I have been a homeschooling mom since 2012 and I want to share with you some tips I have learned over the years. Every homeschool is different, but here are some How to Homeschool tips for beginner homeschoolers.
The ABC’s of how to best homeschool are as follows:
- A Abandon What You Think You Know
- B Be Present
- C Cannot is Not in Our Vocabulary
- D Do Not Compare Yourself to Others
- E Encourage
- F Fun Fridays
- G Gather Together for Subjects
- H Helpful Hearts
- I Ignore Naysayers
- J Just Take Breaks When Needed
- K Know You are Not Alone on This Journey
- L Listen to Your Child’s Needs
- M Make Memories
- N No One is Perfect
- O Opinions
- P Pray Together
- Q Quit Over Planning
- R Remember You Are Not Alone
- S Stressing Does Not Help
- T Teach Anywhere
- U Use What Works for Your Family
- V Verify Your State’s Homeschool Laws
- W Work as a Team
- X X Out What Does Not Work
- Y You Can Do This
- Z Zero In on What Works
I know that the first year of homeschooling can be overwhelming and stressful. So I wanted to give you these ABC’s of how to best homeschool to help you in your first year of homeschooling.
A Abandon What You Think You Know
Every parent goes into homeschooling with certain expectations. Like, what your homeschool is supposed to look like or how you’re going to homeschool. I’m here to tell you to abandon what you think you know. I went into homeschooling thinking it had to look like the public school I went to, but it does not. Every homeschool is different and looks different. Go into homeschooling with an open mind and find what works for your family!
B Be Present
I know you are thinking, “What is she talking about because I am here.” I mean be present in what is going on around you. Be active and involved in your child’s school work. Do not be multitasking. Be in the moment with your child.
C Cannot is Not in Our Vocabulary
Cannot is a word that we do not use. We focus on doing our best in everything we do and not focusing on what we think we cannot do. By saying I cannot do something and not even trying , you may be missing out on something wonderful. In my opinion, homeschooling is that something wonderful that so many miss out on because they say they CANNOT do it.
D Do Not Compare Yourself to Others
This is something I have to remind myself about all the time and we as Moms do it all the time. Never compare yourself, your child or children, or your homeschool to others! Just because your homeschool looks different from others does not mean you are doing it wrong. Every child learns differently and what works for one family may not work for you. Focus on what works for your family.
E Encourage
Encouragement is a huge part of homeschooling! Encourage your children to get out of their comfort zone and learn something new. Encourage new and veteran homeschool moms. Encourage yourself because you are your child’s #1 fan!
F Fun Fridays
Fun Fridays is a term that homeschool moms use to talk about fun activities that we do not do every day of the week. It does not have to be on a Friday, but it usually works out that way. On this day we do fun electives like baking, music, art, field trips or fun activities with other homeschool families.
G Gather Together for Subjects
When you are homeschooling more than one child, you will learn that it is easier to teach Bible, History, Science, Read Alouds, Art, and Music together. Spelling, Language Arts, and Math have to be taught individually or by skill level.
H Helpful Hearts
I think teaching children to have helpful hearts is very important. Children should be helpful around the house with doing chores. They older children should help with the younger children and set a good example. We started volunteering at a local food pantry when Bailey was 2 years old. He could not do much at that time, but as he got older he learned that it was important to help those in need. Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
I Ignore Naysayers
Ignoring the naysayers is so important! I know this is hard to do the first year or two of homeschooling. I had friends and family members telling me that I could not give my child or children a quality education. But I can and so can you! You know what is best for your child or children and you got this!
J Just Take Breaks When Needed
Always remember to take breaks when needed. We all have our good and bad days and sometimes we just need a break. When we get to a skill that is frustrating, like fractions, sometimes we take a 10 minute break and come back and revisit that skill. Some homeschool families will do school for 6 weeks and then take a week off. We only homeschool 4 days a week so we have the flexibility to do field trips or just have a lazy day.
K Know You are Not Alone on This Journey
Know you are not alone on this homeschool journey! In today’s times with social media, there are so many homeschool moms out there that would love to support and encourage you on your homeschooling journey. I have a Facebook Group, Homeschool Moms Helping Homeschool Mom . Most areas have homeschool groups or Co-op if you prefer the face to face support. I know my first year I felt alone and scared on this journey and then I found a homeschool group that let me know real fast that I was not alone in this journey. It is so important for you to know you are not alone!
L Listen to Your Child’s Needs
When I say listen to your child’s needs I do not mean listen to what they want. They may not know what their needs are or how to tell you. You can listen to what your child’s needs are by learning their learning style. By learning their strengths and weaknesses you’re listening to your child’s needs. Also by finding a curriculum that fits that learning style, those strengths and those weaknesses is another way you are listening to them.
