HOW TO BEGIN HOMESCHOOLING (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND)
So you’ve just decided to homeschool your kids…now what!?! How does one actually begin homeschooling (and not lose their minds!). I can remember when we decided to begin homeschooling. I was excited, but also really clueless about what I was actually going to have to do.
You might have just decided to begin homeschooling and be feeling similar feelings: excited, but clueless; worried about what you actually have to cover, afraid you’re going to mess up, feeling pressure from others, doubt starts creeping…all these feelings are so normal!
Nobody has to lose their mind in order to start homeschooling. I won’t say homeschooling is easy, but there’s definitely things you can do to make it easier on yourself. Here’s some ways to do it.
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How to begin homeschooling without losing your mind
I vividly remember those months leading up to us beginning our homeschool journey. I was a hot mess to be honest. There was no doubt that I wanted to homeschool my oldest (my younger two were still quite small), but the HOW was messing with my mind!
I was lucky to have two friends in my life that had homeschooled their kids. They were a wealth of information.
Get the 6 Secrets to a Simpler Mom Life
There was also the hours and hours and hours of times spent on the internet and reading books. Now, I did learn some very valuable information during those long hours, but it was also so time consuming and I would often read things that contradicted each other….
Should I keep really great records of grades? Or is that not important?
Do I have to choose just ONE homeschooling approach? Or can I mix several? And if so, HOW does one do that??
Is there a need to enroll in a co-op right away? Or does that even matter?
What if I spend all this money on curriculum and it’s not the right fit for my kid?? Every one has different suggestions!
All this and so much more was being ingested into my brain every single night I sat down to the computer. It was exhausting, quite frankly.
As I write this, we are tying up our TENTH year of homeschooling. We’ve worked out so many of those first kinks, but I remember those feelings like they were yesterday.
Because of that vivid memory, I want YOU to be able to begin homeschooling in a much more calm and confident way.
So let me tell you how you can begin homeschooling without losing your mind too…but first…
Five quick tips for beginner homeschoolers
If you’re frantically reading this post wanting so badly to get those answers, let me give you a few tips first:
- You’re going to make some mistakes. Your first couple of years are going to be full of them! No one is perfect, so try to let go of that perfectionism first. You’re going to do your BEST, but you will make some mistakes.
- Narrow your search. If you’re listening to every single homeschool blogger on the interweb and reading every single thing you can get your hands on, you’re going to become overwhelmed. Hone in on those few influential people in your life–either online or in real life–and ignore the other voices. (And I’d be more than happy to be in your small, few people 😉 )
- Listen to your mama gut. Yes, you’re taking on a new venture, but you’re still mama and mama usually does know best. Listen to your gut. You’re probably right!
- Be ok if your kids are not on Homeschool Cloud Nine with you! Chances are, you are waaaayyyy more excited about this new venture than your kids are. Be ok with that. Don’t be offended. Let your feelings be yours and theirs be theirs.
- Surround yourself with good people in your life. This goes for much more than homeschooling, but it’s especially important right now as you’re walking with shaky knees. You need positive people around you that are going to build you up, not tear you down!
You also might like: FOUR THINGS EVERY NEW HOMESCHOOLER NEEDS TO KNOW
Our last day of our tenth year of homeschooling!
A class for taking out the guesswork for Rookie Homeschoolers
I have a special place in my heart for brand new homeschool mamas. That place you’re walking right now? I so understand how you’re feeling. Because of this, I’ve had this goal for creating a special Masterclass for you for a long while.
It’s finally happening and I can’t wait to see you there.
Learning Well Community’s Rookie Homeschoolers Masterclass is for you if you:
- Just pulled your child from public school and don’t know where to begin.
- Are excited to homeschool but still don’t know where to begin.
- Feel a tad forced into homeschooling because of life/family/seasonal circumstances and you doesn’t know where to begin.
- Have children who are resisting the new decision to homeschool and you doesn’t know where to begin.
- Are afraid you’re going to fail and you don’t know where to begin.
- Have read a TON of homeschooling information but STILL don’t know where to begin.
If you are nodding along as you read that list, this course is for you. You might be feeling anxious and nervous and most of all: OVERWHELMED right now, but by the end of this 5-lesson masterclass, you’re going to feel calm and confident and ready to BEGIN!
Five Simple Steps to Begin Homeschooling without Losing your Mind
It can feel like you’re swimming through mud by yourself, but you’re not. I created the Rookie Homeschooler’s Masterclass so you could begin homeschooling with calm and confidence, but I’m also a busy mom. Really busy. Just like you. I want to be able to figure out what I need to know without spending 50+ hours at my computer or doing endless checklists that get my nowhere.
That’s not what Rookie Homeschooler’s Masterclass is in the least.
This class is designed so that you can get through all the content in just 30 minutes or so a day. So in five days, you’ll be equipped and ready to begin homeschooling.
Five days, five simple steps. That’s it!
I’ve narrowed down that daunting task of just STARTING to homeschool, simplified it into five simple steps.
- Defining your WHY: That homeschool mindset you probably haven’t grasped yet.
- We’re going to shift from what we know about school to something totally different: Homeschool.
- We’ll get the big stuff off your Worry Plate right away by discussing your fears, legalities, and more.
- The goal for this step is mindset shift.
- Finding the HOW: What is YOUR personal homeschool style?
- So many times we see the images on IG or our favorite homeschool blog and think that’s the way it’s “supposed” to look. Not so! We each have our own style, and so will have our own homeschool style.
- We’ll talk about personality traits–both for you and your kids.
- All of us have strengths and weaknesses–we’ll talk about those too.
- The goal for this step is finding your footing.
- The WHAT: Covering the subjects.
- Everyone wants to know this: WHAT DO I TEACH MY CHILDREN??? We’ll talk about that and clear up all your fears on gaps in education and more.
- Wondering about what curriculum might work for you? We’ll talk about that too.
- Teaching your kids to read is another big fear a lot of us have when we’re starting out. We’ll cover this too.
- The goal for this step is to gain confidence.
- Figuring out WHEN: Your rhythm and routine.
- Trying to mash your pre-homeschooling routine to your new homeschooling routine can feel awkward. We’ll talk about how to meld the two together without upsetting your family’s natural rhythm.
- The goal for this step is getting organized!
- Just BEGIN!
- The last step is sometimes the hardest: just DOING the thing!
- We spend a lot of time planning and reading and thinking (and worrying). Sometimes we just need to start!
- You’ll get pumped up with encouragement from moms who have been homeschooling for years–years!!
- You’re going to be so motivated to begin–I’m excited for you already!
Planning Class includes:
- Five complete lessons for getting started on your homeschool journey
- Notes for each lesson
- Exclusive Bonuses to accompany the class
- Special messages from homeschool moms with loads of experience
- Access to a members only Facebook group
- And mostly: The calm and confidence you are craving to get started in homeschooling!
By the end of this Masterclass,
- You’re going to be able to choose curriculum for your first year
- know what your days are going to look like
- learn a little more about yourself
- get a bucketful of encouragement
- know what Department of Education forms need to be filled out
- start planning your first homeschool year with excitement!
We’re going address the fears you have, head-on and gain the confidence you need to be a happy homeschool mama.
I’m cheering you on as you being your homeschooling journey! It can be a scary leap of faith to make, but I know you’ve got this! I hope to see you in the master class, but either way, I’m rooting for you, mama!
