Homeschooling is not as simple as reading books and providing some learning activities. There
is a lot that goes into it to make sure your child is receiving the best education they can. As a
parent, you naturally teach your child life skills which comes in handy if you decide to teach
them yourself. Below is a list of homeschooling tips you should know to make sure you are
doing everything correctly.
1. State Requirements
Make sure you are following the rules and regulations of the state you live in. Every state has
different requirements. So the first thing you should do is look up your state’s homeschool
association. You can get in trouble with the state if you do not file all the necessary paperwork.
Make sure you take the time to do that before getting started. Another important aspect of this
is your local school district. Check with them to see if they require you to fill out any paperwork
or have any requirements of their own.
2. How to Teach
Deciding how you are going to teach your child is incredibly important. There are multiple
approaches and methods. You can stick to being traditional by mimicking a school classroom or
allowing your child to discover what they would like to learn. Join homeschooling forums to ask
questions about how others do it. If you know anyone personally, ask them and see what
worked and did not work for them to determine a starting point for yourself.
3. Deciding the Curriculum
This is something you will not know at the very beginning. It is going to take time to know what
type of curriculum works best for your child. You can start with one and adjust it over time.
Ultimately, you decide what you want to teach your child, but you should understand what your
child enjoys first. Take what they enjoy and build a curriculum around that. Remember that you
will not become an expert right away. No matter what, there is going to be some trial and error.
4. Teaching Difficult Subjects
Do not think you have to teach them every subject right away. As they get a little older they will
be able to make a decision on what they are interested in. At that time you can determine how
to teach them that subject. You do not have to know everything about every subject to
homeschool.
You can teach them as much as you can and help them to learn independently as well. Later,
when they do get to a point where they want to take a subject further they are equipped to do
so. For example, do not worry if teaching calculus makes you dizzy, you do not have to teach it.
5. Provide Real World Experiences
Homeschooling gives you the freedom to provide your child experiences that schools may not
be able to. If you want them to spend time volunteering at a shelter, intern at a pet hospital, or
work on a project with other adults in a major company you can do that. There is no limit. Doing
things like that will give your child real-world experiences with people of all ages in various
working environments. This will truly help your child be better prepared for life outside of
school.
6. Teacher Tools
You definitely need to have basic teaching supplies like notebooks, education centered games
and toys, workbooks, etc. There are also great educational technology tools to help you and
your child. These tools use different teaching styles that will provide your child with a well-
rounded learning experience.
One example of this is the WhizRead iPad app. WhizRead is perfect for teaching your child to
read and more importantly comprehend what he or she reads. It also makes them independent
and confident learners. The app provides a multi-sensory and vivid experience to reading
through different kinds of audio and visual clues. This way, words and phrases get imprinted in
your child’s mind. No matter how your child learns there is an option that will help them
understand the meaning better. Go to the app store and find apps like WhizRead that can
assist you.
7. Social Skills
One worry that many people have with homeschooling is that they feel their children will not
develop social skills like those who go to traditional schools. This is not the case. There are
adults and children in your neighborhood that they should interact with as much as they can.
There are also extracurricular activities that they can be enrolled in such as; a dance class,
music class, sports, etc. These are all fantastic ways to keep your child interacting with others
besides just you.
8. Homeschooling Groups and Communities
It is very important to join various groups that center around homeschooling. You can do field
trips with other parents and children who homeschool. This helps in many different ways such
as, social interaction for both you and your child and discussing with others who homeschool to
get questions you have answered. There are always fun and exciting activities happening in
your area that you and your child should be a part of.
9. Conventions and Fairs
Homeschooling is serious and you want to make sure you have all the information and tools
you need. You never want to stop discovering new ways to teach your child. A great way for
you to make new discoveries is to find conventions and fairs that you can attend. You will not
only find useful information but you will meet new people and be able to buy things that you
find useful.
10. Finding the Right Balance
In the beginning, it can be difficult to know how much or how little to teach. You do not want to
do everything under the sun. Teaching 6 subjects, taking them to dance and music class, and
going on homeschooling trips can tire everyone out real quick. On the other hand, teaching 3
subjects and going to a class once a week will not be sufficient enough. It may take time but
you will have to find a balance that works which allows you to do everything you need to do
outside of homeschooling.
Make sure you are prepared and stay consistent and organized in how you teach. Create a plan
ahead of time and know what you are going to do each day. You also want to lay the materials
out in a clean manner. That being said you do not want to spend all day and night preparing
either. Again. It is about finding the right balance. You can spend one night preparing for the
whole week or spend a little time each day preparing for the next day, but it has to work for you
and not make you or your child feel over or underwhelmed.
Decide on an appropriate amount of time to teach as well. There is a lot less distraction with
homeschooling. As a result, so you do not have to teach them from 8 am to 4 pm. 3-5 hours a
day (not including breaks) is a good amount of time for teaching. Homeschooling parents can
still work and homeschool, you do not have to give up your job. As mentioned above, prepare
your teaching materials so that you know exactly what your plan will be each day so you do not
waste any time.
Remember, you will not be a teaching professional at the beginning, but do not let that deter
you. It will take time to get into a rhythm to provide your child with the best education.