Regardless of why you choose to start homeschooling, please know that this journey is not a one-size-fits-all. Instead, it should be just as unique as your amazing family. To help you get started, I’d like to share 5 easy tips for how to start homeschooling – with grace and ease.
If you’re like most homeschool prospectors, you’ve probably done a bit of searching. With so many resources just a click away, it’s easy to quickly become overwhelmed at all the possibilities, methods, curriculum, and so on. Don’t worry, and take heart. The five tips below are easy, practical, and will have you started on your new journey in no time.
This may seem like a given, but sometimes we need the reminder to take our new request and desire to homeschool before the Lord. Most Christian homeschoolers will agree that they felt “called” to homeschool their children, but this isn’t always the case.
Taking your desire (or conviction) to homeschool to God in prayershows that you want Him in control and need His guidance. You’ll also want to hang on to this tip throughout your homeschooling journey.
Each state, country, and/or providence (depending on where you live) will have its own set of laws when it comes to homeschooling. Make sure you become familiar with what is required in order for you to home educate your children. Most places almost always require some form of written documentation and/or paperwork for you to fill out.
Other places may require that you enroll with an umbrella school, Charter School, or the like. Again, no need to worry. Associations like HSLDA are the perfect resource for finding out what is required by law for your state.
While there are many facets to the homeschool planning process, the most important to tackle in the beginning is your:
These are just a few areas to consider, and definitely great places to start. A few other ideas to consider are researching if your area has any homeschool groups, extra-curricular activities, and opportunities that your children would enjoy.
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This may seem like the scariest part, but you can do it. You’ve prayed, you understand the homeschooling laws in your area, and you have a schedule in mind. Now it’s time to take the leap and get started.
A piece of advice here… There are no perfect first days, and your “bad” days do not get the final say. The key is to start and stick with it. This is where the tip of continuing in prayer comes in handy. Even if you don’t start your days with Bible lessons, start each day with prayer.
Piggybacking off the last suggestion of starting each day with prayer, remember to give yourself grace daily throughout your journey. Starting the process of homeschooling is one thing, but continuing with it is another. And trust me when I say that there will be bumps in the road… the comparison game will try to trap you… and you may question if it’s what you’re really supposed to be doing.
In those moments, remember to give yourself (and your children) grace. Find Scriptures to keep handy for those iffy days, and even for the good days. Always remember to thank the Father for the entire process, not just when it’s good or bad.
As time progresses, you’ll start to find your homeschool groove and what works specifically for your unique family dynamic. Hopefully, these tips will encourage you and help you start homeschooling with grace and ease.
CHIME IN: What tips do you have for starting the homeschooling journey? Do you have any questions about getting started? Let me know in the comments below.
3 Responses
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article.
Many thanks for supplying this info.
You’re welcome! It is easy to be eager to start your day, and like you said get lost in it, forgetting to seek God’s help. Prayer really will make a difference in your day! Hope you homeschooling is going well.
Thank you so much for saying to start with Prayer. I know I need to but sometimes I just get lost in my day and don’t say a prayer till I am in bed at night. I am new to Homeschooling. I pulled my daughter out of school a week before schools shut down.