The Beginners Guide to Homeschooling

The Beginners Guide to Homeschooling When You Have No Clue Where to Start

Not too sure if you want your child to head back to school because of the Covid-19? Thinking about Homeschooling?

Trust, you are not alone. All mothers are scratching their heads at the decision to send their kids back to school because we don’t find it fully safe right now and let’s be honest, How can we expect teachers to clean properly after every class period.

Before COVID-19, we could barely get the bathrooms in the schoolhouse to be clean. 

But, how do you start homeschooling your child, when you have no clue where to start or have never taught anything in your life?!

With this amazing beginner-friendly guide, you’ll be able to homeschool with more confidence in yourself and your kids! 

As well as feel amazing, knowing your kids are safe and sound while learning from home!

What is Homeschooling? 

If you have fallen upon this blog post, I’m assuming you heard about Homeschooling before. 

But, I want to ensure you know full about Homeschooling and how it works. 

Homeschooling is:

• When you conduct school-like education at home versus sending your child out to the normal public or private school to be taught by a teacher.
• You don’t have to homeschool your child by yourself, you can still use full online schooling.

Parents choose to homeschool their children for various reasons, which currently the biggest reason is due to Covid-19. But, typically, parents homeschool due to dissatisfaction with the school system and or curriculum, as well as, religious, beliefs, and even due to the progression of the child. 

No matter your reasons, Homeschooling your Kids is Do-able! 

How to get started with Homeschooling?

To get started homeschooling your kids, you will need to complete the following 8 Steps:

1) Research Your Homeschooling Options

1. 1. • Start looking into your options early on. Subscribe to Homeschooling magazines to stay up with the homeschooling trends and tips. Conversate with other homeschoolers and ask for advice and tips on what works and what doesn’t (Always Keep in mind, that every child is different, so what works for Suzie might not work for Lucy). 

2) Know Your State Requirements

1. 1. • Know your State requirement is a must. At some point, you will have to ensure your kids are meeting age requirements when its time for examinations (Standardized Testing). You also want to ensure whether or not you have to file an intent with the state. Check out your state laws on homeschooling.

3) Join Support Groups

1. 1. • Joining Homeschooling Support Groups can be very beneficial for not just your child but also for yourself! It gets lonely and frustrating at times, so it is always to have other moms that understand and can help you along your Homeschooling Journey. 
      • It’s super easy to find support groups! If you are on Facebook, you can easily find support groups by search “ Homeschooling Support Groups” in the search bar on Facebook. To make your life easier, here’s the link: Facebook Homeschooling Support Groups.

4) Develop a Curriculum Plan

1. 1. • When Developing a Curriculum plan for your child, you want to first figure out their learning style. 
        • Is your Child better with hands-on activities, Visuals, Audio?
        • What subjects do you want to teach your child?
        • Do you want to incorporate time for religion in the homeschooling plan?
        • Don’t forget about adding time for physical activities like playing outside. 
        • Need more help deciding, Check out what The HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) recommends: HSLDA Curriculum Plans.
      • If you rather, pick a Curriculum Plan than creating your own for your child, check out these Homeschooling Curriculum Plans.  

5) Create a Learning Environment

1. 1. • To get your child in the education mode, you might want to create a supportive learning environment. You don’t have to break the bank to do this either! 
      • Dollar Tree has amazing educational resources that are tailored to teachers! SO, if yous till want to provide the learning environment that your child would have received in any school, you can easily grab up the $1 educational resources at Dollar Tree! 
      • To promote learning, you should consider having a desk for your child to use for schoolwork, Educational posters on the wall, and more. Depending on your child’s learning style, you might want to take considerations of colors and the items you have in this homeschooling learning environment. 

6) Set a Homeschooling Schedule

1. 1. • Create and use a Homeschooling Schedule can be super helpful with keep track of your education plan as well as managing your child’s homeschooling time. Don’t forget to make time for breakfast, lunch, dinner, playtime/ recess, Clean up time, Religion Time for Prayers, etc. 

7) Develop Homeschooling Goals

1. 1. • When developing Homeschooling Goals its best to keep in mind the standards but not to get frustrated at your child if they are not meeting certain standards at certain points in your curriculum plan. Instead, of getting frustrated, just try to focus more time on that given subject (problem area). 

8) Create a Reward System 

1. • Rewarding your child when they are doing great in homeschooling is vital. Research has shown that kids are most responsive to learning when they are rewarded for doing good and shown recognition. 
   • You can easily reward your child with stickers, game fun time, snacks, a trip to the park or zoo and so much more. 

Tips for Success in Homeschooling Your Kids

• Learn as You Go
• Find the best curriculum plant that fits your Child’s Learning Style
• Be as Social As you Can (Don’t forget to join Homeschooling Support Groups)
• Take Learning Beyond the Classroom
• Make Learning a Family Activity
• Use technology to help but don’t depend on it. 
• Know When to Ask For Help

Common Questions/FAQ About Homeschooling

• What is the best age to start homeschooling?

• • • You can start homeschooling as early as you want, just take into consideration the intensity level of education you implement to your kids. If you are trying to homeschool a toddler, then it’s best to facilitate a fun hands-on homeschool learning. Of course, you don’t want to be too strict on a toddler with education due to the fact it’s not mandatory for your child to know advanced subjects like multiplications, and grammar. 
    • Most parents typically start homeschooling at the age of 4, since this is typically the age where kids are starting preschool and getting ready to start kindergarten! 

• What supplies do you need for homeschooling?

• • • When it comes down to supplies for homeschooling, think of the typical supplies you would get if your child was going to school. Typically, on the supplies list from school, they would ask for you to provide pencils, papers, erasers, calculators, markers, crayons, etc. 
    • Now, in the case, you are looking for teacher supplies, you can easily grab some great educational deals at places like Dollar Tree for a $1, Target, and Walmart! 

• How many hours a day should I home school?

• • • Homeschool as many hours as you feel fit. If you can teach x amount of subject in a day in x amount of hours and not overwhelm your child, then do that many amounts of hours. I’ve heard moms homeschool their children for only four hours a day and 4 days out the week. So it all depends on what you find fitting for your child. 

• What do I need to homeschool my preschooler?

• • I would suggest getting a lot of hands-on items when educating a preschooler. As well as, big colorful items. When homeschooling a pre-schooler, it’s all about exploring and introducing your little one to easy tasks, color recognition, ABCs, Counting to 10, etc. 

The Last Thing You Need to Know About Homeschooling

If you find yourself having to homeschool your child, note that all your hard work will pay off and you will be crying tears of joy when its time to see your baby graduate and go off to college. You will feel super proud to know and say that you homeschool your brilliant child! 

With that being said, take it all in, stay positive, and remember the homeschooling tips mentioned in this blog post!

As always, Sharing is Caring! Share this amazing blog post about Homeschooling for Beginners with your friends and family, and on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, etc.). Don’t forget to leave your homeschooling experience and tips below in the comment section!