Starting Out Homeschooling

It can be so overwhelming when starting out homeschooling. Where do you start?

I’m Tracy-homeschooling mum and former teacher turned tutor. After sixteen years in education, I left the classroom in 2021 and began homeschooling. We are now in our fourth year of our journey as a homeschooling family of five, living rurally. 

Here are my top three tips for starting out after school:

1. Take time to deschool

   
   

Deschooling is a process of adjusting to homeschooling after school. It’s about taking time to reconnect and figure out how to approach your new normal as a family. 

It’s helpful to deschool before diving straight in - you have time to work it all out. If there has been any trauma, take even more time as you transition to homeschooling and find your groove.

2. Find the resources that suit your family

   
   

‘Do I need a curriculum?’ is one of the most hotly debated topics in the homeschooling community. What you need is to find resources that suit your style of homeschooling. What works for one family, won’t work for another. That’s exactly why we homeschool-so we can choose what works for our own children.

Take a second to pause before pouring over the huge range of very exciting, shiny, new resources on offer. First stop: research homeschool methods. Finding an approach that suits your family is really important. Next, check out any samples or trials for resources that you think may suit your child’s learning style. If you find that the resource is hindering rather than supporting then ditch it. Reflect and research some more until you find the resources that best suit your family. 

3. Connection is Key

   
   

There are a whole host of social activities out there for homeschoolers. We have access to all of the afterschool, weekend and holiday activities plus a whole heap of homeschool events to tap into such as camps and meet ups. Connecting in an online space counts as well.

Remember that you need connection too. Reach out and find out what’s happening in your local area and in online spaces. Connection is key to making homeschooling sustainable for everyone. If it’s not yet happening, be brave and start it up!

It can be overwhelming, but, you can absolutely do this. There's lots of support out there so reach out and find the things that support you and your family on your homeschooling journey.

That’s just a tiny snippet of my top tips for starting out homeschooling after school. I will be expanding on each one in future posts.