Thriving in Your First Homeschooling Year

I would love to share with you about thriving in your first year of homeschooling.

For many people homeschooling seems a very daunting task, one that they would never even dream about taking on. Why would they? For many they feel they lack the skills needed to properly foster an environment in which their children will learn and thrive. It can be overwhelming to consider the state laws, managing finances, choosing curriculum, finding a daily rhythm and the list goes on. However, I am here to help you figure out how to make it through the first few weeks of homeschooling and to help you manifest what you would like to see in your space for the entire year.

If you are reading this then you have likely already made the decision to homeschool but maybe you are trying to figure out how to make sense of ALL the things you will have to do. Maybe you are trying to navigate all the areas you will have to cover. The following tips will help you if you are homeschooling one or multiple children. The tips are provided in no particular order.

Tip One: Set reasonable goals for each day. Remember that with each new day comes a new set of potential challenges and opportunities to win. As with everything, allow for flexibility and grace. Things will not always go as planned so be reasonable with yourself and your children. Allow your journey to flow by taking things one day at a time. If you try to focus too much on the larger picture it can lead to overwhelm and frustration. Slow and steady is the way to go! By setting reasonable goals, you will be able to manage your expectations. Do not expect a picture perfect school day every day, though they will come with time. Your children will likely not LOVE every lesson you prepare. It is okay and allowing yourself grace will again provide you the space you need to recharge and to readjust.

Tip Two: Don’t try to teach every subject every day. Children need time to process and engage with the content and information they are learning. IF you try to cover every subject everyday then you will likely feel rushed and overwhelmed when you don’t get to something you had planned. Start with your core subjects like Language Arts and Math; those are subjects you want to focus on daily or at least most often. Fill in the rest of your week with the subjects that usually take more time like science, social studies and art. These subjects require uninterrupted time to allow for questions and experiments and or creativity to flow. Block off enough time for your children to really soak in the big ideas. In our homeschool, we do the core subjects every day. Our core subjects are Language Arts, which includes Writing and Spelling, Math, and Music. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we cover social studies and on Tuesdays and Thursdays we cover science and art. This allows time for me to work individually with each of my children on the core subjects. Additionally we do family style learning for the science, social studies and art concepts.

Tip Three: Allow for flexibility in all aspects of your homeschool. This means with curriculum choices, homeschooling styles, schedules, etc. etc. Start slow. We start our school year with only a few subjects for the first few weeks. As stated before we like to focus on the core. Once we have a rhythm and routine in place then we add in the other subjects as time allows. Be flexible; your child might not be ready for or interested in the curriculum you chose and might push back. In this case, step back and reevaluate your circumstances. Pay attention too to the time of day in which you are giving instruction. If your child is not ready to learn then you will face much opposition. Anticipate challenges with all aspects of your homeschooling day and be flexible to minimize overwhelm. If you do find that your children are resistant to a teaching style or a curriculum choice give them time. Don’t marry yourself to one style or curriculum option feel free to make changes as needed. As you learn more about your children you will find what works for you all. Remember just because a curriculum, a teaching style or a product is popular doesn’t mean it will work for you and your learners. 

Tip Four: Do not over schedule. Many families make the mistake of scheduling too many activities outside the home especially in the early years to combat the stigma that our children will not be socialized. We all have fallen victim to the notion that our children have to be doing more so that they can “keep up” with their public school counterparts. I know I did when we first started homeschooling. Therefore, we joined the nature group, we signed them up for the coop, we had to go to the library group and we had to schedule music lessons and sporting activities. It was all too much! I get it we all want our children to be well rounded. We are homeschooling them not to keep them in a bubble but actually to expose them to more meaningful and enriching experiences. The problem arises when we try to do too much.

I understand that many families have successfully homeschooled and participated in extra curricula activities. I caution you as you start on your journey to go slow. You do not have to take on everything especially in your first year. I know you are thinking well how will my children make friends and have meaningful engagements with children their age. I am not encouraging you to lock yourself in your home and do table work all day. I am encouraging you to look at the week. Think about all the things you want to accomplish in your homeschool, in your homemaking realm, in your personal life etc. Look for areas where you can add activities without it also adding more stress to your plate.

In our family, our day starts before 7am. My children wake early and so we often start our day with schoolwork and that lasts until about noon. By then that gives me time to prepare a quick lunch and to start dinner prep. Around 3pm we head out to activities like chess club, Lego club, robotics, or our local homeschool activities club. By 5pm we are home to have dinner, family time, and bedtime routines. For us this is what works. I know I could not fit in all our lessons and morning activities that take us outside the home in our family’s schedule it just would not work. Because my children are early risers, learning in the afternoon is not ideal. Do we sometimes do activities then? Of course but I know after years of working with them in this capacity that afternoon learning time is challenging. I encourage you to focus on your homeschooling in the first year. Just like you started with a focus on core subjects focus on the core of your homeschool. As you become more comfortable and you establish a routine then you can add more activities to your day. It will all come together.

Tip Five: Take breaks! During my first few years of homeschooling, I was often overwhelmed with all the things I needed to do for our children for school not to mention maintaining the upkeep of our home, managing time for our children, my spouse and myself etc. It was all a bit too much. I often felt defeated and as if, I was failing my family. I have since learned that I am in complete control of our schedule and it is okay to ask for help.  As a result, I now make changes as I see fit. I have a better understanding of the needs of our children and how I can best address them.

In terms of planning for school, we use the 6 weeks on 1 week off method. We school from August to May and that schedule gives me enough time to cover curriculum as well as schedule more breaks throughout the year. That is our intended school year but again I allow for flexibility. My husband also educates our children throughout the year in various subjects. This allows for tandem teaching which has increased our productivity and this has taken a lot of pressure off my plate. Additionally, my children have also grown up and can help with maintaining the daily upkeep of our home. They are responsible for doing dishes, sweeping, meal prep, making their beds, trash and cleaning the bathroom. My children range in ages from 6 to 12 and so they are responsible for various tasks each day. This has helped me tremendously. I have learned in the last several years of homeschooling that delegating responsibilities leaves more time for us to be together as a family without the stress.

I wish you well as you embark on your homeschooling journey. Whether this is your first year or maybe you are a seasoned veteran. Just know that you can do this, take it slow and really embrace the small moments. Your journey is for you and your children. Live in the moments, be present and do what works best for your family. I hope you found value in this post so let me know in the comments!