As a homeschool graduate and certified teacher, I’m the best resource for helping you begin homeschooling. Not only was I homeschooled for over 10 years as a child but I also recently withdrew my own children out of school to start homeschooling.
Step 1: Talk with Your Child (and Partner, if Applicable)
It’s insane – but the homeschool “gurus” never list having a conversation with your child on their checklists! I think it’s because they were not homeschooled as kids themselves, like I was, and have forgotten what it’s like to have your life turned upside down as a child. As a homeschooled kid, I would have felt very upset if my parents made abrupt changes to my education without at least including me in the conversation.
You should have multiple conversations with your child about homeschooling. This is especially true if you plan on transitioning them out of public school, and even more true if they are a teen. Although you, as the parent, technically have the final say in their education, it’s more considerate to include them in the discussion and listen to their feelings.
If you are raising your child with a partner, a conversation should take place between the two of you before you begin homeschooling. Your partner’s willingness to support homeschooling is a huge determiner to your success and happiness as a homeschool family.
If you share child raising duties with a ex-partner, you will also need to have a discussion with them about homeschooling as well. Unfortunately, homeschooling can be used in court as a point of contention regarding custody rights. If this is the case for you, be sure to keep detailed documentation in case you should ever need to demonstrate the “quality” of your child’s homeschool education.
🍎
Want 1-on-1 help from education consultant, Beth McCarter?
Click here for more information
Step 2: Consider the Logistics
Homeschooling can be possible for every kind of family, in every situation. However, there are certain set-ups that lend to an easier experience. For example, the most common situation is when one partner makes enough money to financially support the family while the other partner homeschools.
This is by no means the only successful set-up- however, there is a certain amount of privilege that comes with homeschooling as a two parent household on a comfortable income.
In my family’s case, we both work from home. My husband works full time during the day and does the science lessons with our kids. I work part time on a very relaxed schedule so I do all the planning and curriculum purchasing. I also teach history, math, reading and spelling. We have outsourced writing lessons to an online tutor this year.
How Will You Manage Working While Homeschooling?
Here are some questions you should ask yourself about finances before making the decision to homeschool.
If in a two parent household:
- Will one of us work while the other one stays at home and homeschools?
- If we both work – what will our schedules look like?
- Which one of us will homeschool?
- Will we split homeschooling duties?
- If we split homeschooling duties, who will teach what?
If in a single parent household:
- How will I support my family financially while I’m homeschooling?
- How will I manage working and homeschooling?
- What will our schedules look like?
- Who will watch my child while I go to work (if you work away from home)?
- What will my child do while I’m working?
Incorporate your support network
As a parent, and even more so as a homeschooler, we need help from our support network. If you’re lacking in support from extended family, it’s important to build a strong network composed of the people around you.
Here are some places you might find support to help you when homeschooling gets hard:
- Online groups
- Homeschool co-ops
- The children’s librarian at your local library
- Neighbors
- Family counselor
- Mom groups (even if they don’t have homeschooled kids)
- Paid childcare
- Online teachers/tutors
- Homeschool coach
Step 3: Set a Date
The first step in the right direction is to set a date to get started homeschooling. This is especially important if your child is already attending school and must be withdrawn to begin homeschooling.
It’s a no brainer if your child is in pre-school; simply begin homeschooling at the start of their kindergarten year. If your child is older, however, choosing a date is a little more significant.
Emergency Situation
There are several reasons you might need to pull your child out in an emergency. We pulled our daughter out of school one afternoon because she had finally reached the breaking point with a harsh teacher. Threatened gun violence is another reason you might pull your child out of school in an emergency. One family I worked with was so disheartened by the school’s unwillingness to meet their child’s special needs that they pulled them out in the middle of the week.
It’s easy to pull your child out of school in an emergency. You can un-enroll them with a basic withdrawal letter and simply not send them to school the following day. It can be easier on the child if this happens over a weekend, however, in the case of a true emergency I don’t suggest that you wait.
At a break
Scheduled breaks in the school year are a great time to withdraw your child from school to start homeschooling. When you plan ahead, you can prep your child fully for the transition and communicate unhurriedly with the school.
- Labor Day
- Fall / “Thanksgiving” Break
- Winter / “Christmas” Break
- Spring Break
- Memorial Day (sometimes the end of the school year)
At the beginning of the new school year
If you’re in no rush to homeschool and your child is satisfied finishing the year out in school, then planning on homeschooling at the beginning of the next year can be a very simple transition.
Step 4: Check Your State’s Homeschooling Requirements
Homeschooling is legal in each of the 50 states of the U.S. and every one of Canada’s provinces. However, there are vastly different requirements for homeschooling depending on where you live.
If you live in one of the following states, you do not have to worry about requirements AT ALL… because there are none. Hooray!
