How The Hell To Get Started With Homeschooling

So you’ve made the decision to homeschool- CONGRATULATIONS! It really is an incredible privilege. But now your head is spinning, and you may be asking yourself a number of questions, including, “How the Hell to Get Started with Homeschooling?”

Believe me when I say we have all asked ourselves this same question, so you are not alone. That’s why this blog post is all about providing you with lots of good advice about how the hell to get started with homeschooling and answering questions that may be stressing you the fuck out. Advice that I wish I had when I first started.

In addition, you will find a list of items I believe are essential when getting started as well. Trust me- this list isn’t as long as you may be thinking. And keep an eye out for my BONUS list!

When we decided to homeschool, and I realized that I would be the primary educator, I suddenly became overwhelmed with numerous questions in my head.

Questions like:

• Am I capable of teaching homeschool? (Turns out, this one is much easier to answer than you may think.)
• How the hell do I get started with homeschooling?
• Which curriculum do I use? (Keep reading for my current favorite curriculum)
• What are essential supplies?

The questions went on and on. I’m absolutely certain you are asking yourself some, if not all, of these questions. Maybe, even more. It took, what seemed like forever for me to figure this shit out on my own, so I hope to be a good source of support for you as you get started.

First, let’s begin with a question I struggled with during the whole process of getting started and one that may be near the top of your list.

AM I CAPABLE OF HOMESCHOOLING MY CHILD?

It turns out; it’s a pretty simple answer- Absolutely!

You have been your child’s teacher from the very beginning. You taught your child how to sit up, stand, and walk. You taught your child how to eat and use utensils. You even taught your child to understand and speak a language. Think about that for a moment. A fucking language!

You are absolutely capable of homeschooling your child. The concepts will be the only things changing. For example, you will teach your child to hold a pencil or paintbrush instead of a fork. Instead of counting Cheerios, you will teach your child to read and understand mathematical equations.

You got this!

BUT HOW THE HELL TO GET STARTED WITH HOMESCHOOLING?

This question, “How the Hell to Get Started with Homeschooling?” is often more complicated, mainly because we make it so, and has a lot to do with what society has accepted as normal.  However, it can be pretty simple, and I am here to give you one BIG piece of advice I wish I had when I started that may help you keep it simple:

You don’t have to have it all figured out to start- Fake that shit until you make it. 😄

There is no need to:

• Have the best curriculum.
• Buy an expensive planner and have your homeschool lessons planned out for the month, quarter, or whole year.
• Create a schedule that is so tight you have no wriggle room for the wonderful, unexpected adventures homeschoolers often find themselves having.
• Sit at a desk all day with no movement.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO GET STARTED ARE:
-The willingness to put in the work– Being able to homeschool is not a privilege all people have, and I’m thankful every year that I am able to continue doing so. And contrary to what some people may believe, homeschooling a child takes a lot of effort and can be hard as fuck! You will absolutely put in long hours, be tired some days, and be stressed at times. You will absolutely question if your efforts are enough. And… you will also absolutely wonder if your kids sometimes think you’re crazy. 😉

But it is so worth it!

So being willing to put in those extended hours of planning, prep, and execution is necessary for getting started with homeschooling.

-To be patient with yourself and your child– It’s important to realize that every concept your child learns is 100% brand new. It’s also, in many cases, new for you to teach to someone else. So, having patience with yourself, your child, and the learning process is vital.

Your child will need time to understand a concept and remember the information being taught. This requires lessons to be repeated and repeated and repeated, which may cause frustration to build.

Anytime you feel your patience wearing thin, take a deep ass breath- you know, one of those where you close your eyes, fill your lungs, and just check out for a moment or two. Then exhale and take a break. Even if that break is before your scheduled break time.

Practicing patience and realizing when breaks are needed to recharge will allow for a more enjoyable, functional homeschool.

-To be flexible and follow the lead of your child (this is a big one)– Being flexible and following your child’s lead will improve the quality of your lessons significantly and is another requirement for starting homeschooling.

What do I mean by being flexible, though? I mean that if you are teaching a lesson in a manner that doesn’t seem to be ringing any bells, change that shit up. Try incorporating that concept into an activity or game instead.

If you have a child who dislikes writing assignments, try making the assignment about something silly or related to their daily life, or break it up into parts instead of assigning it all at once.

My oldest daughter used to hate writing assignments, so at one point, I requested her to write an essay explaining the steps of a task she felt she was an expert at. She ended up writing a how-to about sitting on the couch to watch TV- and she completed it without any resistance. It was a simple, silly topic, but she felt confident writing about it.

I also mean if you spent hours researching a curriculum only to realize that it doesn’t work when applied, be flexible enough to chuck that curriculum out the window (the metaphorical window) and try another one.

-To be understanding and accept mistakes (also a big one)– We all have developed, over time, habits that help us stay functional in our day-to-day activities, social interactions, educational endeavors, and careers, with minimal mistakes. These habits were developed based on practices that returned positive outcomes, especially when learning.

But those behaviors didn’t come easily. If you think back, way back, even further back, it’s highly likely that you tripped and fell and stumbled all the way through your educational career.

