The Beginners Guide to Homeschooling (Welcome Newbies! Yay!)

You have decided to homeschool! You are ready and you are excited. You are nervous and scared out of your wits. Both are perfectly acceptable and normal. Welcome to homeschooling! I’m so glad YOU are here! In this post, you will find my best tips and steps on how to homeschool.

When I began homeschooling, I truly didn’t think I would do it. I thought I couldn’t handle it and that I wasn’t patient enough. (By the way, that is the most common reason mom’s give for not homeschooling, but they don’t realize that no mom is patient ‘enough’. But more on that another time.)

Though I didn’t plan to homeschool, I ended up choosing this route for a very specific reason at the time. I needed to bring in the crazy chaotic schedule and the running back and forth. We were everywhere and yet not together; together as a family.

Maybe you have felt the same? I took the plunge, and now seven years of training a high schooler, middle schoolers, elementary kids, preschoolers, and bringing up three babies later, I have learned a whole lot! I would love to help you as you begin this incredible journey.

What is Homeschooling?

Homeschooling is teaching your children the core subjects (and more!) at home. This can be done in countless ways:

• online classes
• reading library books
• notebooking your observations in nature
• following curriculum & textbooks
• reading with your kids
• reading to your kids
• cooking together
• taking a hike
• and more!

Why is Homeschooling important?

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6, NKJV

• Homeschooling is a way of life, a call to loving and nurturing your children, a special gift and opportunity to train up your children in the way God designed them to go.

• Homeschooling is important because we each have the freedom and the choice to train up our children in the way we deem best. We know our children. We love our children. We have been given the responsibility to be their parents. Let us do our best with this task we’ve been given. Homeschooling supports our task as parents and offers the greatest opportunities to accomplish our work.

3 Keys to remember before you get started!

Key #1: Be a learner

• Go to a homeschooling convention & LEARN
• Listen to a podcast & LEARN
• Read homeschooling blogs & LEARN

Key #2: Know that you CAN do this!

• You are legally ABLE to homeschool your children.
• You have the ability to homeschool your children.
• You’ve been schooling them since they were born!

Key #3: Just do it!

Do what you need to do to make this happen! As my husband would say, “Do the work!” This is what I tell my daughter in her homeschool day when she doesn’t feel like doing some of the amazing book work I had planned for her. (It’s just so amazing, who wouldn’t want to do it?!) When these moments happen, I encourage her to ‘Do the Work.’

Later in my day, I go back and ask myself some questions:

• Does she need to be doing those sheets or assignments?
• Can she learn that concept in a more active way?
• Does she just need to learn self-discipline and do the work?
• These are all great questions to consider often in your homeschool, but I digress.

Let’s get started on homeschooling!

How to Homeschool

Step #1: Research

Research your state’s homeschooling laws.

Check out your state’s homeschooling laws by visiting HSLDA.org. The HSLDA has an excellent website with resources that will help you navigate both the laws around home-education and the process of homeschooling.

This organization is the best legal defense for your homeschool in the United States, and I would definitely consider joining them. I finally became a member this past year, and I was pleasantly surprised with their action and accessibility. Within hours of membership, I asked a question about IL law and work permits. HSLDA responded within 24 hours with clear action steps and advice.

My 14 year old was considering starting a job. Details on how to obtain a work permit were hard to find. Because of my connection with HSLDA, I was able to confidently walk into the public high school knowing what my rights were before the conversation began. That boost of confidence is helpful, especially if you’re not sure what you’re about to face in the local schools.

Research your children

Before we dig into the books, we must first be a learner of our children. The good news is this; you’ve already been doing this since your child was first born. Every aspect of their life has been a study in how your baby works.

• How does he like to go to sleep?
• How does he drink his milk?
• What makes him cry?
• What makes him stop crying?

As a new mom to this precious baby, you have been studying every aspect of this child, learning what makes him tick. This study grows as the baby grows. By the time the child is 5 years old, you have become an expert. You don’t always know the answers, but you are very good at figuring them out.

In the same way, you will now study what makes your child best learn her ABCs and 123s.

