain confidence and find our groove. Don’t expect to find yours overnight especially if you’re one of the many families who never thought they’d be considering homeschool. It may be a tough road for a bit, but it is definitely worth it.