How to get started Homeschooling

When I was approached by a friend about how to start homeschooling her son, I had to really break it down to the basics. Her son is still young and while it’s important to start laying down the foundations of routine and chores, schooling isn’t quite as important as play for him as a preschooler. 

Take the following as advice from a friend, because, well, it is. There’s more that people will try to pile in, that you’ll pick up on, and that others will nitpick that I didn’t tell you, but I feel like this is really the basics.

If you’re interested in the next steps, let me know and we can go on from here.

HOMESCHOOL LAWS

First and foremost, you have to know and follow your state’s homeschooling laws. They will have very specific rules for you to follow. While some states are looser than others, it’s an important thing to make sure you know them inside and out. Your rights may depend on them. The HSLDA is a great place to start. I highly suggest you become a member and use their resources.

Some of the things that your state may require are:

• A Letter of Intent: This is a letter that tells the state that you are planning to homeschool. Each state may require a little bit different information than others.

• Attendance Records: This may have to be kept in a certain form for your state. I keep a paper record in my calendar each year. I have kept Google Sheets of attendance in years past but I update it from my paper one.

• Curriculum Approval: Some states require you use approved curriculum.

• Testing

• Immunization Records

• And more

While these are just a few requirements, there’s no forgiveness for you not knowing the law. Please be diligent and do your homework.

You can find more information about your state’s homeschool laws at: www.hslda.org

ROUTINE

If I could go back and start over, I would work on routines first. It’s important that kids know what’s going to happen when and for about how long. This is where I would figure out where you want to add in Faith. Do you want to have a small bible time some where in your day? Are there certain times you want to pray or light candles, etc.?

Make sure this routine fits in with your life. Does it fit will with Mom and Dad’s work schedules? When will you get the groceries? Will you be done in time to make dinner? However you want things to go, I’d make sure there’s a consistent routine. Note that this routine will change as life changes. That’s ok but its good to try to keep it going for the school year. 

I would work on getting up at a certain time, then we have breakfast, then we get dressed, then we do our chores, etc. Also, have them start helping you with chores and upkeep as soon as possible. It will then be like second nature to them and not a “chore” rather than just something we all do. 

Note: Time isn’t as important as routine. The order of operations is much more important to the flow of your day than when it all happens. However, keeping bedtime routines and times are important, too. Just don’t sweat it when they are off a bit occasionally. (This is why we homeschool. We have a freedom in our schedules that public school students don’t.)

CURRICULUM

As far as curriculum goes, I would really research and find what marries with your expectations of your kids. Early on I went with The Good and Beautiful Curriculum. I think I stuck with that for too long for my older kids. (You can use it through high school but I don’t feel like it really has the same rigor as other curriculum.)

Last year we switched to Memoria Press. While I think TGAB was good for younger kids, I wanted a more classical style for my older kids. What I didn’t realize was that having them not start it in the beginning meant that they were going to have to start clean as older kids. With more and harder subjects to begin with, adding in back learning made this year a mess. We’re getting there, but it wasn’t pleasant. 

This isn’t to say you can’t go back and forth with different curriculums but it does make things wonky sometimes. That being said, I have always tried to keep my kids in Saxon Math. I feel like it’s a sturdy curriculum and it doesn’t include the “new” math. My younger two boys have since switched to Teaching Textbooks. Elijah is more of a visual learning so Saxon was so boring for him that he couldn’t get through the math. He needed pleasing visual to get through the boring math. Make sense? 

I would suggest trying to get your hands on a curriculum before buying it. It’s easier to get a feel for it and cheaper than buying too many. That being said, there are lots of used curriculum groups online and Facebook. (The Good and Beautiful’s Elementary curriculum is free to download but will need to be printed.) 

KIDS

I have had my kids homeschooling pretty much from the start, so it’s what we do. I do have one who gets frustrated with his work and refuses to do it occasionally. At that point, you really just have to get them over that frustration and things smooth out. 

As far as your child goes, I would think about something he likes to do with you, like bake cookies or help with dinner, (or something he’d like you to do with him like play cars) and try to use that as a motivator. 

“Hey, we really need to get this work done today. Then we can play cars together!”

It’s easy for us as adults to get all excited and wrapped up with “starting school” ahead of time so that they’re ahead but it doesn’t really work that way. Play is important. Play IS learning for younger kids. I would encourage you to try to find as many ways to incorporate play into school as possible for as long as possible. 

SOCIALIZATION/SOCIETY

Finding some outside activities that you guys can get involved in like co-ops, sports, playgroups, etc. are all great ways to get in socialization. We mamas need it as much as out littles and it helps give us a bit more credit in the eyes of the law/doctors. 

People will ask you about your homeschool and the biggest question is always socialization. I would just always have a few rehearsed answers in your back pocket. People will also ask about grade levels. Well, Noah, who was advanced was always in about 3 grades at once. (If you’re advanced in one subject, you’re usually behind, or just not as far along, in another. It has to do more with attention than aptitude.) So I’d pick the grade I though he should be in which was usually the middle one. They ask about grades, too. Well, all of my kids are taught to mastery, meaning I won’t move them on unless they know it, so they’re always getting good grades. 

RESOURCES

There are lots of blogs, Orthodox FB groups, non-Orthodox FB groups, local or not, state based homeschooling associations, HSLDA, friends, family, ME! ;), that you can rely on for information. There are also a ton of books and podcasts.