How to Start Homeschooling Now

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions remain my own.

Steps to Begin Homeschooling

Getting started with homeschooling is easy with this quick-start guide. Here are the steps you can take to begin homeschooling right away.

1. Learn Your State’s Homeschooling Laws

Homeschooling has been legal in all 50 states since 1993. However, the legal requirements to homeschool will depend on where you live. Homeschool laws vary from state to state. Each state is responsible for making their own homeschooling laws. Hence, some states have high regulations on homeschooling, while others have very low regulations.

The states with the most restrictive homeschooling laws include Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

The states with the least amount of requirements to homeschool include Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Texas.

To determine what your state requires, check your state’s department of education website. Or check out this handy search tool at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), where you can select your state and read a summary of the homeschool laws.

2. Submit a Letter of Intent to Homeschool to Your County School Board

If your state requires a letter of intent to homeschool, then this is the first step you must take. Simply mail this letter to the Superintendent of your county school board. This letter states that you intend to establish a home education program for your child. In addition, the letter must include the child’s name, address, birth date, and the parent’s signature. To view a sample letter of intent to homeschool, click here. Make a copy of your letter to keep for your records.

3. Withdraw Your Child if They Currently Attend a School

If your child is currently attending school, you need to formally withdraw them from their school before you can begin homeschooling. This is very important. If the school is not notified, they will mark your child as absent or truant. The HSLDA recommends you send a withdrawal letter to your child’s school as “Certified Mail—Return Receipt Requested.” Individual schools may have a specific withdrawal form. Keep a copy of the withdrawal letter and postal receipts for your records. For more information, check out the section “Withdrawing your child from his or her current school” on the HSLDA website once you’ve selected your state on this page.

4. Discover Homeschool Co-ops, Groups, and Classes in Your Area

Homeschool co-ops, groups, and classes provide social and academic support for homeschooling families. These are not necessary to homeschool, but many families find them helpful in building community with other homeschoolers and providing instruction that the parent may not feel qualified to teach. Let’s talk about these 3 homeschooling resources.

Homeschool Co-ops

Basically, a homeschool co-op is a group of families that meet, usually once a week, to provide a classroom experience for children and academic support for parents. Depending on the type of co-op, either the parents teach classes or there are hired teachers. The cost of a co-op can vary from free to several hundred dollars per class. Typically, co-ops allow interested families to visit in the spring. This helps new families determine whether the co-op will be a good fit before making a commitment for the next school year.

If there isn’t a co-op in your area, you can form one informally with another family. One year, I met with a friend and her children once a week to do music and art together. I taught art at my house one week and she taught the children music on alternate weeks.

Homeschool Groups

There are many different types of homeschool groups as well. We have been a part of groups that do planned field trips and playdates at local parks. There is usually a coordinator that organizes events and communicates with the group through email or a social media group.

Homeschool Classes

There are also many opportunities for classes specifically for homeschoolers. We have participated in art, PE, horseback riding, music, ballet and tumbling classes for homeschoolers.

The easiest way to find homeschool co-ops, groups, and classes in your city is to simply do an internet search. In addition, Facebook groups are a great resource to help you locate opportunities for homeschoolers in your area. I am a member of several Facebook homeschooling groups in my city. I learn about many opportunities through posts in these groups that I would not know of otherwise. Facebook groups are also a great place to ask specific questions you might have.

5. Research and Purchase Curriculum

The best resource I’ve found for researching curriculum is cathyduffyreviews.com. You can search for curriculum reviews by grade level or by subject. This is my go-to resource when I make decisions about which curriculum to buy. For each category, Cathy has a red apple icon next to the books that are included in her “102 Top Picks.” If you’re unsure of where to start, I recommend you browse through Cathy’s top picks. She did the research for you and her recommendations are all excellent options.

If you’re on a budget:

If you have a limited budget, there are some options that will help you save money on homeschool curriculum. One option is to search for used curriculum. I often find used homeschool books on eBay, homeschoolclassifieds.com, and buy/sell Facebook groups specifically for homeschool curriculum.

Also, there are also some top-quality options for free homeschooling curriculum online. Check out my post about how to homeschool for free.

Related Reading:

Is Homeschooling Free? It Can Be With This Awesome List

If you want to buy new:

You may have the budget for new school books, or you may need consumable workbooks that you can’t find used. The websites I use most often for purchasing new curriculum are Amazon and Christian Book.

