When my husband and I were in premarital counseling, he expressed an odd expectation. He asked that someday, when our kids were old enough, I consider trying to homeschool.
He had been homeschooled, but other than that I was unfamiliar with the practice. In fact, I thought it sounded strange. But sure, I thought, why not give it a shot?
Several years later, my oldest son was approaching kindergarten age and it was time for our first year homeschooling. We had done a little work with letters and numbers in preschool, but when it came to actual school school, I felt clueless.
It turns out a lot of we newbies feel that way: clueless. As I started doing research, I felt even more clueless! What if I messed it up and ruined my kids’ lives forever?
Fortunately, I soon discovered that it wasn’t as scary as I thought. Two years later I’m homeschooling two of my kids and they’re thriving. So am I!
I received little snippets of advice along the way that I thought would be helpful to put into one place—so that someone like me wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed starting out.
Do: Research different homeschool methods.
When I started out, I had no idea there were so many different approaches to homeschooling! It can be helpful to know what kinds of curriculum to use and how to schedule your year if you have a certain philosophy. Check out this quick guide to homeschool methods for a basic overview.
Don’t: Feel like you have to have your entire method figured out right now.
Unless they have a lot of background in homeschooling or education, many moms aren’t sure which method is best when they start. Most likely, you will develop your method as you figure out your family’s needs and learning style. I started out with more of a traditional approach (because that was my experience in public school), and now we are pretty firmly in the classical method.
Do: Connect with other homeschool families.
Being a part of a homeschool community has been a lifesaver for me! I’m on a local email list that exchanges tons of information including used curriculum for sale, co-ops, meet-ups, community events and more. I have made some great friends and we love to have playdates and swap ideas.
Don’t: Compete with other homeschool families.
The beauty of homeschooling is that each family is on its own unique journey. Do not fall into the trap of comparing your kids and your system to other families. Seek to learn from other families, but don’t make it a competition.
Do: Look into co-ops or meet-ups.
We didn’t find a co-op that we liked our first year homeschooling, and I felt a little lost. The second year, we joined a very organized co-op and we love it. It gives us the accountability, structure and community I felt like we were lacking.
Don’t: Feel like you have to meet with any particular group.
If you’re in a community with a lot of options, you might feel like you have to do it all or your kids will miss out. No. I recommend visiting a few groups and figuring out whether they will be a good fit. Maybe it will take some time to find the right one (it did for us!).
Do: Try out various curriculums.
It took me a while to figure out our style and which programs I wanted to use. Finding used curriculum at garage sales and through the local homeschool community’s email list was very helpful because then I didn’t feel as bad if I decided that it wasn’t for us. We could try it and, if we didn’t like it, we put it away. Just recently, in fact, I decluttered all of our books in the house—and it was okay to get rid of the homeschool books that just weren’t for us.
Don’t: Spend lots and lots of money on kindergarten curriculum.
Since I felt clueless about what I was doing, it was very tempting to want to buy a big box set and then just have everything I needed. Don’t get me wrong; for some families this is a great fit. But if you’re not sure, I suggest that you hold off. I actually ended up buying a used boxed set, and to my surprise we hated the rigidity of it—as well as the learning style. Good thing I didn’t drop hundreds of dollars on the new set, only to be locked into a program I didn’t like for a whole year! My advice, if you’re just starting out, is to relax, have fun and just remember: it’s kindergarten! They don’t need to be masters of much of anything yet.
Do: Establish a schedule that works for your family.
When I say “schedule” I use that term very loosely. But even if you lean towards “unschooling,” it’s still very helpful to have certain rhythms that your kids can expect throughout the day. I wrote a post about How To ROCK Your Schedule and have some resources that my help you.
A homeschool planner can also be extremely helpful. Personally, I found a homeschool planner this year that I’m really excited about. I need help planning and structuring our family’s homeschool, but I don’t like having each and every lesson plan mapped out. The Relaxed Mom Homeschool Planner from the Proverbial Homemaker is the perfect balance that helps you set goals and stick to a rhythm, while being flexible enough to meet each individual child’s needs. You can completely adjust it whenever you want. Plus, with the daily Scripture cards you can start each school day off in God’s Word without having to think too hard (and I need that!).
Don’t: Overschedule.
It can be tempting to want to do all the things. The best advice about starting kindergarten I heard from a veteran homeschool mom was, “Stay at home, have fun and play!” Young kids really don’t need more than an hour or two of instruction a day. Enjoy this time while you can!
Do: Pray. Then pray some more.
I may be stating the obvious, but don’t forget this crucial step to a great homeschool year! Pray continually about your kids and you the direction of your family’s homeschool.