These are all clues you can use to discover what type of learners you have in your homeschool. And then the puzzle begins; finding the curriculum to match that precious learner.

Research Curriculum.

This is the fun part! (I love puzzles!) What beautiful books will influence and inspire my children?! There are incredible resources out there! I started with Cathy Duffy‘s guide. Then I checked out her website, which has links to most any curriculum out there. Her book gives tables that indicate the curriculum’s style of learning, style of teaching, prep-time involved, and more. This was a great place to start. From there, Rainbow Resources has a great catalogue that you can access for free. This is all from the comfort of your home.

If you want to “see inside the books,” then head to your local homeschooling convention. That is where the curriculum companies put their best foot forward and show you all of their shiney, new books and tools. It’s like heaven! You can open the book and look inside! As I’ve grown in my homeschool, I can tell very quickly if a book is one I would use or if my kids would enjoy it just by a 2-minute look inside. You can ask questions, sample products, and make confident choices; That is the beauty of the convention.

So much can be said about curriculum. I didn’t know how much was really out there when I became a new homeschooler! The general public does not know of this reality.  It seems there is a gap between two ways of thinking: “what is done, what was always done, just how it is” and “What else is out there? What can we do differently? How can we find this?” A homeschooler shares the latter way of thinking. Notice, the difference between statement and question. A question comes from a learner’s mindset. Be a learner.

Another great place to find curriculum is through christianbook.com. They have great selection and excellent sample pages to view online. Each publisher has a website. On those sites you are able to download samples and find answers to your questions as well.

After finding a great curriculum, looking for discounts is easy (and fun) to do. I browse ebay, amazon, and thriftbooks for the title, look for gently used or good condition, and make a deal! The used books you may find will be textbooks, teacher’s guides, and literature. Workbooks will most likely need to be purchased brand new.

Step #2: Stop, Breathe, and Remember

Now that we’ve covered the huge topic of curriculum, let’s take the pressure way off of ourselves and remember something very important. Every day, your child is learning.

• They are learning about how to live life in your home.
• They are learning how to maintain order in the chaos of life.
• They are learning how to navigate the many feelings that can occur in a day.
• They are learning how to communicate and relate with people, the people in your very family.

Every time you take them to the store, they are learning. Every time you take them with you and go to the bank, fill up with gas, talk with the postman, pay the bills, etc. they are learning! Every day is a learning opportunity and that day counts in the school year!

If you only read one chapter to your kids and one child gets a spelling list copied, you did school. If you accomplished the whole plan for the day and baked zucchini bread too, you did school. If you stayed in your jammies with colds and watched Andy Griffith show half the day and slept the other half, you did school. Every day, your child is learning.

Do your best to do the curriculum, but take the pressure off of yourself when those days are less fruitful according to the book. Life happens, and that is the beauty of your homeschool.

We’ve done some research. We are learning so much about our kids and ourselves! We realize we have so much MORE to learn, but the secret is, you will always have MORE to learn. Lean into the learning. Become a learner! You are about to color outside the lines, think outside the box. And it’s a fabulous and rewarding experience!

Step #3: Make a Plan

Now, let’s make some plans for your school year. Ahhh! Scary time! Action time. Well, almost action time. Let’s make some plans and visualize them first. And since this is so scary, let’s boil this down a bit. Facing 180 days of school seems extremely daunting! Let’s look at ONE day and build from there. Your school year is simply one day, plus one day more, plus one day more, etc.

There are 5 elements to the school day:

1. Routine/Schedule
2. Supplies/Space
3. Curriculum/Books
4. Your Child/Family
5. You

Take out your journal or a fresh sheet of notebook paper and answer the question after you read each element. Read, brainstorm, and visualize! I’ve made a cute Brainstorm & Visualization page for you to use. Print out my FREE Visual Map here!

Element 1: Routine/Schedule

Some folks thrive with a timed routine or deadline in the day. If you enjoy having reliable structure to your day, then a schedule following the clock may be just right for you.

Some folks enjoy letting the day flow organically. You may follow a routine in there, but you let it unfold with ease instead of dictated by a clock.