6. Make a Schedule

It’s important to plan the framework of your school days before you begin the school year. The type of schedule that works for you will depend on your personality and the ages of your children. If you thrive on structure, have very young children or a very large family, then a time-slotted schedule may be exactly what you need. If you prefer more flexibility, then scheduling an order of activities may work better for you.

I prefer to schedule an order to our day, the sequence in which we will accomplish things, but without time blocks. A schedule is a tool to structure the flow of your day, not a slave-driver that creates stress when you can’t keep up. One year, I followed a very popular scheduling technique and planned out our day into 30-minute increments. I was constantly watching the clock and trying to move onto the next task on my schedule. I was stressing out my children, pushing them to get their work done faster so we could keep to our schedule. This type of schedule made me feel like a failure and we were miserable.

Here’s an example of how I organize the general order to our school day:

• breakfast, Bible, and prayer time
• morning chores
• morning school (math, language arts, and reading)
• lunch and read-aloud time
• afternoon school (all other subjects)

Related Reading:

The Best Free Family Bible Study App

The Super EASY Way to Do Read Alouds

Scheduling Tips

Give each child a daily or weekly school checklist.

I give each child a checklist that includes all the work they need to accomplish each day. Then, I rotate from child to child to work individually with them as they need my help. My children work through their list until everything is checked off. I’ve noticed they get satisfaction from checking boxes when the work is completed. Additionally, if your state requires teacher plans, these can be used for your records.

If you have an infant or busy toddler, do school during nap time.

When my oldest daughter was in preschool and kindergarten, we got all her school done while my toddler napped in the afternoon. You don’t need to follow a traditional-school-hours schedule. Just do whatever works best for your situation.

Schedule a start time for your day.

I may not schedule every 30 minutes of our day, but I do schedule a daily start time. Mornings are the most productive time of our day, so I like to get started early.

Require focused attention from your children when it’s time to work but allow frequent short breaks.

Train your children in the habit of focusing. This doesn’t come naturally. You have to require them to work when it’s time to work. However, they are children and should be asked to focus only as long as they are able. Young children can usually focus for 10 – 20 minute stretches, while older children should be able to focus for 30 – 45 minute stretches. I allow 5-10 minute breaks, which we call “brain breaks,” between focused work sessions. During a brain break, they are free to play or go outside. I also allow longer breaks periodically throughout the day depending on the age of the child and how hard they have been working.

Give a small reward when they have completed everything on their school schedule.

My children work quicker if they know there will be a reward when they finish. I know some moms that use limited time on electronics as a reward for finishing school. I usually give a small treat because my children don’t get many sweets, so this is something they will work for.

7. Get Organized

Buy school supplies.

In addition to the basics like pencils and erasers, I purchase a binder for each child. We set up binders with dividers labeled for each subject that has written work. You’ll need a 3-hole punch to put completed workbook pages into the binder. In my state, I am required by law to keep a portfolio so this binder serves that purpose.

Pick a location in your house to do schoolwork.

I have never had a designated school room in my home. However, we keep all our school books and supplies on a shelf in the dining room. Generally, my two younger children work in the dining room and on the living room couches with me. My middle schooler works on the kitchen table and my high schooler works on a desk in her bedroom. Also, we use the outside picnic table when the weather is nice and we want a change of scenery. My two elementary-age children do well in the same room, but my middle and high schoolers need a quiet space to work. It’s harder for them to focus with the chatter of younger siblings in the same room. Check out my post, “Homeschooling Without a Schoolroom.”

Use a bookshelf system to store school books.

For the first 10 years we homeschooled, I gave each child a plastic crate to store their books. This was the system we used when I was a classroom teacher. However, the crates were very difficult to keep organized. My children would have to dig around for their books. Also, random toys and art supplies would inevitably end up mixed in with their school books.

Then, last year I bought an inexpensive shelf from WalMart that has revolutionized how we keep school books organized. Each child and mom has a shelf. I keep school supplies and teacher’s manuals on my shelf. It’s simple to keep neat and we never have to dig through crates to find books.

8. Do a Soft Start

In the first week of school, we do a soft start. This is a pared-down schedule, which allows time for us to adjust back to the routine of school. I like to begin with math and language on our soft start week. Then, I introduce the other subjects in the second week.

I hope this quick-start guide to homeschooling has been helpful! Feel free to post any questions you have in the comments below.