How to get started homeschooling with minimal stress

we started homeschooling

When our kids reached school age, I remember scouring the internet for help figuring out if we should start homeschooling or go to public school. It’s a tough decision, especially when you have no experience with homeschool and no friends walking that path. Here’s my background, how we ended up where we are, and why I think anyone can easily start homeschooling their own kids.

How a public schooled kid grew up to be a homeschooling mom

I, too, was on the fence a good two to three years before we started homeschooling. There were so many pros and cons to both public school and homeschool that I just could not decide! We decided to go ahead and try public school for kindergarten, and it was fine! My kid survived, and I got a break. The worst part about public school? The car line. I like to tell people that I homeschool to avoid the car line.

Although kindergarten was fine, fine isn’t great, and truth be told, I missed my kid and she missed us. No, there wasn’t a kindergarten scandal that caused me to rip my kid from the grips of the public school system like so many expect to hear. We had a great teacher! I simply wanted to spend more time with my children and try a different approach with education.

As a former public school teacher, I know a thing or two about public school. I taught grades 4-12 for 7 years. I went through the system, and I have come out on the other side JADED. Public school is a fine option. I’m glad it exists because so many families need it. We don’t, though, so I decided to leave it.

HOW YOU CAN START HOMESCHOOLING WITH MINIMAL STRESS

Online Resources

The number one reason I homeschool is because I don’t like all the technology public education uses. My kids were never given iPhones to entertain themselves, we don’t have an iPad, they don’t have headphones, and most days the TV remains off. I am not one to take advantage of online resources, however, they do have their place.

My oldest is going into 4th grade, and this is the year that I need to get some legit teachers to take English off my hands. Now she is in an English class with a real teacher, the lesson is a short 3-8 minute video, then there is an assignment to go with it. It’s nice to know that I can easily find someone smarter than me to cover a subject I feel very weak in. Some of my friends are doing school completely online. There is even a free public school available.

Free resources to start homeschooling

The world became super generous when this virus hit, and many homeschool resources became free. I was looking into all of them, but there were so many that I eventually lost track. With the way I homeschool, I didn’t really need a lot of free resources anyway. Just take comfort knowing that you could do this entire year at home, giving your kids an excellent education, and it wouldn’t cost you a dime. For the older kids, Khan Academy is a great place to start.

Pro-Tip: check out your conservation department for free programs in your area. I signed my kid up for a fishing class. It is 2 days, 6 hours total with hands on fishing instruction. In the class they will learn all kinds of things that are definitely science: things such as different species of fish and their habitats. Not to mention, they will get to socialize with other adults and children (a common fear of homeschooling- inadequate socialization). This is a great place to start homeschooling.

Technology

The fear of “socialization” is real among the non-homeschool families, and I’ll address that later, but this is where technology is a fantastic tool. As we have seen in 2020, technology makes the world smaller. I have made legitimately wonderful friendships with people in Dubai, Houston, and Colorado…and I have never met them in real life.

As someone who always has a plethora of real life friends, take it from me, online friendships can definitely fill the need for socialization. If the virus weren’t an issue , there would be all kinds of homeschool co-ops, sports teams, clubs, etc that you could join. There may still be some small co-ops you can still participate in your part of the world. But since the virus is a thing now, rest assured, online socialization will fill the gap.

Compared to the alternative Homeschool will be way less stressful

My sister-in-law did a university model school. That is where kids go part time and the other days the parent covers the material at home – a model that many public schools are exploring right now. The problem is that living your life on someone else’s terms is very stressful.

You might think having a deadline and accountability will be nice or that sending the kids to school at least part-time will make it easier. However, it really does present a whole new set of issues, and you still aren’t the one calling the shots. Now you are homeschooling and doing someone else’s list of to-do’s. You don’t get to enjoy one of the best perks of homeschooling which is flexibility!

Say you see your kid is struggling to grasp a subject; when you are the one teaching it on your schedule with no one to answer to, YOU can slow it down and not move forward until the concept is fully understood. Just the opposite is true as well. Is your kid grasping a topic way faster than you imagined? Great! Move along to the next thing. Plus, when you pick out your own material, you are much more invested in it and it makes sense to you. Your kids won’t be coming home with homework that you doesn’t make sense!

You don’t have to have it all together on day 1

This is something many people don’t realize. You don’t have to have all the answers or programs figured out right now. Just start. Maybe start with finding a math program (we do RightStart Mathematics) and then do math every day to form a routine. Start as soon as possible so you can feel less stress.

As you are figuring out your math routine (and reading to your kids daily), you can move on to your English program…incorporate that. On and on until you have things figured out. You have time to figure it out as you start homeschooling.

School doesn’t have to run from 8-3 Monday – Friday, August – May

This should be a massive stress relief. It seems obvious, but oftentimes people think this structure is the structure. We have been conditioned to think that this is when our kids learn: August – May, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. We have somehow forgotten that our kids are little sponges that are actually learning year round, and some days it isn’t even formal!

Some days it’s reading the cookbook and helping measure and cook in the kitchen. Other days, we go to the museum or the zoo. We plan family vacations to national parks and the beach where they learn about the ocean or rock formations. On our road trip there, we learn what states we have to cross to get to our destination. We even venture to state parks and take nature walks…the list goes on. This is not only quality family time, it’s also an opportunity to acquire a rich education.

Another plus to educating your kids year round? They won’t regress in their learning! In my experience, public schools spend most of the month of August reviewing things learned the year before. When you homeschool, you are constantly building on what you’ve just taught. I have found that my kids retain so much from “school year” to “school year.”

Setting your own schedule also comes in handy when you have a child that wakes up on the wrong side of bed. Maybe it’s not just your kid. Maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and you are cranky too. This is the perfect kind of day to say “let’s have a creative day” and put formal education to the side. You have plenty of time to make it up with a year round school. This should come as a relief as you start homeschooling.

Kids don’t have to learn in the typical way you are thinking.

You do not have to mimic public school at home. In fact, please don’t. As I mentioned earlier, the way that education takes place in a classroom came about because they had to figure out how to mass educate 25-30 kids with one adult. There are so many ways to learn that don’t require paper and pencil or the dreaded worksheet (gag) and will leave a more lasting impression.

Our homeschool has a lot of breaks between subjects, unlike public school. I have the freedom to do math with the middle kid until I can tell she has lost interest. Then we take a break and go outside to run off energy or cook something or help with a chore around the house. It’s freeing and way less stressful to do it that way.

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You Can start homeschooling Too

I hope this shows you that homeschooling isn’t as intimidating as you thought, and it can actually be fun and have minimal stress. Our family has enjoyed the freedom that has come from living life on our own terms, and tailoring each of our kid’s educations to their particular personalities. Please don’t let fear keep you from homeschooling!

If you choose to homeschool this year, you will surprise yourself to see it’s not as bad as you have made it out to be. I am not an expert by any means, but I am happy to share what I have learned on my homeschooling journey. Follow me on Patreon to get an inside look into my homeschool. Post your questions in the comments. You can do this!