If you are considering homeschooling, you have come to the right place! I’ll cover steps to homeschooling, legalities, withdrawing your child, methodologies, routines, deschooling, curricula, and more!
Step 1: Know the Homeschooling Legalities for Your Area
Before you do anything else, you need to figure out the legalities. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 US states, but it’s not legal in all countries. If you are living somewhere homeschooling is not legal, I encourage you to explore your options. There are usually alternative schools, forest schools, online schools, and more. Of course, you also have the option of relocating, which may be more doable than you think.
If you’re in the United States, try to find a local homeschool group (Facebook is a great resource for this!). Local homeschoolers can usually direct you to where to find accurate information. Many will say to use HSLDA, but they’re not always accurate, so I prefer using other sources of information.
(Note: HSLDA is a very religious organization. If your beliefs align with theirs, they might be helpful. But if you are LGBT+, not Christian, or otherwise don’t conform to what they deem ideal, please don’t count on their help.)
Use Local Resources for Information
In Washington state, we have the Washington Homeschool Organization (WHO). They have all the skinny on our laws and do a fantastic job of explaining them. They’ll also help any homeschooler in the state of Washington, no matter your beliefs, or even if you’re not a member.
Some states have no homeschooling requirements, many have you submit a Declaration/Notice/Letter of Intent (the terminology varies by state), some require regular assessments, and a few require approving your learning materials/plan. Do note, however, that while it might be easiest to use a curriculum in these states, it’s not required.
Please do not try to get information about homeschooling from public schools. They do not need to know the homeschooling laws and are often misinformed. Furthermore, many school districts have various public-school-at-home options (Parent Partnership Programs, Charter Schools, Online Schools, etc) and they will often call these public school programs “homeschooling.” Get your information from other local homeschoolers, a homeschooling advocacy group for your state, and from the actual laws.
Step 2: Withdrawing Your Child
Once you know what your legal obligations are, it’s time to withdraw your child if they’re currently enrolled in school. This is usually as simple as writing a short letter: “I, [parent name], am withdrawing my child [child name] as of [date].” I cannot stress this enough: If your child has been enrolled in school, you MUST withdraw them. You don’t want to get tangled up in truancy charges due to unexcused absences.
Be sure you know at what age your homeschool laws take effect. Some states start as young as 5, many start at 6 or 7, and Washington doesn’t start until 8. At least in Washington, even if a child has been enrolled in school, a Declaration of Intent is not required until a child turns 8. Other states may be different.
Since you have already researched your local laws, you know exactly what you need to do when you withdraw your child. If some sort of notice of intent is required, do that, right away. Even if you have a grace period, it’s best to do it on the same day.
Step 3: Deschooling
I know, you’re super excited to get started. Or you have society, friends, neighbors, and family members all pressuring you to “get your act together.” Ignore all of that. Trust me. You and your kids need a deschooling period.
Deschooling is an adjustment period. It’s time for you and your child(ren) to get out of the public schooling mindset. Yes, it’s possible to do school at home, but that often isn’t the best.
I’ve heard it recommended that you deschool for one month for every year the PARENT has been in school. I had 18 years of schooling, so I should have done 18 months of deschooling. As it turns out, my kids never really went to school (I don’t count their part-time, play-based cooperative preschool) and we just continued life as normal, no real adjustment necessary. HOWEVER, I decided to homeschool before I even got pregnant with my son, and he’s almost 11 now. I’m STILL having occasional moments when I realize I need to deschool myself on some things.
When More Deschooling is Needed
If your child has had any kind of trauma, then they will almost certainly need more deschooling time. This time allows them to process what they’ve been through. Please, don’t rush this phase; it’s so important for your future homeschooling success.
While you’re deschooling, focus on fun and connection. Do all the things you’ve always wanted to do, but never had time for. Watch movies. Bake. Eat ice cream. Play games. Go to an amusement park. Travel. Visit a museum, not because it’s educational, but because it’s amazing and fun. Don’t try to make anything educational, just enjoy some amazing experiences with your child(ren).
This is also a perfect time for you to do some research and soul-searching. Research homeschooling methodologies and philosophies. Do deep soul-searching to decide what is important to you. What are your values and priorities? Why are you homeschooling? Why is this important?
Methodologies
There are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers. I know, all these options can seem overwhelming, but try to think of them as freeing. If something doesn’t work for you or your child, there is always another option. You never have to suffer through.
I have some definite biases. My favorite methodologies are gameschooling (of course!), unit studies, unschooling, and roadschooling. Other popular ones include Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, Classical/Traditional, Montessori, Eclectic, and probably dozens I’ve never even heard of. There are lots of different quizzes you can take online to help you figure out what methodologies you might prefer, so I won’t get into that here. However, as with any online quiz these days, the results aren’t binding. If you score high for Charlotte Mason but you want to unschool, don’t feel like you can’t unschool.
Roadschooling
Roadschooling, also called Worldschooling, is travel-based learning. Worldschoolers tend to travel a lot and learn from where they visit. We enjoy different museums, zoos, parks; even different grocery and department stores can be an education. We like exploring different biomes, cultures, and places. All the differences in the world can be so educational and are worth celebrating!
