How to start homeschooling
I get so many messages from lovely moms saying I inspired them to homeschool, but they don’t know where to start. So I thought this would be helpful to the world, just some of my personal stories and experiences and my advice on how to start homeschooling.
1. Define the reasons for homeschooling
Let’s start with the “why”. We homeschool for many reasons, but the most important ones are:
Because it gives us the freedom and flexibility to move at our child’s pace. For the gift of time. Save their childhood and wonder! To strengthen the relationship between each other. What a blessing it is to be together and speak God’s truth to them. Homeschooling is truly a gift! On hard days, I go back to my “why.”
So for your first steps into homeschooling, I recommend writing down your “why.” Maybe stick it on the wall, somewhere you can read it often. Save it in the notes section of your phone. You need to review it often, truly knowing yourself and being honest with yourself is invaluable.
related: Why we homeschool
2. Decide how to homeschool
There are so many options for homeschooling—truly, the sky’s the limit! It's up to you to decide what's best for your family. You can go from strictest to loosest depending on your needs! It really is a lot more freeing than you think! Typically, when homeschooling, you either choose a public charter school or apply to become your own private school, a PSA (Private School Affadavit).
public charter
You can find a homeschool charter school in your county and register. This option means you have a teacher who you meet usually once a month and provide your child with some samples of work to review. want. The really nice thing is that charter schools provide funding for any enrichment activities you might want to do as well as materials and curriculum! This is the option we have chosen (for now) because the funding is great and helps us homeschool on our terms and provide the kids with extracurricular activities that they enjoy. We use funding for our learning center where children can attend some intensive classes with their friends. You can also spend your funds on gymnastics, horse riding, rock climbing, the possibilities are many and will vary depending on what is available near you!
PSAs
A very simple and quick process, we actually did it for a year. PSA stands for Private School Affidavit, which essentially makes your homeschool its own private school, name and all. Standards vary from state to state, so look up your area, but in California it's pretty easy and there's a lot of freedom! It's as easy as filling out the form, choosing a name for our school, and voila! You are your own school. You don't have to answer to anyone, which I really like, but you also don't get any funding. So you decide which one is best for you! Honestly, it's probably worth it and we'll probably do it again in the future. We shall see!
3. Get a feel for your family education style
I read about many different styles (classical, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, Montessori, unit studies, etc.) and we were most aligned with Charlotte Mason. It’s important to me to see a child as a natural person – not just an empty vessel filled with information – and to develop a love of learning. Also, remember that you don’t have to fit into any mold – that’s the beauty of homeschooling! You'll discover what works best for your family, mostly through trial and error, haha, and eventually you'll fall into a unique and beautiful rhythm. 🙂 But I find that being consistent with a specific style helps me make decisions, and it's been great for us. In short: You are who you are, boo!
related: 2022-2023 Homeschool Curriculum Options
Book recommendations:
As part of your research on how to start homeschooling, I recommend the following books – all very informative and all played a role in my decision to homeschool. They are so encouraging!
Call of the Wild+ Free
Awaken the Miracle (I love anything by Sally Clarkson!)
for the children
4. Have fun and enjoy the journey!
I believe that figuring out how to start homeschooling isn’t as complicated as we think. Submit a PSA or apply to join a charter and get started! That's it! Read a lot of books, get out more, explore the same natural place in different seasons, watch the changes that happen – hey, jot them down in a notebook with some drawings, and boom! This is your nature study! Listen to composers, ballads and hymns at mealtimes and then boom! There's your music! Over the course of a few months, hang new art from the same artist on your walls (I literally printed it out and taped it in our dining room) and boom! This is your art study! I personally love following the Ambleside online curriculum, that's what we did for my two older kids in year one and now year two and it's been great for us. There is a wealth of knowledge here on their websiteAnd a great book list I recommend you check out! The best part is – it's all free!
I hope this helps you. Most importantly, I want you to know that you are perfectly capable of homeschooling your children. You were born for this. Homeschooling isn’t just “schooling at home” – it’s much more than that, and actually isn’t that at all. Make it your own. Follow your family’s natural rhythm. Do what works for you! and make adjustments when needed. Family education is a way of life, a lifestyle, a mission, and an atmosphere. I sincerely hope this blog post helps answer any questions you may have about how to start homeschooling, but if you have any more in-depth questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll get back to you! 🙂 This is a huge passion of mine and the absolute greatest blessing to our family and I know it is to so many others.
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