Maybe you’re on the fence or you’ve made the decision and you’re ready to jump in headfirst, but either way here you are wanting to (and needing to) plan your homeschool. This post will walk you through a few steps to help you start. You can also click here to download my FREE printable to help you plan your homeschool. So let’s get started!

So first of all, you need to check your state’s homeschool laws. Each state has their own laws about if have to give notice or not, at what age you have to start, attendance, subjects etc. Click here to go to the HSLDA to check out your state. You want to make sure you are in compliance and are keeping records accordingly.

Next, if your kid(s) are already in public school or private school you’ll need to withdraw them. In my state I just sent an email to the secretary and principal letting them know I was withdrawing my children and the date that I would be doing so. They may ask you to sign a form. Again, check with the hslda if you have any questions about regulations and requirements. You may not legally have to sign anything, your school just might want you to. Do your due diligence to check your laws!!!

Next up….curriculum!!! This is the part parents and those who love planning (like myself) get excited about! Disclaimer: if you withdrew your kids from school allow them time to decompress and de-school. I didn’t heed this advice from others and probably should have. If you are taking time to de-school I would suggest still doing some read alouds and staying active, going to parks, and just getting comfortable with being home and not having the stress of going to school. While you de-school or are getting ready to start with a preschooler or kindergartner you’ll need to make some decisions about curriculum. There’s a few choices that will help decide what type of curriculum you’re looking for. Do you want to be online or use physical books and paper? So you want Christian/religious materials or secular? Also how much do you want to spend? You can spend a lot or a little, but believe me you DO NOT have to spend a lot on curriculum. What’s your and your children’s style? Classical, Charlotte Mason, traditional, unit studies? Don’t worry if you don’t know, one great thing about homeschooling is you can change things as you go! Here’s a few curriculums we’ve tried and our thoughts:

Master books: Christian, Charlotte Mason, open and go. I wanted to love it but we didn’t. My kids weren’t into the stories or the copy work for math. I also felt math needed more practice included in the main book instead of being an extra purchase. The Language Arts felt complicated with word shapes, right brain flash cards and I needed to laminate quite a bit but I didn’t have a laminator. I also wished that there were more resources for outside books. They only suggest what they publish. I did like America’s Story for history and would use it again when we come back to U.S. history. 

Good and Beautiful: “Christian” (this is a hot topic as the creator is Mormon, but it claims to be Christian), open and go, spiral style. We have only tried math from the Good and Beautiful and didn’t stick with it. Being that it is spiral everything is constantly reviewed and it was too much for my kids. I’ve never tried their language arts so I can’t speak to that. However you can download math and language arts on their website for free to try them out. Some people love it and some people hate it.

Story of the World: this so far is what we’ve used for history and my kids enjoy it. We listen to the audio book and then have the activity book that goes along with it for coloring pages and extra activities. I like because it does include Christianity and related events.

Gather ‘Round: Christian, unit study style. I loved it but my kids did not. Basically you read the lesson which is a few pages and then your students do a few pages and activities that cover language arts, history, science, geography. I would recommend especially if you just need a break from your normal activities. We quit doing it because my kids just weren’t into it, but I would use again for science maybe. I do feel the price would be a bit steep to only use for one subject though.

Easy Peasy: Christian, online or workbook, more mastery and slightly classical. This is what we started homeschooling with and keep going back to. We use the workbooks for math and language arts and Bible. We tried online for science and just couldn’t stick with it, we might try again another time though. We love it because it is so simple and straightforward, the kids get their work done quickly and can move on with the rest of their day. The reading features more classic selections like Beatrix Potter stories, Swiss Family Robinson, Heidi, Little Men, and so much more. It’s free to use online but the workbooks are SOOO low cost in Amazon. 10/10 recommend!

Once you’ve made some curriculum choices you’re ready to gather some supplies. You really only need basic school supplies to start and maybe a computer. Here’s a short list is you’re totally frazzled:

Notebooks

Pencils 

Crayons/markers/colored pencils 

Scissors 

Glue

Ruler

Counter (if your kiddo needs a math manipulative, here’s what we use)

Play doh (homemade or store bought) if you have littles

Most of these things you probably already have anyway!

Next step…location, location,location! Where will you have your kids do their schoolwork? I’ve seen awesome homeschool sheds online which I would love to do, but honestly we just work at our kitchen table. Occasionally in the living room or I’ll need to separate kids and someone can go work in his or her bedroom. Most of the time we work at the table and our books have a cabinet in the kitchen. I also have friends who have a dedicated school room in their house. Don’t stress if your set up isn’t fancy, it doesn’t have to be to be effective.

So, you’ve researched your laws, withdrawn your kids, made some curriculum choices. Next thing, which is actually quite important, is to look in to co-ops and groups in your area. The first two years we homeschooled we weren’t in a co-op and I had a hard time finding local groups. Ask around with your friends and search facebook. Then decide if you want to get together for just social time or if you want it to be academic. Our co-op is just a craft and social time and that’s enough for us.

Homeschool is what you make it, and in my experience so so worth it. I have seen our family relationships grow stronger. I notice I have more patience for my kids than I did when they went to school. It can be tough being with them all the time but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Homeschooling is definitely gaining popularity and we are here for it! Mostly know that you can do this! You don’t have to have everything planned out for the year, you can change things as you go! Enjoying learning and growing with your kids! And let me know if you have any other questions, I’m happy to chat!