M Make Memories
Homeschooling does not have to be boarding and is painful! Have fun teaching and learning with your children. You get to spend everyday with your child or children and you are making memories that will last a lifetime.
N No One is Perfect
No one is perfect and we are all going to make mistakes, but learning from those mistakes is important. Teach your child or children that it is ok to make mistakes. Going into homeschooling and thinking everything has to be perfect is setting yourself up for lots of stress. You will buy the wrong curriculum, you will mess up a lesson and that is ok. Do what works best for your family!
O Opinions
I have learned over the years that opinions are like belly buttons, everybody has one. There are so many people out there that will give you their opinion whether you want it or not. You just do what works best for your family and let people’s opinions go in one ear and out the other. I know I keep saying, “Do what is best for your family” and I am doing that because it is so important for 1st time homeschoolers to hear that.
P Pray Together
I love our prayer and devotional time. I learn what is weighing on my children’s heart. If they are struggling with anything or if they are having trouble with anything. I love this family time. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this.”
Q Quit Over Planning
I know there are so many fun hands on activities, unit studies, read alouds, and core work that needs to be done. But if you over plan your day or your week you take the job out of learning. You feel like you have to rush through to get it all done and you miss the joy of homeschooling your child or children. That is why you have to quit over planning. It was suggested to me to start with an All -In-On Curriculum my first year so I would not feel so overwhelmed or stressed about planning. And It worked so well for us that I am still using it. I have added a few things that have helped us along the way. Here is a list of 17 Popular Homeschool Curriculums.
R Remember You Are Not Alone
I know we talked about this earlier, but I never want a homeschool mom or homeschool dad to feel like they are alone in their homeschooling journey. I started my Blog and my YouTube channel to support, encourage, and to let homeschooling families know they are not alone on this homeschooling journey.
S Stressing Does Not Help
That first year of homeschooling can be stressful and overwhelming, but stressing does not help. Take a minute and breath. Homeschooling is not always easy. But when you are stressed, you miss the joy homeschooling and you miss those special moments with your child or children. So reach out to your support system when you are stressing and let them help you.
T Teach Anywhere
When you are homeschooling, you can teach anywhere. You can teach in a homeschool room, at the kitchen table, on the floor, in the van, on vacation and even in the grocery store. That is the amazing part of homeschooling, learning can take place anywhere and at any time. Homeschool children get to learn life skills and core subjects at the same time.
U Use What Works for Your Family
Use what works for your family. What works for one family may not work for your’s and that is ok. There are 10 types of homeschooling methods that can help you on your homeschooling journey. Most homeschooling families do not fit into one of these 10 types. I fit into a few of the methods. Click here to learn more.
10 Types of Homeschooling 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
Homeschooling does not have to cost an arm and a leg. There are free curriculums that can work for you too.
V Verify Your State’s Homeschool Laws
Make sure to verify your state’s homeschool laws. I use the Homeschool Legal Defense Association to know what my state’s laws are. It is up to you to know your state’s laws and if you are following them. Do you live in a homeschool friendly state? Click here to learn more.
W Work as a Team
Make sure to work as a team. Homeschooling usually falls on the moms, because dad’s work full time outside of the home. But dads can help with the homeschooling too! Some families choose to homeschool night school so day can help. Click here to learn more about homeschooling night school.
The way we work as a team in our house is that I primarily do all of the core subjects and my husband helps with the field trips and our current STEM Project. Click here to learn more about our STEM Project.
X X Out What Does Not Work
X out, remove, or change what does not work for your homeschool. You may need to change a curriculum, add a curriculum, or change your routine. There is a lot of trial and error to find what does work. So do not give up. If something is not working, just X it out and find what is a better fit.
Y You Can Do This
You can do this! It is legal to homeschool in all 50 states. Homeschooling has been around for a long time. You have been homeschooling your child since the day they were born. You have taught them to hold a bottle, crawl, talk, walk, feed themselves, potty trained them, taught them to dress themselves, tie their shoes, ride a bike and the list goes on. You know what is best for your child or children so you can do this! It is plain and simple, you can homeschool your child or children. Click here to learn more.
Z Zero In on What Works
And finally Z which is for Zero in on what works for your family. I am not just talking about the curriculum. I am talking about a schedule, a block schedule or a routine. Does a morning or afternoon basket work best for your family? Is it better to homeschool 4 or 5 days a week? Do Co-Ops work well for your family? Find what works well for your family and stay with it. Just because it works well for one family does not mean it will work well for yours.
I hope these ABC’s of How to Best Homeschool answer some of your questions, encourage and offer you support on your homeschooling journey.
