How Do I Start Homeschooling My Child?

(Last Updated On: 30/04/2021)

Many parents realise the importance of homeschooling but remain clueless about where to start. Particularly parents with school-going children, it is more challenging to adapt to a homeschooling routine without knowing where to begin. If you face the same challenge and you are unsure about how to go about homeschooling, you may be interested in reading this post.

After reading this article, also skim through our free eBook on how to start homeschooling.

If you want to start homeschooling your child and are looking for a starting point, you might want to consider the following things. We will also discuss the measures for parents to take if already have their children enrolled in a public school.

Table of Contents

Pick the Homeschooling Style

Homeschooling doesn’t necessarily have to proceed like a public school. You are not bound to stick to the conventional curriculum to educate your child. Over the years, experts have created different teaching styles suitable for homeschooling. For instance, Charlotte Manson’s classical education system, the protocols devised by Dr Maria Montessori, Reggio Emilia’s schooling approach, project-based homeschooling, and autonomous learning are also some of the methods you can adopt.

If you want to know more about these homeschooling approaches and how suitable they are for you and your child, refer to our homeschooling eBook.

Assign Roles for Yourself and Your Spouse

Before starting homeschooling, you need to outline roles for yourself and your spouse. Successful homeschooling families are the ones where both parents are active in teaching and coaching their children at home. On the other hand, a homeschooling stint may not work if parents don’t know what they are supposed to do. If one parent stays at home and the other goes to work, then the stay-at-home parent will automatically take charge of the homeschooling.

However, being in charge of homeschooling doesn’t mean a stay-at-home mum or dad will solely be responsible for every homeschooling activity. The working spouse also needs to partake in some capacity and share the homeschooling responsibility.

If both parents work full-time, they need to see how they can adjust their shift to carve time for homeschooling sessions and where they need to rely on a tutor.

Remove Your Child from the School

When you have done your research and made your mind to home school your child, the first thing you need to do is remove them from their public school. It is essential to factor in this step because this can take time, depending on where you live. For instance, if you are in Scotland or Northern Ireland, notify the local authorities and write a letter to the school’s headteacher.

The letter you are writing to the school or the local authorities must explain why you are removing your child from the school. This explanation must highlight the benefits of homeschooling and your preparedness to educate your kid at home.

Create a De-Schooling Cushion

As mentioned in the earlier posts, you can’t just switch to homeschooling from a public school in the blink of an eye. No matter how well-prepared you are, you also need to understand that a child needs a transitory period to move from their public school classrooms to homeschool settings. This transitory period acts like a cushion and shock absorber that keeps the journey from public schooling to homeschooling bump-free.

In this de-schooling phase, you should carry out some of these things.

Use different learning approaches with your child and see what returns better results.
Try other spaces in the house as your homeschool class and notice where you and your child remain more productive.
Spend more time with your child. If possible, plan a trip somewhere to strengthen your bond with them, which is very necessary for the successful start of homeschooling.

Factor in the Child’s Learning Style

While your child gets used to the new learning environment, determine their learning style. One of the most significant upsides of homeschooling is it lets you synchronise your teaching style to your child’s learning style. Therefore, you need to sort out these details in the beginning.

Fundamentally, there are three types of learning: kinaesthetic (learning by physical activity), auditory (learning by listening), and visual (learning by watching and observing). A kid usually possesses a learning ability that is a combination of three. You need to identify which style makes the most contribution to your child’s learning ability. For instance, if your child grasps things more quickly with kinaesthetic learning, you need to centre your teaching style more on activity-based things.

Create Detailed Timetables and Set Milestones

“Go with the flow” is not the right approach irrespective of what type of homeschooling approach you adopt. Even when opting for autonomous learning, you can’t just carry out day-to-day activities without having a well-thought-out action plan in front of you. Therefore, you need to devise detailed timetables and set goals before starting your child’s homeschooling.

Creating timetables and setting objectives also help you get out of the confusion that many parents face in the early days of homeschooling. When you have the map of plans and goals in front of you, you can easily find the direction you need to move. Make sure the timetables are in-depth and break down your monthly, weekly, and daily activities.

Join a Homeschool Community/Group

If you want to give a successful start to your homeschooling outing, you need to be part of a homeschooling community or group beforehand. No matter how much you read and research online, it doesn’t come close to knowing homeschooling families’ hands-on experiences. It offers you an insight you can’t find on the internet.

For any guidance or teaching resources for your homeschooling activity as you commence on this new learning phase for your child, feel free to get in touch with Home Education Shop. We provide digital information and resources for parents or guardians who are either home educators or are thinking of educating their children at home.