Don’t: Give up.
If you’re like us, you’ll have days when both you and the kids will look out the window and wonder if it would just be easier for them to hop onto that yellow school bus. That’s normal; don’t freak out! Stick with it, take a break, try something new. You’ve got this!
Aspiring homeschoolers: what other fears and questions do you have? Veteran homeschoolers, what other advice would you offer? Let’s share the wisdom. 🙂
Gina
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I needed a post like this! My oldest will be “preschool age” next year and this whole new journey of homeschooling has my mind swimming. So much information to sift through and so many options! It’s overwhelming.
Thank you for your advice!!! I greatly appreciate it.
We all have to start somewhere! I’m glad it was helpful
Very good list!
>>Don’t: Compete with other homeschool families.
The beauty of homeschooling is that each family is on its own unique journey. Do not fall into the trap of comparing your kids and your system to other families. Seek to learn from other families, but don’t make it a competition.<<
For me, this is #1! This has been and sometimes, still is, my biggest issue. I see everyone's schoolrooms, everyone's curriculum, everyone's systems and STILL compare even seven years later. I feel into the whole everyone else is planning so I need to trap again this year and finally broke out of doing things the way I see others post about on FB and on blogs and just did what in my heart I felt was best.
Amen to that! To be honest, we got off to a rough start this fall (not at all what I envisioned, and definitely not “Pinterest-worthy”!). But it didn’t matter, because we are on our own journey. Thanks for this comment!
I love reading the ‘stay home and play’ advice. I have one that would just be entering K, a 3 year old, and am pregnant. I am a bit of a homebody by nature, but once the baby is here, especially since it will be winter, I know I’ll want to stay close to home. There are a lot of groups and activities going on around us and i know a lot of very active families, so I sometimes get afraid of my kids missing out. But my heart agrees with that advice for our family. That us together, exploring at home and away is more important than constant busyness and participating in every activity.
Yep! I’m so thankful someone gave me this advice
I am a Single dad with a 1st grader and 3rd grader and recently decided to give homeschooling a go because of current events and I am clueless. I have been reading and studying everything I can get my hands on before I made the decision and even after. I can’t believe how many misconceptions I had about homeschooling. Personally I have chosen to focus on the concept of Unschooling and enjoy including my children in their education decisions by asking them what they would like to focus on learning about each day. We still focus on the typical subjects of math, reading, writing, science, social studies, etc. however they tell me what they are interested in learning and it makes it more enjoyable for them and they also pay more attention. I also love that we use our trips to the zoo, park, fishing, even the grocery store as a way to incorporate learning and education and my children actually bug me about having school time. Sometimes I even have to tell them that we’ve done enough and I need a break from teaching. Weird I never would have guessed Id have that problem. I must admit the 180 day requirement seemed a but intimidating at first but somehow I dont think thats going to be a problem achieving at all. I loved reading all of your do’s and don’ts they make me feel so much more normal and like this was such a good decision for my kids and I. I look forward to checking out more of your content.
Welcome to the world of homeschooling Ben! It sounds like you are already doing an amazing job! Keep up the good work and enjoy the time and memories you are creating with your kids.
My boys are 3 and 1½. I know I have plenty of time before I have to officially begin homeschooling, but how do I mentally prepare my boys to be able to sit and do a lesson?
The nice thing about homeschooling is that they don’t have to! Some kids actually learn better while moving. You have to do what works best for your kids. You can also break school up into smaller blocks of learning time versus what they do in school; these breaks can allow your kids to get some energy out.
For dealing with the hard days, I always recommend writing out your homeschooling WHY statement. Sometimes when you’re in the moment, you’re not able to think clearly, and sending them off to school sounds better than the current situation. If you have the WHY all written out, a quick read can really reset your thoughts. Great tips!
I really needed this post. Thank you so much. 2 out of 3 of my elementary kids are starting homeschool. I want to be perfect as I do not want them to lack any education. But I hear time and time again, don’t overdo it. However, this post is what I needed to bring it all in. I will be sharing this with my husband as he is more on the traditional side of schooling.
I sent my kids to a really great preschool with the expectation to start homeschooling one while the other finished pre-k. Ease my way into it. Well now the school is shutting down due to lack of enrollment and I will have an almost 2 year old and 3 month old when fall comes.
Am I crazy for starting with two? A kindergartener and preschooler, along with my babies?
Not crazy at all. You CAN do it!! You can still ease into things with two kids. Just start out with the basics like reading and math and as you get more comfortable and they get a little older, add in other subjects. At that age, that’s really all they need, plus a lot of play time, reading aloud to them, and just doing life with them.