Whether it’s due to the COVID-19 lockdown or your passion for taking the charge of your child’s education, homeschooling can be tricky in the beginning. 

There is a plethora of resources out there and it can get really difficult to organize and integrate all the information into a coherent homeschooling strategy. 

The goal of this article is to give you some basic ideas that can help you kickstart your child’s homeschooling journey (and take away most of your confusion!).

1.  Begin with (lots of) research.

Homeschooling is a fairly complex endeavour. There are a wide range of factors to consider. These include: 

●     Your schedule and finances — homeschooling can get expensive because one of the parents will have to stay home. Plus textbooks, curriculums, and learning supplies all cost money, so make sure to prepare a budget before starting homeschooling.  

●     The curriculum you’re going to follow — there are quite a few out there and it can be difficult to choose one, which is a major disadvantage of homeschooling compared to dedicated learning centres like Raising Stars. 

●     The various routes you can take. 

●     Whether your child is excited about homeschooling — remember, homeschooling takes away significant social contact from children that they otherwise would get through conventional schooling. 

●     How homeschooling went for the people you know — friends and family who have homeschooled their kids are a valuable source of feedback and information that would otherwise be hard to come by. 

●     The homeschooling rules and regulations of your area — these can vary significantly but may include registering with a local authority, submitting a learning plan, attendance records, and reports. As a homeschooling parent, you may also be required to conduct standardized tests.

Before starting homeschooling, it’s important to have a good understanding of all these factors, which can take a considerable amount of time. Make sure you dedicate adequate time to research — rushing into homeschooling may spoil the experience for both you and your child. 

Local homeschooling groups are a valuable source of information, so consider joining one. Other homeschooling parents can provide you with valuable insight into the best homeschooling practices and activities, and may be able to give you answers to difficult questions in an instant!

2.  Create a basic routine.

Flexibility is one of the greatest advantages of homeschooling. However, too much flexibility and not having a basic routine can be distracting and easily make homeschooling ineffective. This is especially true if you have more than one child to teach at home. 

There are many great online tools that allow you to create color-coded charts and interactive flowcharts, both of which are excellent ways to create an outline. 

You can plan your routine in as much or as little detail you want — the goal is to have some sort of basic outline to follow. Also, just because you’ve prepared a routine doesn’t mean you can’t go off-track. You can always adapt your routine to novel situations, which is what makes homeschooling great.

3.  Talk to your child about the internet.

The internet is an indispensable part of learning regardless of the type of schooling a child gets. With homeschooling, the role of the internet is a bit more important compared to conventional schooling.

This is why it’s extremely important that you sit down with your child and discuss internet safety before starting homeschooling. Useful ideas to talk about include: 

●     Internet usage time and location

●     Appropriate behaviors for different platforms

●     The apps and websites they’re allowed to access (you can find plenty of information about age-appropriate apps and websites online)

●     Things they need to report to you, such as inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and websites asking for pictures of your child

 

4.  Don’t forget to talk to your child’s teachers.

In case you’re not exactly homeschooling and your child’s educational institute has shifted to online education temporarily, it’s important to maintain regular and effective communication with the school. 

Teachers can be very helpful if you’re struggling with your child’s education at home and may be able to give your child extra attention and support during online lessons.

5.  Dedicate a learning space.

Homeschooling can get messy — home life can start interfering with education, and education can seep into other activities of daily living. Both of these are unhealthy and are bound to frustrate you and your child in the long run. 

This problem can be eliminated by dedicating a learning space — a “mini classroom” — inside the house so that the boundary between education and living can be clearly defined.  

Things you want to keep close to the learning space include: 

●     A whiteboard

●     A computer with internet access

●     Books — you may need to install extra shelves or storage cabinets for this

●     Learning schedules

●     Stationary

●     Snacks

●     Any other supplies depending on what your child is learning 

Even if your child decides to work at another location in the house, it’s useful to place all learning-related materials in the dedicated learning space at the end of the day.

6.  Go beyond the textbooks.

There are many ways schools use to teach children other than textbooks. These include hands-on activities, role plays, field trips, games, and basic life skills such as cooking. Homeschooling makes it very easy to replicate all these activities and even go a step further than schools (because of the extra flexibility). 

When homeschooling, it can be easy to forget that there are plenty of learning opportunities beyond textbooks. If your only focus is reading and writing, not only will your child become quickly bored, but you’re also going to waste a major advantage of homeschooling. 

For STEM education, SeaQuest has put together a fantastic STEM Guide for Homeschooling. As you'll see, STEM doesn't have to be limited to the classroom. With field trips and other educational activities, the educational potential is endless!

Finally, don't forget about household chores — laundry, budgeting, and repairs — provide unique learning opportunities to children, which aren’t often possible with conventional schooling. Make sure to integrate some of these activities in your child’s learning plan (but don’t overdo it because then it would become distracting).

 

7.  Follow the checklist manifesto.

Checklists save lives. If you don’t believe that, read Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto. 

One of the biggest problems you’re going to face when homeschooling is your own schedule, especially if you work from home. When creating a basic daily routine for your child, you also need to keep in mind your own daily routine.  

While flowcharts and tables are great for creating your child’s daily schedule, a checklist is the ultimate tool for keeping your own affairs straight. Make sure to learn to tap the power of checklists — if used correctly, they are invaluable.

 

Finally, as you dive into the world of homeschooling, don’t forget to take good care of yourself. Effective education not only requires a good learning environment and an eager student, but also a healthy, stress-free teacher. Here are three simple ways to stay healthy as you homeschool!