Notify Your State of Your Intent to Homeschool and Stay in Compliance
Some states require written notification that you’re planning on homeschooling, as well as additional documentation throughout the year AND annual assessments. Those states are:
Homeschooling Requirements by State and Province
The remaining states are somewhere in the middle when it comes to documentation requirements. Be sure to use the link below to verify your state’s particular requirements.
>> Check out the rest of the states in the U.S. here and verify the requirements.
>> Check out the provinces in Canada here and verify the requirements.
Ready to make the switch to homeschooling?
See how homeschool coach Beth McCarter can help you here.
5. Deschool (Optional)
I highly, highly recommend deschooling if your child has spent any time in public school. Heck, if YOU spent any time in public school as a child, I recommend a deschooling stint.
What is deschooling? It’s the act of detoxing from public school and unlearning what you think school is, and instead, teaching yourself what school can be.
The recommended amount of time to deschool is 1 month for every year spent in public school. So if you withdraw your child from public school in the 3rd grade, you would spend 3-4 months deschooling.
Here are some great things to do while deschooling:
- Read! Read homeschooling books. I recommend “Brave Learner” by Julie Bogart
- Explore homeschool curriculum that sounds interesting and consider downloading some samples
- Read for fun! Work your way through the stack that’s on your nightstand (I know you have one)
- Spend time outside
- Bake with your kiddos
- Watch movies together
- Go to museums nearby
- Travel! Take a little vacay to relax somewhere on the beach
- Paint
- Dance! We love the “Dance Dance” video games on Nintendo
- Play board games
- Nap
- Go to the library
- Research extracurricular activities your child may want to sign up for
Decide if you want to incorporate technology into your deschooling routine. Some parents are OK with technology while others prefer not to use it. I found that by limiting my children’s technology use to 2 hours a day (recommended by experts), I feel better about it. Granted, we totally fall off the tracks when the kids are sick or we’re traveling.
6. Planning and Keeping Records
In states with low regulations, you are not required to keep any kind of homeschool records at all. I was homeschooled in Texas so my mom didn’t keep any records. I’m currently homeschooling my kids in Texas (although we plan to move soon) and so technically I don’t have to keep records, although I maintain a daily journal where I write down a loose schedule of assignments for the week.
If you’re required to keep some kind of documentation for official purposes, I recommend doing so online and organizing them into digital folders on Google drive. This keeps things neat and organized for when you need to turn in documentation to the state.
Some states, such as Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania have MUCH higher requirements for keeping records than others do. If you live in one of those states, be sure to check your requirements with the links below.
>> Check your state’s documentation requirements here or your Canadian province’s requirements here.
7. Planning Your Homeschool Year
You do NOT have to plan out your entire homeschool year in advance. In fact, I recommend tackling the first semester and seeing how that goes before moving on.
Here’s what we did to plan for our first year of homeschooling:
- Bought curriculum for math, science, reading, and history
- Bought a journal to document our weekly doings
- Chose 1 extracurricular outside of the house (karate)
- Chose 1 online extracurricular (co-op and Minecraft play date)
- Picked a day of the week to be “library day”
- Picked a day of the week to be a “free day” (we didn’t do any “formal” schooling on Wednesdays; we simply read, played, and attended co-op online)
- Took time off to travel
Define a Homeschooling Schedule
There are two reasons you may choose a schedule over a more fluid approach to homeschooling.
- Your state requires a specific number of days be taught and you want to make sure you fit them all in
- You and/or your child thrives on a schedule
For myself, personally, I like to be as flexible as possible when it comes to my day. (I have ADHD and this contributes to this, also, being homeschool as a kid means I like to have complete freedom in my schedule). My daughter seems to enjoy not having a schedule, too, at least for the time being.
Our current homeschool schedule looks something like this: “Get school done before 4pm or it gets pushed back to the next day”. LOL! I’ve picked up a lot more hours at work this year so we’re still finding a good balance between that and homeschooling.
Set Specific Homeschooling Goals
Unless your specific goal is “survive my first year homeschooling”, I wouldn’t worry about setting high and lofty goals your first couple of months.
Slowly incorporate measurable goals into your homeschool routine as you chug along. These can be as simple as a to-do list you keep in the front of your calendar.
Here are some example of attainable and measurable goals you could try implementing:
- Open math text and do one lesson together 4x this week
- Look up my state’s documentation requirements before the end of the day
- Find a local piano teacher in my area to begin lessons next month
- Decide between history curriculum products before the winter break
8. Find Your Learning Resources
Just like anything else, the amount of choice you have regarding homeschool curriculum comes down to the requirements of the state or province where you live.
If you live in a 0 regulation state (like I do) there is absolutely no oversight on what you teach your kids. Now, this may change in the future, especially with the public attention on school vouchers.
However, if you live in a higher regulation state (you can check that out here) then what you subjects required to teach will be dictated by them.
Finding Your Homeschool Curriculum
Homeschool curriculum is a mixed bag. There is homeschool curriculum out there that is created by a topical authority, academically rigorous, and designed for all children including those with special needs.
