HOW TO HOMESCHOOL: 20 IDEAS TO GET STARTED

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More families are homeschooling than ever before, each with their own reasons and circumstances. In high school I had a boss who was a working single mother who homeschooled her two daughters very successfully. If she can homeschool her kids, who can’t?! You CAN!

In our family we’re wrapping up Kindergarten, so with only a year of homeschooling under my belt I am by no means an expert. But I have learned a LOT in the past year – from first-hand experience, reading books by veteran homeschool moms, and watching and learning firsthand how several homeschool moms do it. Below is a list of things I’ve learned, followed by a list of ways we homeschool that may give you ideas. My hope is that you will be encouraged to begin your own homeschool journey. Trust me, it’s way more fun than it might sound! (Unless you MAKE it unfun.)

THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN OUR HOMESCHOOL JOURNEY (SO FAR)

First, I learned that each state has its own set of laws concerning homeschooling. Some states, like Alaska, have virtually no requirements, so parents are free to homeschool exactly how they’d like. Other states, like Tennessee, have more requirements, such as keeping an attendance log and mandating that there be at least 4 hours of instruction per day. Yet other states have even more strict laws. Visit Home School Legal Defense Association and select your state to learn the laws and comply.

Second, I learned to forget what I thought homeschool should look like. The best advice I ever got was to dump preconceived ideas about homeschooling. All homeschool families do it a little differently. Some do it a lot differently. You have to find what works for your family, and that make take a while of trial and error. That’s okay! You and your kids will learn together. Enjoy the process, even the so-called errors.

The one thing you should NOT do is try to replicate public school! No child should sit still at a desk all day, learning one subject after another, with a very short recess, only to go home and do more schoolwork. We do our schoolwork at the dinner table. We do a max of 4 hours of instruction a day, and not much of those 4 hours is spent at the table with text and workbooks. We read on the couch or floor or patio. We watch educational videos. We go to programs at nature centers, libraries, and museums. We spend a LOT of time outside in every season and use the great outdoors as our classroom. Not only my children, but I, would get bored sitting at a table looking at textbooks all day. So don’t!

Third, I learned that there are many different types of curriculum – but you don’t need any at all. There’s Abeka, My Father’s World, Alpha Omega, Classical Conversations, Sonlight, Master Books and more. Some are very affordable and others cost a small fortune. You can choose from online-only, hard-copy-only, or a mix of both kinds of curricula. Some families prefer to develop their own curriculum from scratch. There are basically endless options. We use My Father’s World and supplement with science and faith curricula from Answers in Genesis, then add in our own touches with subjects such as art, history, physical education, and music. The more you tailor the curriculum and pace to your children’s aptitudes and interests, the more FUN and the less daunting homeschooling will be…for all of you!

Fourth, I learned that homeschooling truly is the best way for any and all kids to learn. My biological son has ADHD and a speech delay. My adopted son has low-functioning autism, does not speak, has limited use of his thumbs, is not potty trained, and has myriad other issues, both mental and medical. These boys would be lost inside a traditional classroom where other kids would move, academically, at a faster pace. Or, if they were in a special education classroom, they could only go as fast as their slowest classmate.

At home, I can tailor each and every lesson to my boys’ unique abilities, stopping as necessary for questions and breaks. They get more than one 15-minute recess a day; rather, they typically get hours of outdoor time! They don’t just read about things in books; we go out and explore, dig up, observe, pick, grow, handle, taste, re-create, draw, and listen to the things we’re learning about. And that brings us to the next section…

20 IDEAS TO GET STARTED ON YOUR FAMILY’S HOMESCHOOL JOURNEY

This is the exciting stuff – the practical side of learning outside the classroom! Remember that the following are activities and lessons for kindergartners, though some points may also apply to younger or older kids. This is a list of things that we have found helpful and enjoyable in learning in a more organic way rather than being stifled for hours inside a classroom.

BIBLE

1. Each morning at breakfast we have a Bible lesson. We usually read an age-appropriate Bible, such as The Jesus Storybook Bible or the Read with Me Bible. Or we read from a devotional such as Indescribable and How Great is Our God. We have also gone through A is for Adam and D is for Dinosaur innumerable times, both of which are great at teaching truth about the Bible, the history of our world, and science. Answers in Genesis has an incredible array of educational, faith-based materials for kids, such as these Books of the Bible flashcards.

We really like Good & Evil: The Ultimate Comic Book Action Bible, but be aware that some of the images are extremely graphic.

2. Bible time isn’t just for breakfast; it’s for bedtime too! Each night before bed, Daddy reads from one of the Bibles mentioned above, and then we pray as a family.

