Where do I start Homeschooling?

When thinking about how to start homeschooling, I always go back to books and resources. You have to have the right books and resources to help you get started.

Here are the steps you need to go through to get started with homeschooling:

1. Prayer – If you are a Christian, this should be your first step in anything you pursue. Ask God to help lead and guide you to the right resources, books, and people that will help you provide the best homeschool experience for you and your children.

2. Laws – You will need to find out what your state homeschool laws are in relation to how to start homeschooling.

3. Budget – What is your homeschool budget? How much are you able/willing to pay for your homeschool materials. If you don’t have much money, there are ways to save money homeschooling, but you will probably need to trade your time for money when collecting homeschool freebies.

4. Know your child’s learning style and your teaching style. This will save you years of frustration in the long run. Know what you have to work with and what style works best for your family and then choose resources from there.

Many people find their curriculum first and then try to make their family fit into that mold. That is a sure fire way to head straight into homeschool burnout.

5. Find resources and do your homework.

Read good books about homeschooling by Ruth Beechick, Sally Clarkson and others and look over homeschool reviews. You will find resources about how to start homeschooling at: the library, curriculum suppliers, in your community, homeschool support groups, online, homeschool catalogs, etc.

Here are my favorite homeschool resources and my best suggestions for home school books for each subject.

Here's a good homeschool planner that might help you get organized with the books and resources you will need. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with curriculum choices or you just want some advice from a veteran homeschool mom, you can get a homeschool coach to help you.

start homeschool

More Easy Tips to Consider when you Start Homeschooling 

6. Get connected with other homeschoolers, either online, in your community or by phone. Sometimes a homeschool co-op is helpful to new homeschoolers and sometimes it is not. Make sure you still choose what is best for your family and not just something that someone else recommends because it worked for THEIR family.

7. Evaluate your child’s interests. Does your child like Music, Art, Science or some other area of study? You might be able to capitalize on that and use homeschool unit studies or choose books that help support that interest. If your child is studying something they are interested in, they will learn better and enjoy it much more too.

Do you really need homeschool lesson plans and homeschool textbooks to be a good homeschool mom? Only you can know the answer to that, but step one will help you there too.

8. Have confidence and fun. If you are lacking in either of these areas, you might have some problems getting started. Do you believe you are capable of teaching your children? Don’t get me wrong, everyone has their doubts, but do you really believe that you can do this? Make sure you leave some room for fun and homeschool games with your children.

You don’t have to recreate a classroom in your home. There are many ways to learn besides using textbooks and workbooks. If you are just getting ready to start homeschooling and want to know what to do with your preschool child, download your copy of 101 Activities Parents Can Do With Their Preschool Child at preschool ideas. This will give you lots of ideas to help your preschool and early elementary child learn what they need to know in a low-stress/high-results method.

start homeschooling

9. Get a folder for each child so you can collect their work and keep it all in one place especially if you are teaching multiple grades. You can get a different color for each child. Make sure you date each piece of paper you put in this folder. At the end of the year, you will be glad you did! Homeschool record keeping doesn’t have to be a chore. You can also get some homeschool supplies and a box or space on a bookshelf to store your children’s books when they are not using them.

10. Read more good books with your children and on your own and don’t worry about homeschool socialization.

Make sure you don’t try to do too much at one time. Start with the 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) and then expand from there. Also be careful to keep your activities away from home to a minimum. This will help you and your children stay focused and productive.

For more information about how to start Homeschooling and how to find the best homeschool resources, get the ebook listed below:

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