How to Start Homeschooling your Kids made Easy
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You’re interested in learning how to start homeschooling your kids, huh? Well, you’re in the right place! Homeschooling regulations will vary from state to state, but, luckily, with the help of the internet, this information is super easy to find!
When I decided to start homeschooling my boys, I was completely overwhelmed. Suddenly, it would be up to me to choose the curriculum, set up lesson plans, organize field trips, and so much more. The weight of these decisions literally left me beyond stressed out. I’ve seen so many people say that “only teachers should teach kids,” and, you know what? I actually used to be a teacher and the thought of homeschooling my kids still scared the heck out of me! Since you’re reading this article, I imagine that you could be feeling the same right about now! You know what, though? Everything will be ok!
These days, we have the magic of the internet and social media to help with so many of our day to day decisions – including homeschooling decisions! Can you imagine having to figure this all out without the internet? I can’t! I’m so glad we have social media to help us with decisions such as how to start homeschooling your kids and so many more.
Check State Regulations before you Start Homeschooling
First things first. You’ll want to figure out the regulations for how to start homeschooling in your specific state. As already mentioned, regulations do vary by state. Some require detailed information, such as grades and attendance, to be submitted while others give the parents total freedom in choosing the methods and information the kids will be taught. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association was helpful in providing a basic rundown of the information I needed to know to start homeschooling. For complete requirements and details, though, it is helpful to visit the Department of Education website for your specific state.
Find your Local Homeschooling Community
Before you start figuring out the details in how to start homeschooling your kids, it really helped me to find support from my local homeschooling community. Do a quick search on Facebook and local homeschooling groups should come up. I found it best to do separate searches for my city, county, and state. Make sure you search for groups using the full state name and the abbreviated version, too!
Even if you’re not ready to join any local homeschooling get togethers, it’s so nice to know that there’s a local community that can provide support and suggestions when needed.
Find your Nationwide Homeschooling Community
As much as I love the local homeschooling groups I’m in, the nationwide homeschooling groups I’ve been in have been a huge help! A few groups that have helped me out have are:
Secular, Eclectic, Academic (SEA) Homeschoolers, by far my favorite and most referenced group, the SEA Homeschoolers group is quite large and filled with homeschooling parents of all ages and experiences. I find this group to be super encouraging and helpful. Also important to note, this group does not suggestions for or conversations about religion-based curriculum. There are also MANY SEA sub-groups that focus on niches such as homeschooling with a chronic illness and homeschooling children that have learning challenges and special needs. All of this information can be found within the group.
Homeschooling Resources Support Group, an active group providing just what the group title suggests: resources!
Homeschool for Free, as much as I love the curriculum I’ve purchased, it’s always nice to find free resources I can use with my kids. Not all of the resources in here are free, but I’ve found that the majority are.
Learn about Different Homeschooling Styles
Unschooling? Deschooling? Classical? Huh? Did you know there are different methods of homeschooling? I had no idea about all the varieties before we became a homeschooling family, but it’s kind of awesome that teaching kids doesn’t necessarily always have to include a worksheet or textbook. Yay for differentiation, right?! The Homeschool Mom does a wonderful job explaining the different ways to homeschool, so check her out!
When it comes to homeschooling your kids, you, the parent, know what’s best. It certainly isn’t always an easy decision, but it’s exciting that you’re considering learning about how to start homeschooling your children, right? When you’ve made the decision, though, you might want to follow in my footsteps and make it official with a homeschool t-shirt. Check out Homeschool Style Co. for this shirt and more and use the code HOMESCHOOL15257 to save 15% off your order! The Caffeinate & Educate shirt is obviously one of my favorites, but this Homeschool Mama hoodie is on my list (so cozy!!) along with this dinosaur “Homeschool is a Walk in the Park” because… #boymom.
I hope this will help you in your “how to start homeschooling” research! If you have any questions I might be able to help you out with, I’m more than happy to help! Just send me an email at elizabeth@thewellpreparedmom.com and I’ll do what I can.
