Congratulations you are considering homeschooling or perhaps new to this adventure.
I bet you are feeling nervous, excited and perhaps a little overwhelmed. It is completely understandable, but don't worry. I've got you covered. In this post I've laid out the basics of how to get started homeschooling along with links to over 20 amazing homeschool blog posts all to help you feel more confident about your new adventure.
Listen to the full podcast episode here:
1. First thing to do is to find out the laws surrounding homeschooling in your area. Each State or Province has different rules.
2. Take time to journal and think about why you are choosing to homeschool. Every family is unique and has their own reasons. What is yours? Also write down what you hope to gain from homeschooling your children? What do you want your children to come away with from their time at home? What are your family values? What are your long term goals?
Once you have a clear picture of why you want to homeschool and where you hope it leads you will be able to filter all the rest through those things. Such as what curriculum will best fit your family etc.
Overcoming 6 Homeschool Fears
3. Deschool - this is taking time to adjust to being at home together. Take some time out to relax and shift your mindset way from the traditional public school setting. For some it takes longer than others. Focus now on connecting with your kids, finding their passions, and enjoy being together. Summer is the perfect time to do this!
4. Learn about the different methods, styles and philosophies available. Don't overwhelm yourself but it is helpful to know that there are other ways to teach your children other than what is taught in traditional public school. Once you find a method that interests you, go ahead and learn more about that style.
5. Along with knowing how you want to teach you also want to understand how your children learn best so that you can find a good match.
6. Now comes the fun and sometimes overwhelming part...figuring out what you want to teach your children. This will largely depend on your research done in step 4. Some families decide early on that they want to follow a particular method, while others choose a more general path. Are you frustrated at all because this isn't a simple clean cut deal? There are about a million companies offering curriculum because it is so customized to your unique children.
Over the years most families end up being an eclectic mix of several types of styles, choosing what resonates most with them. If you are just getting started, I suggest choosing one thing you like the look of that isn't too expensive and giving it a go for a few months. Many families just choose a workbook from Costco as a guide to get them going while they do more research on what they'd like. Talking to local homeschoolers is also a big help because you can find out what works for them. Don't start to compare yourself though.
I know how easy it is to feel guilty that you aren't doing enough, or the 'right' things because someone else mentions that they are using the latest and greatest program. Be confident in yourself and your choices.
7. Planning - now that you know what you want to teach it is time to plan that out.
School doesn't actually take 8 hours. Realistically we only homeschool about 2 hours a day, but we are still learning by following our interests.
8. Give it a go. Take time to deschool with your children. Enjoy being together and finding out their interests. They say it take about 1 month for every year that a child was in public school to fully deschool. Then slowly add in more to your day. If you jump in to soon with a full schedule you may all burn out. You may wish to start fresh in the fall and come up with a good plan then.
9. Adjust - we are constantly having to adjust our plans based on life circumstances, seasons, grades etc.
Round up of Beginner Homeschool Posts
Powerful Tips and Advice for New Homeschool Moms
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