And then there’s some homeschool curriculum that really shouldn’t be sold to unassuming new homeschool parents because it has absolutely zero academic value. (Which is fine – if you know that’s what you’re buying.)
Decide on Homeschool Curriculum
Choosing homeschool curriculum can be overwhelming, especially for your first year of homeschooling. That’s why I created this check list below.
9. Trust that You Know Your Child
One of the many reasons parents leave public school for homeschooling is because they feel like the school is not meeting their child’s particular needs.
In homeschooling, you have an amazing opportunity to completely tailor your child’s educational experience to their benefit.
That could look like:
- Starting school at 11am because your child is drowsy in the mornings
- Doing school work after they’ve met their physical needs by swimming in the pool every day
- Snacking all day while working because they have low blood sugar
- Using more (or less) technology than they might at school because it works better for your particular child
- Letting them do some of their work independently in their room because they enjoy the solitude
- Letting them pace around the house while they listen to an audiobook version of their text
The list goes on and on.
YOU know your child best, work together with them to figure out their optimal learning algorithm.
Make Accommodations for Homeschooling a Child With Special Needs
Many families with special needs children find that homeschooling works wonders for a child that was struggling in public school.
As a former homeschooler with ADHD, I’ve realized that homeschooling was the absolute best thing for both my education and my confidence.
The little bit of time I spent in public school as a student chipped at my confidence and impacted my perception of education for a long time. I’m so glad that I was homeschooled so that I could learn in an environment designed especially for my academic success.
What Accommodations Should You Try?
Spend time figuring out what helps your child learn best.
Check out this list of 80+ different accommodations suggested by special education teachers across the country. Some will probably have to be modified to fit the homeschool environment.
Tailoring your child’s homeschool education could be as simple as following a few accommodations or as complex as enlisting the help of multiple specialists.
Either way, this step should be your highest priority if you or your child has special needs, like my family does.
10. Locate Local Activities and Nearby Homeschoolers
Depending on your social proclivities, you may be looking forward to (or dreading) meeting other homeschoolers near you.
It’s important to both my kids to spend time with friends their age, and they like being able to relate to other homeschoolers.
Here are some places you should check for homeschool activities:
- Your local library
- Community center
- Community theater
- Non-profits
- Museums
- Science centers
- Zoos
- Your place of worship (if you’re religious)
Join a Local Homeschooling Group
Due to the wave of homeschoolers post 2020, there are more than likely one or two homeschool groups that meet up near you. If not, head online! There’s plenty of homeschool co-ops that meet regularly online. We’re in one!
The hard part will be finding a group that aligns with your values. Homeschool groups generally fall into two categories: religious or non-religious. In the past, religious groups were much more prevalent, however, there has been a growing trend in secular groups lately.
Confession: I would actually prefer NOT to meet up with a homeschool co-op! There’s something about trying to make friends with other moms that discourages me. All we have in common is the age of our kids! I’d rather hang out with people who I share other interests with…
11. Put Things That Can Wait on the Back Burner
Some homeschool “gurus” add a bunch of fluff to their get-started-homeschooling checklists. This is frustrating – because there are certain things that you DEFINITELY don’t need to worry about during your first year of homeschooling in order to be successful!
Create Your Homeschooling Space
Unless you’re super excited about creating a lovely homeschooling space, I wouldn’t worry about this until you’re further into homeschooling. All you need is a place to store your materials and a surface for writing (could be the floor).
Don’t worry about what other parents’ spaces look like on Instagram and Pinterest. We’re three years into homeschooling and we still just camp out at the kitchen table or back porch depending on the weather. We’ve got a single magazine box to store curriculum when we’re not using it and a recycled cinnamon stick container for pencils. Yeah, we’re low key.
Explore Available Homeschooling Methods
Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, unschooling, classical, Montessori…. Homeschooling methods can be pretty overwhelming. Kind of like when you first start “talking” to a romantic interest, don’t try to put a label on your homeschooling method for the first bit. You can dive into different homeschooling methods when you’re further along.
Attend Homeschool Conventions and Events
Homeschooling conventions can definitely wait until you’ve got more of your to-do list checked off. There are tons of online conventions, and some in-person events, that will be lots of fun to attend later.
I recommend, however, holding off on signing up for conventions until you have more bandwidth to work with. Attending a convention is often overwhelming and might be too distracting and stressful for your first year of homeschooling.
Learning how to Homeschool is Something You Can Do!
Starting your homeschooling journey may seem like a daunting task, but it can be a highly rewarding and enriching experience for both you and your child.
By involving your child in the decision-making process, addressing logistics, and adhering to your state’s requirements, you can create a successful homeschooling environment.
With a willingness to be flexible and adapt, you can easily learn how to homeschool and provide a fulfilling educational experience for your child.
➡️ Click here for more information working 1-on-1 with homeschool consultant, Beth McCarter, or fill out the enquiry form below.
[ninja_form id=4]
