So you’ve decided to homeschool. Here are 21 tips to help you get onto the right path.
1. Know why you want to homeschool
Homeschooling is not easy. As such, it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. Having said this, homeschooling is also an awesomely rewarding experience. You are not only taking responsibility for your children’s education, you are also reclaiming your status as a full-time parent and embracing your children’s presence in a way not possible if they are in a traditional school.
Be sure that you are homeschooling for the right reasons. Don’t use homeschooling as a form of punishment for your children; this could easily backfire on you. Homeschooling should be a positive experience for both you and your children.
2. Get informed about your local homeschool laws
Homeschool laws vary by state/province/country. You need to be familiar with them and if a move is planned in the near future, know the laws that govern your new home state. Sometimes, you have lots of paperwork to hand in, or you have to register yourself as a ‘private school’ in order to homeschool, other places are much less strict and require little in terms of paperwork.
These sites host a copy of homeschool laws which may be relevant to your location:
Homeschool Legal Defence Association
3. A quick note about ‘socialization’
A common criticism is that homeschooled children are not ‘socialized.’ What exactly does this mean? Is it necessary to spend your days crowded into a room with 20 other people the same age and forced to live by a bell in order to be socialized? I know many homeschooled kids and I’ve yet to meed one who is not well-behaved or down’t know how one should ‘behave’ in public.
For your reading pleasure:
Is socialization a problem for homeschoolers?
Your Child and Homeschooling: the Socialization Issue
4. Don’t forget to deschool
After a child has spent x number of years in a school system, they become programmed to comply to said-system. Deschooling is a detoxification process which help children decompress them from the stresses and routines of regular schooling and prepares them to enter homeschooling without being prejudiced to it’s philosophies.
It’s said that for each year of public schooling, a child needs 1 month of deschooling where they can go by their own whims and rediscover life’s pleasures.
On deschooling:
5. Google is your best friend.
Go ahead, try it!
Some good search terms to begin with:
homeschool, homeschool resources, free educational resources, free worksheets
6. Get good deals on educational supplies
These are some of my favourite sites for ordering good supplies and resources:
7. Where to find great curriculums
Whether a curriculum is good or not is often a matter of perspective. Here are a couple of sites that offer help with that all-important decision.
Home School Curriculum Advisor
School and Homeschool Curriculum Books and Resources
8. Look for support
As with everything in life, you’ll find that homeschooling has its ups and downs. Not everyday will be a sunny day, you’ll have your struggles and there will be times you wish you’d kept your children in school. Support makes all the difference in how you ultimately deal with homeschooling. Use the Internet, and other homeschoolers you know to find local support groups where you can exchange successes and failures, and can also organize field trips with, or activities where your children can get together with other homeschooled children.
9. Have fun!
Homeschool is not meant to be a burdensome experience. Everything is a learning activity, from watching TV to playing with Lego. Use that to your best ability and enjoy the journey!
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