Your child will be doing the same thing, so be willing to allow your child to trip, fall, and stumble through learning new concepts. And teach them it’s okay for all of those things to occur, that the struggle is real and an integral part of their learning process and life.

The same applies to you. If you are just starting to homeschool, please note that those of us with some years under our belts fumbled our way through in the beginning. Allow for mistakes to be made. Every day, week, month, and homeschool year will teach you something about yourself and your child.

Use that information to make your homeschool more functional!

-To practice forgiveness– This one may be last on this list, but it certainly isn’t an easy one. Forgiveness is often easily given to others but incredibly difficult to give to ourselves.

Listen… mom guilt, dad guilt, parent guilt, whatever you want to call it, is a real thing. And it can just weigh you down. At any given moment, I may be having an internal argument with myself over decisions I’ve made for my children, and I’m positive those back-and-forth arguments would be hilarious to others. (Lol)

You will make 1,001 more decisions throughout your day when you start homeschooling your child, so it’s crucial to practice forgiveness when mistakes happen.

Remember when I said earlier that homeschooling can be hard as fuck? Or when I said that you will absolutely have long hours and be tired and stressed at times? Well, these things will contribute to your ability to successfully make a mistake. 😉 So acknowledge the error, take a breath, maybe even a break, and practice forgiving yourself.

I always tell my children,

“Life is full of practice. No matter what you practice, whether it’s a good or bad habit, you will get better at it.”

Make forgiving yourself a constant practice!

Now that we’ve discussed what I call necessary “abstract” qualities to start homeschooling, let’s discuss the essential “concrete” items. The most common question I get, right after, “How the Hell do I Get Started with Homeschooling?” is, “Which curriculum should I use?” So let’s talk about curriculums for a moment.

WHICH CURRICULUM TO USE?
When it comes to curriculums, there are plenty. There are curriculums centered around belief systems, like secular or non-secular. Not sure what secular or non-secular means? Check out our blog post that explains them in detail by clicking here.

There are curriculums based on different teaching methods, such as Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Classical, etc. And there are even unschooling, deschooling, roadschooling, and worldschooling styles, to name a few. For more on the different teaching methods and techniques, click here. You can even choose between curriculums that use physical books and those that are entirely online.

Deciding which curriculum you want to go with isn’t 100% necessary when you first start homeschooling your child. Instead, I recommend taking your time to determine if you prefer faith-based or secular, choosing many to compare, and then spending several weeks diving into each one to decide which curriculum is most closely aligned with your belief system and preferences.

Age will also play a factor. If your child is preschool or kindergarten age, you can keep it simple and make everyday life events your “curriculum.” Or use crafts and activities, or even pick up one of those prepared workbooks found in many stores around back-to-school time for public/private schools. These are usually filled with wonderfully colored pages with big letters and numbers. They are excellent resources for showing you what concepts your child should be working on.

You can also spend some time at your local library just reading books to your child and teaching them the love of reading. If your library is anything like mine, there may be events and story times you can attend for no fee.

If your child is older, you’re still in luck with those workbooks, but you may find them short or incomplete. However, they will be sufficient while you learn and find a more permanent curriculum.

I also highly recommend visiting us here at TheFunctionalHomeschool.com to find easy-to-follow projects, activities, and resources to keep you going.

Writer’s Choice: My current favorite curriculum is Power Homeschool. It is a secular-based curriculum entirely online. For a more in-depth review of Power Homeschool, click here. You can also check out the accredited version of this curriculum, called Acellus Academy.
So now you know how the hell to get started with homeschooling! All that’s left to do is pick your start date, grab your kiddo, and get going. Below, you’ll find the list I promised with supplies I believe are essential to start your homeschool journey. And as a BONUS, I’ve also included a list of non-essential but very helpful supplies.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES?

The supplies list I have provided below is a short list of recommendations. You may decide some won’t work for your child’s age, so take what works for you and skip the rest. I won’t be insulted at all.

• Lined Paper (for younger kids, I love the 3rd-grade writing pads that have the fat lines)
• Construction Paper
• Pencils (for younger children, you may only use these to teach them what they are and how to hold one)
• Erasers (you will need plenty of these)
• Whiteboard (size doesn’t matter to start, they work wonders for reducing paper waste, and kids love them)
• Dry/Wet Erase Markers and Erasers
• Crayons/Colored Pencils/ Washable Markers
• Scissors
• Glue Sticks/Glue
• Ruler
• Math Blocks/Cubes (I love these cubes from Learning Resources, but you can use anything you have available for counting, sorting, adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing.)
• Scientific Calculator (this is for the older kiddos)
• Comfortable Chair (this one may seem strange, but sometimes you and your child will be sitting for extended periods to complete some assignment, activity, or craft, so having a chair that is comfortable will make a difference.)

Bonus: Here are a few more supplies I highly recommend that aren’t 100% necessary but will make your homeschool much more functional and allow you to reduce and reuse.

• Bluetooth Printer
• Printer Paper
• Laminator (I have used a simple Amazon Basics one for years)
• Laminating Pouches (I use these Fellowes Thermal Laminating Pouches and find them nicer than other brands I’ve tried)
• Stapler/Staples
• Hot Glue Gun/Glue Sticks (for younger kids, you can pick up a low-heat glue gun)