How to Start Homeschooling Anytime During the Year: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

What is the best age to homeschool? This is a personal decision and should be decided on a child-by-child basis. Some children are ready to begin homeschooling at age 4, while others will benefit from waiting a bit. Consider the age that you want your child to complete their schooling as well as their attention span and desire to start school. 

What are the benefits of homeschooling? Homeschooling helps strengthen family bonds and allows you to customize your child’s learning to their learning style and any religious or cultural beliefs that you want to strengthen. It is beneficial for students that are struggling with learning disabilities as well as students who are ahead academically since you can support their learning one-on-one. Homeschooling is also a great fit for children who are medically fragile or have allergies that make attending traditional school risky. 

What’s my child’s learning style? There are four main learning styles including Kinesthetic, Auditory, Visual, and Reading/Writing. You can determine your child’s learning style through observation or direct questions. Websites like this can also help you determine what style most closely fits your child. 

What homeschool supplies do I need? This is another question that will depend somewhat on the type of curriculum you choose. Generally, you will need pencils, paper, scissors, glue sticks, notebooks, and art supplies. You might benefit from a chalk or whiteboard as well as dry erase markers and mini-boards for each child. A good pencil sharpener and wall map are a great addition to your homeschool classroom. 

Do homeschool parents need to be certified teachers? Most states do not have requirements for parents to be able to homeschool their child. However, you should check with your state’s department of education to confirm if there is any education requirements for homeschool teachers. 

What about socialization? This is one of the main complaints/worries of parents considering homeschool. Today there are local options, both within school districts and homeschool co-ops that can provide socialization opportunities. You can check with your school district to see if there are any hybrid options for schooling. Some districts allow homeschoolers to enroll in elective classes in middle or high school. Additionally, research your area to see if there are homeschooling co-ops. You can do this using Google or Facebook Groups. A homeschool co-op is a group of families that meet together for activities and/or field trips. If there isn’t one in your area you could start one yourself!

What are the pros and cons of homeschooling? PROS: Flexible, customizable, allows time for other interests, strengthens family bonds, protects children from possible negative influences, lets children learn at their own pace, more hands-on. CONS: Puts stress/worry on parents, hard to keep records, can be hard to motivate or teach kids, less opportunity for socialization.  

How can I homeschool multiple children at different levels? Yes! Teachers in one-room schoolhouses used to do it all the time. There are a few strategies for homeschooling multiple children that are at different levels of education. 1) You can separate their school times so you can teach them one-on-one. 2) You can find ways to use the same curriculum but have the students explore it according to their education level. 

Can homeschool students be involved in extracurricular activities? Absolutely. You can look for extracurricular activities through local parks and recreation departments. Many businesses including gymnastics or tumbling, karate and swimming have day options specifically for homeschoolers. Additionally, most school districts allow homeschool students who live within their boundaries to participate in extracurricular sports. You will have to do research to find out tryouts and other pertinent information for extracurriculars at your neighborhood schools.