You have decided to homeschool! First, simply deciding deserves a huge congrats! I remember the back and forth and tug to pivot from traditional school to home/flex school while dealing with all of the unknowns!
Unknowns like:
- Am I qualified?
- What are the laws I need to follow?
- What curriculum do I choose?
- What does a typical day look like?
So let’s dive in and talk about these ideas now that you’ve decided to homeschool.
How Do I Organize My Year?
Thankfully, many have paved the way for you and left you bread crumbs to follow! You are not alone in the beautiful homeschool community, so let’s address these 5 BIG unknowns. You are about to feel much better about this amazing decision!
Are You Qualified To Homeschool?
Very simply, YES, your ARE! Parents are the best teachers of their children as no one knows your child as you do, and no one cares more for your child than you do! All you need to do is be open to learning alongside your child, and the resources are ENDLESS! Your assistant teacher is Mrs. Google! You have any and every bit of knowledge at your fingertips!
Once you decide on a curriculum ( which we will chat about in a hot minute ), simply dig into the teacher’s guide for all guidance, subscribe to your curriculum’s blogs, and jump in! If your curriculum doesn’t provide blogs for parents – which I highly doubt – google great blogs for homeschool moms! Play around and find a couple you LOVE – but no more than 2! Overwhelm is a real issue in the homeschool world for moms who love to go down rabbit holes – I may intimately know one of those moms! But don’t take it just from me, grab this heart-centered guide from me and my friends, where we share wisdom and hope so that you will be encouraged and inspired! Grab your free guide: HERE!
Know that you are designed with an innate ability to teach your child. From their first moment, they began learning from you.
Sarah Hobbs
Learn Your Local And State Laws.
Depending on where you live, there may be specific guidelines or regulations that determine what you teach your child. This could include requirements for what subjects you teach, how you document grades or other guidelines. Some areas have little to no requirements at all!
Make sure you research your area’s homeschooling requirements to help you build a foundation for your at-home curriculum. Simply google homeschool laws in your state to get an idea but confirm with the HSLDA.
The HSLDA or Homeschool Legal Defense Association is a HIGHLY recommended investment! They will guide and ensure you have your proverbial i’s dotted and t’s crossed! Many curriculums offer discounts to the HSLDA – so decide your curriculum before paying your dues!
What Curriculum Do I Choose Once You’ve Decided to Homeschool?
Build a foundation: Reading, writing, and math
When choosing what to include in your curriculum, I highly recommend starting with reading, writing, and math. These three basic subjects create a strong foundation for your at-home curriculum and can help you kickstart your curriculum-building process.
After these three subjects, you can pick and choose other areas depending on you and your child’s needs.
When choosing what curriculum for the BIG 3 – ask yourself?
- Do I want a turnkey curriculum where it is all done for me?
- Do I want to pick and choose a curriculum based on my child’s learning style?
What Is Your Child’s Learning Style?
Now that you have some subject areas in mind, it’s essential to consider how your child learns best when choosing a curriculum. Every child learns differently and probably has a way that they prefer to learn the material. Determining how they learn best will help you select a curriculum that fits best for your child and their unique learning style.
A few different ways your child may like to learn are:
- Workbook pages
- Hands-on activities
- Online learning
Your child may learn best using one of these or a combination! Try to find a curriculum that matches this learning style, but remember that it doesn’t have to be a perfect match. For example, your chosen curriculum might use workbook pages, including hands-on activities to supplement your child’s learning.
Involve Your Child In Choosing Your Curriculum
Veteran Tip from Amy Michaels: Find a curriculum that is exciting for both you and your child! If both of you are excited and interested in the curriculum style and content, the learning process will be that much more enjoyable!
Get your kids involved by asking their opinion once you have narrowed it down to 2 options! ( this, of course, is dependent on age).
One of the best places to get ideas for curriculum is social media. Simply ask who homeschools and what curriculum they enjoy! I promise you will get a wealth of info!
HSLDA.org has numerous quizzes and questionnaires to help with choosing a curriculum based on you and your child’s learning style and personality. It was my GO-TO resource when I first got started on my family’s journey!
What Does A Typical Day Look Like?
What is your family’s typical daily schedule? The easiest way to start crafting your homeschool schedule is to outline your current family schedule. You know your family’s schedule better than anyone, so ask yourself these simple questions:
- What is a realistic time to start your homeschool lessons without having to rush or make anyone anxious?
- When do you and the kids usually get hungry for a snack or lunch? This is the ideal time to take a quick break.
- What time of the day do you and the kids need to wrap up the school day? When everyone gets a little burnt out, the kids need time to run around outside, and learning time is complete…
Your homeschool schedule is going to vary from other families’ schedules, as each one is dependent on their life situation, how many children they’re homeschooling, and what age their children are! Starting with an outline of your family situation will help you create a natural flow for your homeschooling schedule.
You’ve Decided To Homeschool but Have Multiple Children?
If you are homeschooling multiple kids, try alternating independent work with teaching time! Integrating this into your schedule can help optimize teaching time and balance multiple kids in different grade levels.
For example, have your older child work independently while you teach a lesson to your younger child. Then, while your younger child does work or practices independently, you can teach a lesson to your older child.
How Many Subjects Should Be Taught At One Time?
Another common question most homeschoolers have is how many subjects to teach at a time. It’s important to consider your local laws, of course, which the HSLDA will help guide!
How many subjects you include per school year or even per day will vary from family to family. It’s very common to start with reading, writing, and math and then rotate through other subjects. Since there’s not enough time to do all subjects every week, you can do a month of science, then a month of social studies, or maybe a music unit followed by an art unit.
Rotating through different areas that are important to you and your child’s education helps bring balance into your homeschooling schedule.
unitstudies.com is a fun resource for other subjects beyond your core 3 of reading, writing, and math.
Flexibility Is Key
Whatever schedule you create for your homeschooled kids, try it out for a week or so and see if it works. Keep track of what works and what doesn’t and make adjustments at the end of the week.
Often, it takes close to a month of making small changes and adjustments to find the schedule that works for you! Give yourself some flexibility as you make changes, and remember that as life changes, homeschool schedules will, too!
How To Organize Your Year
This may seem unusual – but don’t!
Plan out a few months at a time. Flexibility is key in homeschooling, and you may need to pivot as you journey along! Decide if year-long homeschooling is something that interests you?
Benefits Of Year-Round Homeschooling:
- You can take off the month of December
- Enjoy shorter, academic days
- Go for five weeks and take a week off
There are so many variations – simply make sure you know the laws in your area and how many days are required, then sit down as a family and decide what is important to you!
Look into local co-ops or homeschool communities based on your children’s ages. Many meet 1x a week, and you will love the support, and your kiddos will love the friends!
We Want Our Children To Love Learning
Home/Flex school is FUN. Ultimately, we want our children to love learning and become life-long learners. I have found socialization through traditional education teaches children to fit in while homeschooling teaches children to stand out!
Don’t forget to grab the FREE guide: Surprise! You’re Homeschooling to gain encouragement for creating a heart-centered environment for your children to learn and grow! Get ready – your children will stand out, and you will have so much fun watching it all unfold!
