Beginning Homeschoolers: What Not to Do

Update: This article has been extensively updated and moved over to our sister site, Whole Child Homeschool. To view the updated article, click here.

I’ve met several families in the last few months who are in their first year of homeschooling.

Although I’d prefer to think of myself as “young”, the truth is that I’m probably considered a “veteran” homeschooler by others due to the fact that I started homeschooling my oldest daughter when she was in kindergarten and she’s now about to graduate from high school. Twelve years ago, when my family began this journey, our public library only had about three books on homeschooling. I didn’t personally know anyone who homeschooled.

Here are 10 things I wish I had known to not do when I started homeschooling my daughter:

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Beginning Homeschoolers: What Not to Do

• Don’t think that it’s going to be easy. It will be ugly and messy, sometimes for long stretches of time.
• Don’t give up just because it’s difficult; it really will be worth it in the end.
• Don’t be afraid to use the resources in your community, i.e. tutoring; after-school classes; art classes at a museum; special services from the public school such as speech therapy or time with a reading specialist.
• Don’t start kindergarten a year early; let them enjoy their childhood.
• Don’t compare your family or children to others. Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying that “Comparison is the thief of joy”.
• Don’t judge curriculum by cost or popularity. Experiment to find the right choices for your children.
• Don’t isolate yourself. Schedule regular times to draw support from other families with similar interests.
• Don’t overbook your schedule. Figure out how much time your family needs at home to complete schoolwork and then schedule outside activities around that.
• Don’t forget that kids learn in different ways and at different paces. Different homeschooling products cater to different learning styles. Find the one that best fits with your child’s style.
• Don’t worry about “messing up.” Make your educational decisions with prayerful consideration for your child’s best interests and give yourself grace when mistakes are made.

A couple of books highly recommended for the beginning homeschooler: Cathy Duffy’s 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum and Lorilee Lippincott’s You Can Do It Too – 25 Homeschool Families Share Their Story.

Duffy’s book gives fabulous reviews and tells for which type of learning style a particular curriculum may be suited. Many libraries carry Duffy’s books.

Lippincott’s book shows a “day in the life” of many different homeschool families and reinforces the idea that there is no one right way to homeschool.

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