I have found that the middle ground between the two works for me. Here is a sample of my day:

• Try to wake up before the kids.
• Start school studies around 8-9am.
• Make sure there’s a break for each child after about 30-60 min of focused study.
• Have lunch around 11:30.
• Finish up more studies after lunch.
• Music practice
• Playtime and free time (while mom takes a break to write on her blog, yay!).
• Greet Dad and help him prepare dinner around 4-5pm.
• Eat dinner together.
• Take my evening walk with Tim while kids play Mario Kart at home. (Daily date night!)
• Tim gets to bed by 7pm, my youngest 7:30, my older two by 8:30/9pm.
• Meanwhile I’m tidying up, doing dishes, folding laundry, and just enjoying conversation with my older two before they reluctantly go off to bed.
• Bed by 10pm.

Now that my oldest has joined the local high school Band and Choir, I have to add a few scheduled drives to and from class into my day, but it still works out. We also weave in lessons, Awana, PE class, library time, and some playdates in the afternoons (or even mornings) if possible. The beauty is flexibility. Having a steady routine is important. Having flexibility in that routine is a gift that you should utilize and treasure in your homeschool.

Element 2: Curriculum/Books

Hopefully your research has given you some direction and help narrowing down your choices. There are A LOT of choices out there for books to study in your homeschool! Make your best choice and GO!

Make a list of all the subjects you need to cover. Now make a list of all the subjects you want to cover. Choose the book for each subject and wallah, you have your curriculum for the year!

Element 3: Supplies

Pencils and more pencils! Prepare for the influx of pencils about to come into your life! One key ingredient to the homeschool day is the small, but very mighty tool, the pencil! He comes with two buddies: the eraser, and the sharpener. Oh, the sharpener. Do not forget this very important tool that will rescue the day! If your daughter is anything like mine, then you will be sharpening many pencils in your happy homeschool. That pencil must be fine tipped for her to finish the sheet. A blunt edge will not do. Though I’m joking a bit, these basic tools are small keys to success.

First, open your curriculum to the teacher’s guide and get an idea for how they plan to teach the subject. They will provide a list of supplies, and you can gather and prepare your plan. I like to visualize what the child will be holding or drawing for this subject. Would it be better to have a spiral notebook or a 3 ring? Will the child need a straight edge (ruler) or markers (to color). Checking out the local school supply list is a great idea to catch things you may not have thought of. But the key is flexibility. You can choose what you want in preparation for this school day! You can even flex with the curriculum’s ideas! (Oooooh, did I just say that!? Oh, yes I did!) Maybe the curriculum calls for 3 ring notebooks, when a folder with paper or spiral notebook will accomplish the same task. Visualize and plan.

Here are some basic supplies that you may need in your homeschool:

• Pencils with erasers
• Sharpeners
• Scissors
• Crayons/Markers
• Ruler
• Glue stick
• Notebook paper
• Spiral Notebooks
• Folders / Notebooks / Dividers

Next, visualize the space where you will sit to learn. The kitchen table is a great place to start! That is where I began. I bought two crates (one for each child, only two at the time because I was pregnant with my third. Yay! When he was born, we took 3 weeks off school to learn about having a newborn in the house. And it counted as school because we were learning! Learning together! Learning things that can’t be taught in a school! Learning about life and love! True learning!) So, I bought two crates with hanging folders to keep their papers, spiral notebooks & supplies, the curriculum, and that year, I bought an American Flag and a Christian flag to do the pledges each day. I still have it, though we don’t include that in the routine anymore. Sweet memories!

My Kindergartener and 3^rd grader did all of their studies with me at the kitchen table and we were quite happy with our space. You can visualize and plan to your hearts content with this! If it’s too overwhelming, then go simple. Kitchen table for writing, crate for storing books. Now, I still use the kitchen table, but my son is using the computer desk for his online courses as well, and we store all of our notebooks and curriculum on a bookshelf. Simple and very effective. Oh, I almost forgot the pencils! I keep 4 jars (small mason jars) of pencils spread about the house, for anyone who decides to curl up on the couch for their work or sit in the living room instead. Pencils at the ready! (With about 8 handheld sharpeners near each container too). You can plan what works for you. You may have to try things out and see what works before you KNOW. You will learn! Keep learning! Keep searching and trying and growing! You can do this!

