Are you interested in taking your child’s education into your own hands? Great, because the blog post is all about how to start homeschooling your children.
Parents are showing more interest in what and how their children are being taught and they’re starting to think about the educational experiences their children are receiving.
Homeschooling isn’t as popular as a traditional public school. However, it’s growing in popularity.
There are many different reasons why families choose to homeschool.
Some homeschool because they want to provide their children with a customized learning environment. Others choose to homeschool to protect their children from violence, bullying, and the bad influences that exist in public schools.
Are you interested in homeschooling?
These 8 steps will help you get started with homeschooling – as well as give you an idea of what to expect while on your journey.
How to Start Homeschooling
1. Review your Homeschooling State Laws
Before you do anything, check the homeschooling laws in your state or country.
This is important because each state has its own homeschooling laws. In some countries, the laws may be demanding, while others are relaxed.
Homeschooling laws are not as complicated as they seem on paper. The only way you’ll become comfortable with the laws is by learning them. So be sure to take some time to review and learn them.
2. Familiarize yourself with the Parent Qualifications
While, in most cases, you don’t to have a college degree to homeschool. Some states have educational requirements in order to qualify. Those requirements can be a high school diploma, GED, or passing standardized tests to demonstrate high school equivalence.
It’s important that you know the minimum requirements for your state. This information can be found on your state’s department of education website.
3. Provide School with an Intent to Homeschool Letter
Basic step, but you need to keep it in mind before you start homeschooling. Most schools require an Intent to Homeschool Letter from the parent or guardian.
Make sure you provide the school with your letter to prevent any legal issues in the future.
Be sure to review your state’s homeschooling laws to ensure you’ve taken the proper steps to withdraw your children out of the public school system.
For more information regarding an Intent to Homeschool Letter, click here.
4. Deschool
If your child has been in a traditional school, I highly recommend taking the time to deschool.
Deschooling will allow your household to relax and get rid of any traditional school habits.
Use this time to:
- Decompress – Relax and take a break from everything school-related.
- Detox – Try to get rid of any traditional school habits that you or your children may have.
- Determine – Use this time to determine which homeschooling method will work best for your family and also which learning style will work best for your children.
Deschooling will help your household transition for traditional school methods into your own homeschooling style. So, do not skip this step.
5. Learn your Child’s Learning Style
This is one of the most interesting parts of homeschooling.
The fact that you know your children’s strengths, personality, and weakness makes you the best person to figure out their ideal learning style.
While some kids learn better by doing, others learn best by either listening or seeing. You can even break down the learning style to something like logical, naturalistic, or spatial.
Knowing your child’s learning style will allow you tailor their education to fit their needs.
There are plenty of learning style quizzes available online. Click here to find a quiz and get started.
6. Select a Homeschooling Teaching Method
Classical, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Unschooling, School-at-Home, and Unit studies are some of the most popular approaches to homeschooling.
Familiarizing yourself with some of these methods and philosophies would be very beneficial to you and your family.
It can take some time for parents to find the right homeschooling teaching method for their families.
Knowing your children’s learning style, understand the different homeschooling methods, and reviewing your current life situations will allow you to find the perfect teaching method.
Keep in mind that it’s okay to switch your homeschool teaching method if the current method is no longer working for your family.
7. Choose Curriculum and Courses
The amount of curriculum available today for homeschooling families can be a bit overwhelming. However, you can find complete curriculums, workbooks, textbooks, courses, and supplemental lap books that are resourceful and reliable.
Just be sure the curriculum is a good fit for your children’s learning style and your homeschooling teaching method.
There are many School-at-Home programs that provides curriculum and courses for families. Be sure to check with your public school system to get more information.
8. Find a Homeschooling Support Group or Community
You’re literally putting your child’s education into your own hands – support is essential.
Getting support from families who don’t homeschool can be hard – which is why it’s important that you connect with other homeschooling families.
Although all homeschooling journeys are not the same, it helps to hear from those who have experience with homeschooling.
Look out for Co-ops or even Facebook groups that focus on homeschooling. It could be a Facebook group for parents in the same state, city, or even one for the same grade as your children.
Being a part of a homeschooling group will give you a lot of emotional support, guidance, as well as opportunities for homeschool networking.
Start building your homeschooling support, join a homeschooling Facebook group today. Click here to join ours.
Homeschooling Bonus Step:
I know that homeschooling can be overwhelming in the beginning. Trying to figure it out on your own can be a breaking point for some.
So, I want to take a moment to mention a homeschooling legal defense company, HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association). HSLDA provides families with homeschooling legal support they may need while homeschooling.
They have over 30 years of defending homeschooling families. They provide their members with personalized homeschooling advice regarding homeschooling state laws, rights, and more.
If you’re looking for homeschooling legal support, be sure to check them out.
To Recap – How to Start Homeschooling:
- Review your Homeschooling State Laws
- Familiarize yourself with the Parent Qualifications
- Provide the School with an Intent to Homeschool Letter
- Deschool
- Learn your Child’s Learning Style
- Select a Homeschooling Teaching Method
- Choose Curriculum and Courses
- Find a Homeschooling Support Group or Community
In Conclusion:
Are you ready to begin your homeschooling journey?
These steps are sure to get you headed in the right direction.
Also, please keep in mind that every homeschooling family is different, and it may take some time for you to learn what works best for your family.
Click here to download your homeschooling checklist.
CHIME IN: Have you started your homeschooling journey yet? Let us know in the comments below.
Talk to you soon,
