Homeschooling: Where to Begin?

This post is all about how to begin homeschooling from scratch.

How to Start: Legally

Making the decision to begin homeschooling could be a tough one, mainly, because you do not know where to begin. However, there are many resources that have made it easier than ever!

First, you want to make sure you are abiding by your state laws. For that, I refer to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. Founded in 1983 by two attorney homeschool dads, they started the HSLDA to protect families that wanted to choose an alternative to traditional education.

They have an amazing resource that shows you the Homeschool Laws by State. Click that link, choose your state, and you can see:

• Different options for homeschooling
• School required for what ages
• State notification requirements
• Teacher qualifications
• State mandated subjects
• Assessment requirements
• Immunization requirements

How to Start: Your Child’s Learning Style

Before you begin, it may help to get a sense of how your child prefers to learn. There are 3 main categories that are commonly used:

• Visual
• Auditory
• Kinesthetic

Here is an online assessment you can take to see which learning style may be a good fit. Finding your child’s learning style could save you a lot of energy and money before investing in curriculum.

How to Start: Your Teaching Style

Here is a brief summary of the most common styles of homeschooling:

• Classical: This method aims to teach students how to learn independently. It uses the five tools of learning, which are Reason, Record, Research, Relate, and Rhetoric. This approach has been around since the Middle Ages.
• Traditional: This style most closely resembles a traditional school setting. Many new to homeschool choose this method because it is easiest to understand and replicate.
• Unschooling: In turn, Unschoolers are the complete opposite of Traditional. They focus more on interest-led and every day life experiences for education.
• Charlotte Mason: The core belief is that children are not only containers waiting to be filled, but born persons deserving respect from the beginning. Students are given time for nature study, geography, history, literature, and science from living books.
• Montessori: This popular style emphasizes beauty and quality, avoiding things like screens and plastic toys. Children learn at their own pace to develop to their full potential.
• Unit Study: This approach takes deep dives into interest led topics in an organized fashion. A unit can cover a multitude of subjects into one theme, and are highly adaptable.
• Waldorf: Based on the work of Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf education is based on educating the whole child – body, mind, and spirit. There is a focus on the arts, nature, self-awareness, and reasoning. Screens and standard textbooks are traded for self-created books.

Here is an online quiz that may help you find your style.

How to Start: Curriculum

Now that you know your child’s learning style and your own teaching style, choosing curriculum could be fun! I have a review page here for some of the curriculum we have used. Or this is a rundown of what we used for the 2021-2022 school year. As you can see, we are very Charlotte Mason inspired. However, here is a great comprehensive site of curriculum reviews that I reference often.

This post was all about how to begin as a new homeschooler.

Other Posts You May Like:

• 2022-2023 Family Style Curriculum Picks
• The Best Homeschool Planner
• How to Get into a Homeschool Rhythm