I have been a homeschooling mom since 2012 and I have learned a few tips and tricks over the years. Today I am here to share with you 5 tips that will help you as a new homeschooling mom.
As a new homeschooling mom there are 5 tips that will help you on your homeschooling journey. The first tip is to know your state’s homeschool laws. The second tip is to learn what works for you and your child when it comes to homeschooling. The third tip is not to compare yourself to other homeschool moms. The fourth tip is to find a homeschool support system for you and your child. The final tip is to find an All-In-One homeschool curriculum for your first year.
Your first year of homeschooling can be scary and overwhelming, but if you follow these tips it will help you in your homeschooling journey.
- Know your state’s homeschool laws
- Lean what works for you and your child
- Do not compare yourself to other homeschool moms
- Find a Homeschool Group or a homeschool support system
- Find an All-In-One homeschool curriculum for your first year
Tip #1: Know Your State’s Homeschool Laws
It is so important to know your state’s homeschool laws if you are homeschooling or thinking about homeschooling. I always refer to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, aka HSLDA every year to make sure my laws are still the same. They are a great homeschool resource and you can also become a member, but you do not have to. They offer lots of free information on their website.
I live in the state of Mississippi and we are considered a Homeschool Friendly State. A state that is considered to be a Homeschool Friendly State is a state that has little to no regulations. Their Homeschool Law and Regulations are more laid back than other states. Homeschool Friendly States do not require parents or legal guardians to participate in home visits, standardized testing, or professional evaluations and provide test scores. Click below to learn more about a Homeschool Friendly State and if your state falls into that category.
The State of Mississippi Homeschool Laws and Requirements are simple. All children between the ages of 6 and 17 on or before September 1st must start school. Every year on or before September 15, you are required to submit a Certificate of Enrollment with your public school’s Attendance Officer for the children you are homeschooling. The State of Mississippi does not require any teacher qualifications, standardized testing, subject requirements, and a specific number of days or hours of homeschooling. Click below to learn more about Mississippi’s Homeschool Laws and Regulations.
Tip #2: Learn What Works for You and Your Children
This is a trial and error process or at least it was for me. I had to learn what Type of Homeschooling Method worked best for us. I also had to learn my teaching style, and what my children’s learning styles were.
There are 10 Types of Homeschool Methods:
- School-at-Home Homeschooling
- Classical Homeschooling
- Charlotte Mason Homeschooling
- Montessori Homeschooling
- Unschooling Homeschooling
- Unit Studies Homeschooling
- Eclectic Homeschooling
- Gameschooling Homeschooling
- Natural Learning Homeschooling
- Informal learning Homeschooling or Self-Directed Homeschooling
7 Ways Children Learn:
- Visual Learners – Visual learners learn better by graphs, tables, charts, maps, colors, diagrams, flash cards or watching educational videos. They sometimes tend to look at the big picture and miss the details.
- Auditory Learners – Auditory learners learn better by listening. They tend to do better as a lecture style of the environment. They also tend to learn better by engaging in conversations, listening to music and videos.
- Verbal Learners – Verbal learners learn best by writing or speaking. They tend to learn better by language reasoning than abstract information. Verbal learners are usually better at word problems then they are at solving equations.
- Physical Learners – Physical learners learn better through movement rather than from a lecture. They learn through body movement, control or expression.
- Logical Learners – Logical learners learn by problem solving, statics and facts, using numbers or their ability to reason. They usually learn by using visual, kinetic and auditory learning styles. Logical learners learn best in an organized space.
- Social Learners – Social learners tend to work well in a group and flourish on building relationships. They tend to communicate well through verbal and non verbal communication. Social or Interpersonal learners are also referred to as “people smart.”
- Solitary Learner – learners learn better when they work alone. They are self-motivated, concentrate well, and think independently. Solitary learners need a distraction free space to learn.
Tip #3: Do Not Compare Yourself to Other Homeschool Moms
Do not compare yourself, your child or children or your homeschool to others. What works for one family or one child may not work for your family or your child.
I know this is easier said than done. I know I did it my first year and it made me feel like I was doing something wrong or like I was failing my children in some way.
