Want to Educate Your Children at Home?

Hey! If you’re interested in homeschooling but have been uncertain about trying it out, this post IS FOR YOU!

No matter your child’s age, it’s never too late to start homeschooling. Really, it’s not. I know big -and spontaneous- changes can be tough, but I want to tell you that you CAN do it! And you can do so at any time of the year, too!

I don’t know if homeschoolers made up the idea that others worry about the whole “socialization” thing, or if a lot of people actually do worry about other people’s kids’ socialization, or if it used to be a concern back when homeschooling wasn’t as popular but isn’t so much now, but whatever the case may be, please, do not take this “worry” into consideration when deciding whether or not to homeschool! It’s really not as big of a deal as people make it sound. (And fyi, this is coming from a former homeschooled student!)

Socializing isn’t -or shouldn’t be- about making a bunch of friends out of peers. Making friends is nice, but socialization isn’t defined as “making friends.” In my personal experience when I was homeschooled, I was involved in homeschool groups that did activities and went on field trips together, I went to church and participated in church activities and events like VBS and youth group, went to story time and book clubs at the library, played with neighbor kids, was in various rec league as well as school sports, volunteered and did outreach ministry with my family, and so much more! And the goal when doing these things wasn’t to socialize! It was mostly just living life. And some of it would have been impossible to do had I been stuck in a classroom with the same kids and teachers all day every day. So, I urge you not to worry about socialization when considering homeschooling. (-:

You may not be worried about your kids socializing, but maybe your worries lean more toward your own capability. Well, good news for you! You can homeschool HOWEVER YOU WANT! There’s no one right way to do it. Of course, follow your state laws (or move to a state with better (aka fewer) homeschool laws, lol), but other than that, you can teach in whatever style suits you and your students best! A lot of it, especially in the early years, is basically just parenting well. Reading to your kids, letting them play and explore outside, doing activities with them and taking them places -even if it’s just errands-, teaching them the alphabet and to count and know colors is decent, proper parenting! And the kids will learn so much! Especially if you answer their many, many questions! And if you don’t know the answer to something, looking it up or finding another way to find out opens up a great door for you all to learn something new together! And when they’re older, you still don’t have to be a professional educator to homeschool them well. I needed very little help with most of my work and staying on task when I was older, and though I know some students need more attention than others, I think for the most part older students can go through curriculum pretty independently. And besides that, there are so many resources, homeschool conventions, and other homeschool parents that are out there ready to help you! You can choose whatever curriculum you prefer, and change it up if it doesn’t work well for your student! I personally had curriculum from many different companies, some of it being online and some of it being bookwork, and some of it being other resources that weren’t even necessarily made to be homeschool curriculum. My mom bought curriculum online, at homeschool conventions, and local used curriculum sales. I know there is a lot of material to choose from and it can be overwhelming, but there isn’t supposed to be pressure in homeschooling! That’s one of the beautiful things about this type of education. <3

One resource I want to mention and recommend is HSLDA. It stands for Home School Legal Defense Association, and it’s an organization that advocates for homeschooling families. While a great resource for anyone interested in homeschooling, they also offer membership, which you can learn more about by going to their website. This organization can answer your questions. They can help point you in the right direction when you start homeschooling, when you want to know your state’s homeschooling laws, and when you’re looking for community in homeschooling. They also help give legal protection. For example, if your local school district is trying to make you do something not required of you or your child, and they won’t listen to you/educate themselves on the state laws, HSLDA can step in and help! (Of the two places I’ve lived, I have known both local school districts’ leadership to seem a bit ignorant of some of the local homeschool laws, so be careful not to let them push you around! They don’t always know what they’re talking about.)

On that note, I recommend keeping up with current state laws on homeschooling, as requirements change! Things have changed even since I was in school, which wasn’t that long ago. I feel like I’m repeating myself from last year’s post on this topic, but you might not have been here last year!

One more encouragement for you today: Your kids have their own learning style and pace. Homeschooling allows them to learn however they learn best, as long as YOU allow it. Don’t worry about your kids getting “behind.” There is no “behind” in homeschooling. I used to get upset with myself for being “behind” in my harder subjects -the ones that just didn’t click well with me-, but there was no one telling me I was behind but myself. It’s just a matter of opinion what “behind” really is in homeschooling, and no one else’s opinion matters. Homeschooling is about you and your family; not “them,” whoever “them” is. No one else has to know what grade number is printed on the cover of your child’s history book. No one has to know what level your child is in in math. Everyone is different, and that’s ok. Although I was really bad at math and didn’t comprehend it well, I was more advanced in reading & language arts! And some people are vice versa. Some people are really bad at spelling, grammar, and mechanics (social media makes this pretty obvious), but are really good at solving math problems quickly in their head! So don’t be discouraged if your student is slower in one area than their peers. Don’t overlook it, but don’t make it a big, huge deal. It will be ok. (Also, to hopefully lift your spirits, I am a working woman out in the world without having gone to college and I haven’t had to use the algebra I cried over all the time these past few years in any of the jobs I’ve had! (As I knew I probably wouldn’t…))

By the way, I’m not only a former homeschooled student, but I’m also a homeschool teacher to my little niece this year! (-;

If you’ve considered homeschooling but haven’t started yet, what are some of your apprehensions? If you do homeschool, what are a couple things you love about it? (There are so many to choose from, I know!) If you have any questions related to homeschooling, I’d love to try to answer them to the best of my ability! Comment below or email me!