25 Things You NEED to Know to Start Homeschooling

So, you’ve decided to start homeschooling, are thinking about homeschooling, or you just feel overwhelmed and feel like you need a reset? Well you’ve come to the right place because we are going to talk about the things I wish I knew about homeschooling before I started my own journey.

1. YOU are enough.

This is my favorite and always number one thing. Making the decision to take on the responsibility of your child’s education can be overwhelming. 

You feel inadequate 

You feel self-doubt

You deal with imposter syndrome

BUT, here’s the thing: all that worry and obsessiveness you feel for your child’s education is naturally going to set you miles ahead of what anything (or anybody else) will provide; thanks hormones! Need proof? See my post on Homeschool Statistics comparing homeschooled adults to the general U.S. public of the same age if you don’t believe me.

Or just bookmark it and keep it for all those loving *cough* naysayers in your life!

“…all that worry and obsessiveness you feel for your child’s education is naturally going to set you miles ahead of what anything (or anybody else) will provide…”

-SHM

2. HOMESCHOOLING IS 100% LEGAL IN ALL 50 STATES

Now that you hopefully feel a bit better about yourself (if you don’t then you didn’t read those statistics did you?), the second thing you need to know about homeschooling is your local homeschool laws. Guidelines, requirements, and reporting obligations for homeschooling do vary from state to state, but are easy to find on your state’s department of education website. Just google “[State Name] Department of Education” and look for the .gov website.

The HSLDA website is also a good place to get familiar with your state’s homeschool laws, but I always recommend checking your specific state department of education to officially cover all your bases.

3. FIND A HOMESCHOOL GROUP

There is nothing to make you feel better than hearing everyone else having your same doubts… except maybe people who have been where you are and have the kind words to help you out (hello friends). 

Even if you’re not social, just sitting back and taking it all in can be a bigger help than anything some days!

4. FIND A GOOD BLOG TO FOLLOW, OR THREE!

*wink wink* Hopefully this one will speak for itself!

Blogs are a lifesaver any day of the week. They are there to lift you up when you have a down day, give you a sense of community when you are feeling alone, make you feel strong when you are feeling weak, or feed your inspiration when you are at the top of your game. My hope everyday as I write is to contribute these things to my readers as others bloggers have done for me.

5. NO CASH? NO PROBLEM

You don’t need a lot of money to homeschool. The library, Dollar Tree, Pinterest, and Teachers Pay Teachers are some of my favorite places to go for cheap/free resources. There are also entire Facebook groups dedicated to finding and sharing ideas and resources. It is possible. Remember that the single best thing to teach your child is the love for knowledge, so keep it fun and the rest will follow.

6. NO ROOM? NO PROBLEM

I love my homeschool room so much, so I’m not against them, but it is definitely just a bonus. There are whole weeks, and even months that we don’t use it. 

When I first started homeschooling, we lived in a very small home and worked out of the kitchen/dining room. I loved the space so much that I ended up replicating it in our homeschool room today!

7. HOMESCHOOL IS NOT “SCHOOL-SCHOOL” 

In fact, almost every homeschool parent will tell you that it’s better without it!

I think when most homeschoolers start they feel like they need to fill the shoes that public school left behind, but quickly find it doesn’t work for their child. The brick and mortar school approach is catered for multiple students, and because of this, it includes a lot of down time for transitioning and independent study that your child doesn’t need.

If you tried to do a straight 90 mins of math, like they do in the brick and mortar approach, you would probably find your kid(s) kicking and screaming. You would probably start to question everything, but this isn’t a problem with your child or your teaching. This is just simply because the brick and mortar needs all that time, and you and your child probably don’t.

The truth is – with a one on one, or even one on four approach, you can get a lot more done with a lot less time. Instead, I suggest getting your legs slowly with just ONE of the 3 R’s (Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic) and find what works for you, as you and your child add in each additional subject.

8. FIND YOUR HOMESCHOOL STYLE

Every child is different and ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING is the ability to adapt to your child’s learning style.

Is your child hands-on? Get some marbles, rocks, or my obsession – mini erasers – and do some addition/subtraction, the options are endless!

Does your child seem to flourish with cuddles and a good book? Keep the library very close to your back pocket.

This is one of those things that may take some time to find but give yourself and your child time and just keep looking; when you find it, it’s worth it. Don’t worry, you will get there.

9. YOUR CHILD WILL CHANGE…..AND SO WILL YOU!

Changing with your kid is important and necessary; That homeschool style we just talked about? Yeah that’s probably going to change too.  

One of the biggest mistakes a homeschool parent can make is to be so rigid in their homeschool that they forget to adapt. Make sure you allow you and your child to change it up and try something new if things aren’t working.

10. YOU CAN WORK AND HOMESCHOOL 

We as caregivers can do a lot of things and homeschooling and working is one of the magics we can somehow create. There are whole communities of people who do it along with demanding jobs. If it will work for you is totally dependent on you and your child, but it is entirely possible. Find your community (see #3) and go for it!

11. HOMESCHOOLING DOES NOT NEED TO TAKE 8 (OR 7, 6, 5 ECT.) HOURS A DAY. 

I and many others have successfully homeschooled on 3 or less hours a day. Check your homeschool laws (see #2), but in most states it is not required to homeschool the whole day and for those who do then…

12. MAKE YOUR DAY WORK FOR YOU

Can’t fit in math because who is going to cook? Bring your kid and BAM math and science in one, my friend. 