3. Bible/faith-building time isn’t just for breakfast and bedtime, it’s for ALL day! On walks we quote scripture and praise God for the wonderful things he’s made. In the car we sing praise songs and practice scripture memorization. We make time throughout the day to sing to God and dance in worship, and pray for people and situations. When the kids see something confusing, or sad, or amazing, we stop and discuss how God fits into the story.

READING

4. When Findlay was 5, we began a highly-recommended reading program. It had 100 lessons, but by lesson 65 he was so behind and overwhelmed that he’d cry every time I pulled the book out. The last thing I wanted was for him to have anxiety about reading, or to feel like a failure. So we closed that book months ago and haven’t opened it since. Now when we do reading “lessons” it’s much more casual. I point out sight and phonetic words in the books we read together, or on signs as we drive or walk. He is doing much better now that the pressure is off. The lesson: take things at your child’s individual pace and find creative ways to accomplish your goals.

5. I read to the kids a LOT. Wildly imaginative storybooks. Kids’ Bibles and faith-based stories. Age-appropriate non-fiction books – historical figures and events, cultures around the world, various science topics (weather phenomenon and weird plants and animals  are current favorites), art and artists, musicians, hobbyists and their unique hobbies, current events. There’s not much that we don’t read about and discuss, and this early and frequent exposure to books on various topics has so far fostered a love of books and knowledge in the boys.

WRITING

6. Findlay hates to write…unless it’s his name or a letter to a loved one. He does practice writing in a composition book, but about half of his writing practice comes from writing notes to friends and family members around the US. And he often gets a letter in return – what kid doesn’t love getting snail mail addressed to them?

Coen has limited use of his thumbs, making it difficult to grip a pencil. So he uses a modified pencil grip and I help him practice writing by guiding his hand to write letters.

7. Adding words to arts and crafts is another sneaky way I get Findlay to practice writing. Maybe he drew a picture of firefighters putting out a fire – then I tell him to write “FIRE TRUCK” on the red engine, and “TOY STORE” on the burning building. The lesson: sneak writing into your everyday activities; it’s way more fun and easily learned when it’s applied to something your child finds exciting.

MATH

8. Like me, Findlay is not interested in math. So instead of doing too much math “work,” we practice math during play and everyday activities. We count, add, and subtract using Matchbox trucks during playtime. On a hike we count how many steps it takes to get from the oak tree to the patch of daffodils. Eating a donut we count how many blue sprinkles there are, and how many go missing with eat bite. The lesson: sneak math into your everyday activities; it’s way more fun and easily learned when it’s applied in the real world.

SCIENCE

9. Science was always my worst subject, so I was thankful for the idea that Kindergarten science would be effortless. Turns out, it IS easy – but I think *I* have learned more this past year than I can remember learning during my entire public-school experience (including college)! We’re as hands-on as we can be, and that has helped cement certain concepts and lessons in all of our brains. Here are a few suggestions based on activities we’ve done:

– Go for a walk and pull up, by the root, at least a dozen wild plants. Bring them home and separate them into two piles: taproots and fibrous roots.

– Draw the tree in your front yard in spring, then summer, then fall, then winter. We have a science journal for such “observations.”

– On a walk, look for different kinds of evergreen trees and take a sample of each. Look closely at your specimens; there are so many neat details you might not have noticed without close observation! Download a tree identification app, or look at websites or books, to identify exactly which kind of trees you found – cedarwood, fir, pine, etc.

– Get a bird identification guide and put up a bird feeder near a window. Identify the flying fauna that visit your feeder. Findlay can name nearly every bird that regularly feeds at our backyard feeders (about 12 kinds), both male and female (which often look very different). When we get a new bird visitor, Findlay enjoys using the bird identification guide to discover what kind of bird it is.

– During a rainstorm, watch an age-appropriate video about worms, and look them up in your science book. After the storm, go look at the sidewalk in front of your house and observe all the worms! Recite some of the worm facts you just learned. Maybe even help a few poor worms back into the grass.

– Keep a weather book by the window and each morning look at the clouds in the sky above your house, then use the book to identify what kind of clouds they are.

– Learn the basic idea of the center of gravity, then look up pictures of rock bridges. Then make your own bridge from two chairs and a bunch of books!

– Buy a book that contains experiments for kids and do at least one a week. My kids LOVE our experiments, and I have learned a lot from them! I suggest Janice VanCleave’s books, especially Earth Science for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work. YouTube also has an array of super fun science projects you can do at home.

THE ARTS

10. I have a Master’s Degree in British and American Literature, and the highlight of my year is experiencing a live performance of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet. Clearly, I love the arts, so it’s very natural and important for me to expose my children to various kinds. We have been to many live performances, including dance, music, and theater.