Element 4: Your Child/Family

Now, we need to stop and visualize our children and our families in the context of all of these plans we just penciled down. Ask yourself the following as you visualize them.

• Can you visualize our family in this flow and routine?
• What do you think our children most enjoy learning?
• Do you have any ideas to include in this plan as we bring it together?

Element 5: YOU

Just as you visualized the plans in the context of your family, stop and take a moment to re-visualize yourself in the process. You will be handling a lot of things, and you want to keep some healthy habits and routines in place for your own sanity and well-being. I know that I enjoy time with my mom friends at MOPS and Mom night outs. Tim and I have prioritized this time into my life for my emotional wellbeing. I also enjoy playing the piano, reading devotionals, and doing puzzles. I incorporate that into my routine as much as possible. Tim and I enjoy our evening walks together to talk and unwind. This has become a priority, and we make it happen every day. All of these choices help me as an individual. As I handle many things in the day to day, it is important to take care of myself.

Ask yourself these questions:

Step #4: Set your calendar

It’s time to get into some details! Now it is time to take out a calendar and set your dates. I personally follow a 36 week school year timeline. I take breaks for the summer, major holidays, our birthdays, and various vacations or time-off that I designate for our family. This year, I will be running school days for 4-5 weeks, then taking 3-5 weekdays off. This will give us a goal and destination of fun after we work diligently on our studies. I’m excited to try this out!

One year, I took all Fridays off in the winter time. The winter time would be the hardest season for motivation in our homeschool. It really helped to know that we could take Friday off! Another year, we scheduled a vacation at the end of April, and we moved our school schedule around it. Each year has been a little different, and I love having the flexibility to change.

Take out a yearly calendar and think through what your school year will look like.

Step #5: Celebrate

It’s time to celebrate! You’ve done your homework. You’ve made your plan. You’ve visualized your success. You can do this!

Tips for success in Homeschooling

• Do your homework and ask lots of questions! Homeschooling companies and families are eager to share when they’ve learned. Do not be afraid to write a simple e-mail with a detailed question. Every time I have e-mailed a company or person relating to homeschool, I have been quite impressed at the level of interest and help they have given to me. Go for it and ask!
• Take the pressure of yourself and what you think school needs to look like. There is no single right way to homeschool. There are countless ways! Give yourself space to learn and try out new ideas. Go for it!
• Take the pressure of your children in your homeschool. We want them to learn self-discipline and independence, but one step at a time. Come alongside and help them with their studies. Do not expect them to just know it. Also, don’t feel that you are helping your children too much. Children learn by copying and watching. If you can model the correct way to make the letter A over and over again, they will learn it well! If you can give them examples of what to say next in their paragraph, they can learn from your ideas and guidance. Do not be afraid to help them.
• Stay off the television and devices until some or all of the school work is finished. Then, this time of play can be a reward for their efforts! I still include PBS kids as some of my youngest’s learning time, but keep the time measured and well divided amongst activities of the day.
• Go outside when the weather is fabulous! If you have a table outside, the kids can do their book work or reading in the fresh sunshine. You can set up a blanket and picnic area to learn the math lesson of the day. Go outside as much as you can!
• Have fun! Go to a museum. Go to the park. Take a walk down the street. Keep your homeschool a joyful place, and when the doldrums strike, shake up the day with a different activity. Baking, cooking, sewing, cleaning, hiking, biking, are all fabulous things to incorporate into your school days, weeks, and year! And remember, your child is always learning! (Even if they’re not “doing school.”)
• For more healthy tips, go to my post; 7 Small Habits to Simplify and Rejuvenate Your Homeschool.

Frequently Asked Questions

In summary

• Always be learning and growing!
• Remember, you are their parent. You love them more than anyone else in the world. You’ve studied them more than anyone else in the world. You can do this!
• Please share below what you’re learning as you start your homeschool. What questions do you have? How can I help you? Share below, and I would love to connect with you.

Keep walking friend,

Christina