Homeschooling: Your 5-Step Guide to Getting Started

Your Why: Get crystal clear on why you want to homeschool and write this down. This is going to be different for every family. Your “why” is important because it is going to impact decisions down the road. Here are some common reasons why families chose homeschooling: freedom, flexibility, mental health, safety, peacefulness, efficiency, family time, values-based education.

Legal Requirements: Each state has different legal requirements for homeschooling. Some state have few regulations while others have high regulations. The first place to look for your state’s legal requirements is The Home School Legal Defense Association. HSLDA is a Christian non-profit organization and has the mission of making homeschooling possible for all families. Even if you are not homeschooling for religious reasons, HSLDA’s resources may still be valuable as you navigate the legal requirements in your state. You can also look at your state department of education and local school district websites. If you still have more specific questions after examining these resources, then join facebook groups for homeschool parents in your state to get further clarification.

Will you be homeschooling long-term or short term: Some families only plan to homeschool for less than a year. Perhaps they are relocating, traveling, or just need a break from their current school situation. If this is a short term plan, then think about what you can do during this short homeschool period of time to make the transition back to public/private school as smooth as possible. If you are planning to homeschool for more than a year, then you will probably need some time to deschool. Deschooling is a period of time to decompress from schooling, learn about your child’s needs, and transition into a new mindset of what homeschooling can look like for your family. More on deschooling in a bit…

Brainstorm and make some lists – “Have To Do” “Should Do” & “Love To Do”: List the things you feel that you “have to do”. This includes your legal requirements as well as those areas of learning that are major priorities for you. For example, some families feel strongly that they want to continue with formal instruction for Math and English Language Arts (reading & writing). Other families feel that a values-based education that is centered on their religious values is a priority. Next, list all the “shoulds.” When many parents start, they have a list that is a mile long of all the things they think they should do (for example: setting up a home classroom, buying curriculum, buying posters, buying teacher supplies, making a schedule, and planning out months in advance, etc.) Lastly, list all the things you would “love to do” with your time like field trips, time learning outdoors, life skills, passion projects, travel, etc. Think big & dream big because the possibilities are endless. Once you have this all brainstormed, forget about all your “shoulds” at least for now because they stop you from seeing all the possibilities. Families that rush into homeschooling often let their “shoulds” guide them and they end up just recreating traditional school practices at home when there are other homeschool styles that might be a better fit to meet your goals and aspirations.

Start your deschooling journey: Deschooling is a period of adjustment as you transition into homeschooling. It is a time to decompress, to learn about yourself, and to learn more about your child. Deschooling can take a few weeks to a few months. And, sometimes families that have been homeschooling for a while need a reset and go back to a period of deschooling as they reflect on their goals and how they can best meet their child’s evolving needs. When you are done deschooling, you will feel more confident to make some key decisions about how you want homeschooling to look like for your family’s unique situation. These key decisions include your curriculum approach, whether you want to purchase curriculum or design your own curriculum tailored to your child, and how exactly homeschooling will fit in with your lifestyle. Every family approaches homeschooling differently, with different core values and different goals. Deschooling allows you the time to reflect on your family’s needs, your beliefs about education, and your plan moving forward.

Obviously, there is more to homeschooling than these first 5 steps. We are here for you on this journey as you make more key decisions and look for resources to support your specific needs. Sign up for the Homeschool Parent Training email list to get tips, tricks, and resources to help you on your journey.