Unschooling
I always say that if you ask 10 different unschoolers what unschooling is, you’ll get 12 different answers. It’s also related/similar to child-led learning, interest-driven learning, or life learning. I’m sure some will claim there are differences, but they’re close enough for our purposes.
Basically, unschooling focuses on the needs of the child. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard someone say that they’d love to unschool, but their child needs structure. Unschooling does not mean no structure, and it doesn’t mean unparenting.
My kids’ needs are supported. I actively look for awesome things that I think they’ll enjoy, but they’re never obligated to engage in them. Personally, I am careful to focus on free opportunities, because you never know when a child is going to change their mind. I don’t want to be tempted to tell them they have to finish whatever it is. Other, more evolved moms are happy to pay for an opportunity and for their kids to abandon it when they’ve had enough. (“Abandon” has such terrible connotations, but I don’t mean it that way. Just that their kids are free to be done with something when they’re done.)
One of the best explanations I’ve heard compares a child’s learning to how we learn as adults, or how a very small child learns. As an adult, I have learned countless things as I’ve been interested and had a need. I don’t learn well when someone else tells me I must, but if it’s important to me, I’m like a sponge. Kids are the same way.
Step 4: Try Free Resources
Once you and your kidlet are ready for more, I encourage you to start with free resources. But wait, I can hear you asking, how will I know we’re ready for more? Unfortunately, there’s no hard and fast rule. Maybe your child will blatantly ask for more. I think many families find themselves naturally incorporating more learning experiences. Or you might wake up one day and realize how much learning your child has been doing while deschooling, and come to the conclusion that nothing more is needed. All are okay.
Free homeschooling resources abound. There are some digital curricula that are entirely free. Khan Academy is free and secular. Easy Peasy and The Good and The Beautiful are religious. (I haven’t heard of a physical curriculum that’s free; that would be hard to sustain. However, you might be able to find free curricula in your local Buy Nothing group, at a yard sale, or when another homeschooling parent is getting rid of curriculum they’re no longer using.)
Free Worksheets
There are many, many free one-off resources. Worksheets, printable games, and more. Teachers Pay Teachers, Twinkl, Education.com, WorksheetWorks.com, and K5 Learning all have free resources, plus many bloggers and others in the homeschooling world.
Finally, any paid curriculum that’s remotely worth its salt will have a free trial or sample available. Use them. All these free resources will help your child learn, but you’ll also get a better feel for what works best for your child.
You may get to this point and feel no need to go further. That’s fine. My kids thrived for years on free resources. (The first substantial amount I paid for anything was our typing/spelling program we started this year.) Or, you might realize that you don’t even need anything formal at all. That’s fine, too.
Step 5: Invest in Curriculum
So, you’ve fulfilled your legal obligations, deschooled, and tried a bunch of free resources. You’ve researched methodologies and figured out your priorities. You’re eyeing a paid curriculum, watched some flip-through videos, and tried the free trial or sample. You and your kids love it.
Now you’re ready to buy it! But first, do just a little more investigation. Many homeschool curricula go on sale at various times of the year. Popular sale times include spring (when many families are finishing up their school year and planning for the next), back-to-school, and Black Friday. Ask around in the homeschool groups you’re in to determine if your chosen curriculum ever goes on sale. There’s bound to be someone who has used it and knows when that company’s sales are.
One final word of warning: I recommend introducing one subject at a time. It’s easy to get excited about all the learning possibilities and want to jump in with everything at once. But be patient. It will take some time to get in a good groove. If you start with one subject, you and your child will be able to get used to things. It’s easy to burn out fast if you try to do too much, too soon.
Be Flexible
For me, one of the most frustrating things about babies is how quickly they change. Just when I finally started to figure out their needs a little bit, they went through another major change. Older kids don’t change quite so quickly, but they do change.
That lovely curriculum that you bought 5 years of because it was on sale and you’ll be able to use it for all of your kids? Well . . . probably not so much. What works for one child might not work for another. What works for one child one year, month, week, or even day, might not work the next.
I don’t know about your kids, but mine are pretty different. They have also changed by the year and sometimes even by the hour (can we say mercurial?). It’s okay to change things up, it’s okay to ditch anything that isn’t working, and you can change things in the middle of the year or whenever you need to. That’s the beauty of homeschooling.
Routines
Some families work best on a strict schedule, some do best with no schedule at all, and there’s everything in between. It’s all okay. It’s all about doing what works for your family.
If both parents work, or you’re a single working parent, or even if you’re not, it’s okay to homeschool in the evening. You can homeschool on weekends. I always say that if you can figure out childcare, you can homeschool.
Most homeschoolers can get their daily work done in just a couple of hours or less. Some take longer. It’s okay, as long as it’s working for your family.
The deschooling period is an excellent time to figure out your family’s routines, but be aware that these will almost certainly change. My family has changed our routine probably at least a dozen times, if not a few dozen, and my kids aren’t even teens yet! We have lots more changes yet to come.
I hope that you and your children are able to enjoy homeschooling for the absolutely fantastic journey that it can be. Remember, if something’s not working, then change it. You always have another option. You got this!