11. Language Arts help with communication skills, foster wild imaginations, and they’re just plain fun. We go to library story time where we listen to stories, sing, and dance.

12. I’m not at all skilled at arts & crafts, but we find time at least once a week to make something – whether we draw, color, paint, cut, paste, tape, glue, rip, assemble, follow directions, or follow our own creative impulses. During the holidays our walls are covered with themed art.

13. We listen to classical music pretty much around the clock. Findlay is able to identify his favorite pieces of classical music by Edward Greig and Modest Mussorgsky, but he’s also familiar with many works by my favorite composer, Peter Tchaikovsky, as well as pieces by Richard Wagner, Camille St. Saens, Sergei Prokofiev, and more. Maybe your niche is art; in that case your kids might grow up being able to distinguish Van Gogh masterpieces from Monet’s.

14. We read books about art and artists, music and musicians, writers and their literary works. We go to museums that feature various visual, aural, tactile, and performing arts. Even if you’re not into the arts, and even if your kids don’t end up passionate about the arts, your lives WILL be richer from having experienced them!

CHARACTER

15. When my kids play with other kids – at their home, our home, church, park, recreation center – I am there to help with appropriate behavior, speech, and attitudes which corresponds with our family’s conservative, Christian worldview. This does not happen when kids are at school or daycare, in which case there is often minimal adult supervision (before, after, and between classes; at recess; lunch) and where the adults present are not likely to teach a worldview which is consistent with ours. Thus, I’m able to praise my boys’ positive behavior and correct bad behavior – directly and immediately.

16. A wonderful resource for teaching kids godly values and favorable character traits is Cat & Dog Theology. I’d recommend it for absolutely any family with young children. The stories, pictures, Bible verses and lessons are engaging and very easy to understand, even for the very youngest in your brood.

FUN!

17. I used to be “The Activity Director” and tell my kids what to do, all the time, even during play. While kids absolutely need direction and parameters, they should also be free to do what they want, how they want (within those aforementioned parameters). Sometimes I even let them be The Activity Directors, kindly telling the rest of us what to do and how to do it. This teaches them creativity, planning, confidence, leadership, and more.

18. During free time, such as between school lessons or while I’m doing chores, the boys are free to play how they want. LEGOS, blocks, looking through books, playing ball or chasing bugs in the backyard, etc. Sometimes while working in the kitchen I can hear Findlay making up the most hilarious and imaginative plot lines and dialogue for his little green Army men. Free, undirected play teaches kids cause and effect, creativity, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving, role playing which can help develop social skills, and SO much more!

19. I’m a homebody and enjoy finding ways to spend our free time in and near home – in the yard, on walks around the neighborhood, at the playground down the road. But there are endless options for fun and learning beyond the neighborhood, too:

– Museums ~ art, history, children’s, Creation Museum, Ark Encounter

– Libraries

– Nature centers

– Historic homes and sites

– Festivals throughout the year ~ music, food, holidays, cultural, sports, niche (like hot air balloons, renaissance, gardens, trains)

– Zoos

– Aquariums

– Regional and state parks

– Green spaces

– Lakes and rivers for wading, swimming, and boating

– Check your community’s (and surrounding communities’) webpage for a calendar of events in all seasons

EXTRA CREDIT

20. I love this tip I learned not long ago: when you and your child are both looking at something, ask them, “what do you see?” Whether it’s a book, a piece of art, a view out of the window in a car or at home, the forest, something through a microscope, the mirror, the field or crowd at a sporting event, or whatever is in front of you, ask them what they see. Then wait very patiently. At first they may say “nothing.” But urge them to look again and tell you what they see. It is fascinating to see the world through your children’s eyes!

When they’re finished, tell them what you see: colors, shapes, enormous things like the clouds floating by in the sky, little things like the ladybug crawling up the stem of the flower, a mother soothing her crying baby, the glowing lantern on the front of the boat in John William Waterhouse’s painting The Lady of Shalott, etc.

At other times, ask “what do you hear/taste/touch/smell/feel?” and wait for their wonderful answers. This is a great tool for both free time as well as school time.

This activity isn’t just fun; it also teaches attention to detail and helps our children grow their vocabulary to express what they experience.

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My hope is that all of this information is helpful in your homeschool journey, rather than anxiety-inducing! I’m sure you know that God does not want any part of your parenting journey to be stressful or filled with fear and chaos. Bring your concerns to Him, thank Him for all that he’s already provided (your kids are still alive, right?), ask Him for guidance, and wait for His answers with peace in your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7)!

Please comment below with questions, or with your own homeschooling suggestions!