13. START SLOW 

Habits take time to build and so does a successful homeschool lifestyle. Start with one subject a day and slowly add one at a time. I suggest starting with your “three R’s” and working your way up (Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic). As Sir William Curtis stated in 1825, they are the three foundational skills of learning, and that still holds true today.

14. HOMESCHOOLING IS NOT A RACE

The thing I learned quickly is that schooling 20+ kids looks a lot different than schooling a household. It seems obvious, but it somehow wasn’t for me. There are many hours in the public school system spent waiting and repeating things, and although that does (and will) happen in a household, it is more than likely not going to take as long as it would with a classroom full of students. 

The point? Take your time. 

Don’t get frustrated that someone got sick, the faucet exploded, or the printer jammed because chances are high that you will get “caught up.” 

15. THE WHOLE SOCIALIZATION THING IS A MYTH

There are endless opportunities for socialization from the free groups at your local library or church, to the paid extracurricular options.

I’m over-socialized, if anything, with all the social things my kids are included in, and to think that was one of my biggest worries. 

Send help…

16. HIT A WALL? LOOK FOR A BOOK

There is nothing like the library to get the homeschooling spark back up and running. In fact, a trip to the library now gets me way ahead of myself and I have to tell myself to CALM DOWN. A simple fiction book alone can have you down a rabbit hole (Alice in Wonderland reference anyone?)

How would Huck and Jim have built that raft? How does wood float? What would the area of a raft for their needs be? ENDLESS.

Need a push? Start with a book you love or hop on Pinterest for a good jump off.

17. LET THE ADVENTURES TAKE YOU WHERE THEY WILL LEAD

I have gotten to where I very loosely lay out a plan for our homeschool year because I quickly learned that following the rabbit trails were far more fun and educational. Many a-days we were “scheduled” to move onto a new subject when our current Unit still had plenty left to explore.

At first I resisted, and moved right on, but once I let go I found that my kids’ involvement (and learning) skyrocketed when I followed their leads, not to mention their love for learning!

18. YOUR CHILDREN WILL PICK UP MORE THAN YOU REALIZE

Doing, is seeing, is confidence and I am confident in this truth.

I have ended so many days frustrated at the lack of attention I am receiving on my well thought out unit. That is until a month later my son spits out a fact to his father out of nowhere. Remember when little Timmy uttered that horrible word that he picked up from Uncle Timmy that ONE DAY you spent together for the football game a WEEK LATER…

yeah… it’s kinda like that. 

“Doing, is seeing, is confidence”

-SHM

19. FUNDAY FRIDAYS!

You know all those cool things you’ve been wanting to try but the grind keeps you down?? Set aside Friday to do all the things! This day can be as simple or as extravagant as you like, just make sure it’s a reminder of how great homeschooling really is!

20. YOUR CHILD IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL

What did I just say?? Bear with me.

Although this is technically a cheat because it is for the betterment of your child, YOU are equally important. If you are burnt out and hating your homeschool style, curriculum, and schedule, no one is having fun. Treat yourself as an equal in the homeschool process and find something that works for all of you.

21. LOOP SCHEDULING (IS LIFE CHANGING)

This is it people, this is the thing that killed me the most when I started homeschooling. Before I started I had it all planned out. I knew when math was going to take place, what month we would focus on which unit, what time we would finish our studies for the day – all of it. It was going to be great! AND THEN… failure.

Math kept falling by the wayside.

I finally had my prayers answered and found myself pregnant, but the nausea?

How would we ever keep up? It was my breaking point.

Then came loop scheduling. It was THE turning point for me and I never looked back. Don’t work for your schedule, have your schedule work for you.

22. RIGHT NOW IS MOST LIKELY THE HARDEST PART

Just like most things in life, the decision and adjustment period is the hardest part. I know it may seem like everything is impossible but I assure you that it does indeed get better from here. You made it through the newborn phase and you can do this!

23. IT TAKES TIME TO FEEL THE PAYOFF

It’s just like adding another child to your household, it takes time to adjust and it’s not always easy. Each step is a little easier but it won’t be instant. One day you will look up though and think, “Wow, I made it!”

24. IT WILL BE HARD, BUT IT IS WORTH IT

When their eyes light up when something clicks, when they proudly state a fact out of the blue that you went over months ago, when you are cuddling them at 1:00pm as they read you a story, it is something magical that makes you stop and think “THIS is why I do this!”

25. IT WILL BE FAR FROM PERFECT

At the bottom, only because I want it to be the last thing on your mind, is GIVE YOURSELF GRACE.

Homeschooling is a lifestyle change – that means that it is going to take time; time to get used to it, time to feel comfortable, and time to see results, but it will all come. 

So….

There they are, all the things I wish would have been compiled in one place for me when I started homeschooling! I remember the feeling of overwhelming questions and not knowing where to begin. I hope this helps you find your way and remember, you are not alone. Every homeschool parent that I have ever met has sat in your shoes and wondered if they could do it, but they did, and you can. Thank you for including me in your journey and congratulations on your first steps! 

Breathe, you’ve got this.