Do you ever feel like you are failing at the Mom thing? Have you ever asked yourself the following questions? Am I doing what is best for my children? Am I teaching them everything they need to know? Am I feeding them the right foods? Are they involved in enough activities? Are they involved in too many activities? You are not alone!
I ask myself these questions more than once a day. It has taken me a long time, many sleepless nights and countless hours of talking to other Moms to help me realize I am not alone and I am not the only one that thinks like this. If you are keeping all of this bottled up and burning the candle at both ends, it is not good for you. Talking to other Moms really does help. It helped me to realize that I am NOT failing at this Mom thing. I may be hitting bumps along the way, but not failing. Remember you are not alone and not the only Mom that feels this way.
Our kids are important to us. We do want what is best for them, but we cannot drive ourselves crazy, for a lack of better term. We feed them, cloth them, educate them, take care of them when they are sick and we LOVE them. We are so busy worrying and running from place to place all the time. We need to slow down and make sure we show our children that we do love them. Do not just tell them, buy them things or expect them to know. This one little thing will make all the craziness and worry ease up and help you enjoy the Mom thing.
As a dear friend pointed out, In this age of technology, it is easy to compare yourself to others because of social media. Most people only post the good stuff or the best parts of their lives. To quote that dear friend, “That is why true friendships are so important to go through the trenches together.”
When you feel like you are failing at the Mom thing, please remember that you are not the only Mom that feels that way. Remember you love your children and to stop and try to enjoy the Mom thing. Lastly, remember that you are a Mom and you got this!
Once I stopped comparing myself, my children, and my homeschool to others, I figured out what worked best for our homeschool and my children, everything changed for the better.
Tip #4: Find a Homeschool Group or a Homeschool Support System
I think it is so important to find a homeschool group or a homeschool support system. It helped me so much my first year! I was able to find out what curriculums worked well for their families or why it did not work well for their families. I got to ask so many questions and they gave me so much advice, information, and answered questions that I had not thought to ask or did not know to ask. All this happened during park day, field trips, holiday parties, and lots of group chats through Facebook or text message groups.
I’m not saying I’m an expert and know it all. I’ve been homeschooling since 2012 and I’m always learning something new with the help of my homeschool support system. My homeschool support system is made up of my social media accounts and my local homeschool group. I’m thankful to these wonderful Moms that are always there to lend a helpful hand when I need it. It takes a village and I have been blessed with a great one!
A homeschool group is not just for the children in my opinion. It is a place for parents too. It is a place of learning, encouragement and support for one another. We should be there for one another and answering each other’s questions. It is a place for new homeschool parents to feel welcome and seek support, because we have all been there. A homeschooling group is for the entire family.
Homeschooling is not just something we do. It is our way of life. It is our journey and I’m glad to have such an awesome village!
Tip #5: Find an All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum for Your First Year
I always recommend an All-In-One curriculum for first time homeschooling families. An All-In-One homeschool curriculum is a curriculum that contains the main subjects and maybe an elective. The main subjects that are covered usually depend on the grade level. Most cover reading, writing, spelling, math, language arts, history and science. Some will add an elective like art or music.
I have used My Father’s World since 2014 and I love it! It allows me to teach multiple grades at the same time. I like to teach as many subjects as a family that I can . I currently teach Bible, Science, History and electives like art or music as a family.
Here is a list of some All-In-One curriculums:
1.My Father’s World
2. A Beka
3. Sonlight
4. K12
5. Bob Jones (BJU Press)
6. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool
7. Memoria Press
8. Oak Meadow
9. Veritas Press
10. Timberdoodle
3 Free Homeschool Websites
Here are 3 Free Homeschool Websites that you many want to look into to see which best fits your needs if you do not want to buy a curriculum your first year.
1. Khan Academy
2. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool
3. K12
Do not forget to checkout our Russells Loving Life YouTube channel and our Russells Loving Life blog for more homeschool tips, curriculum flip through, curriculum unboxing, homeschool field trips, homeschool science experiments, and Homeschool Mom Day in the Life videos.
