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New to Homeschooling? Here are Mistakes to Avoid!

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Inside: 9 Secrets of Successful Homeschooling from me to you.

I was a new homeschooler once.

I had a 5th grader, a kindergartener with major medical issues, a toddler and I was pregnant.
Ah, those were the days.
Besides trying to manage two of different grades of school I was also trying to keep the baby safe and get dinner on the table all at the same time. Throw in the fact that I had a very difficult pregnancy and voila!
I was a mess. A pregnant hot mess.
I was so concerned about the academic part of homeschooling that I almost buried my poor 5th-grader in schoolwork.
I stressed, I worried, and I panicked a bit.

If I could rewind the tape and begin homeschooling my kids today with the benefit of my 18 years of homeschooling experience, what would I do differently? 
Click the image to learn how you can homeschool with confidence. {Grab your freebies while you are there!}
 
Photo by Olu Eletu

A lot actually. How about you?

  • Did you start out homeschooling by trying to duplicate a public school classroom at your kitchen table?
  • Do you stress about how well your kids would measure against other students their age?
  • Do you find yourself so busy teaching school that you have no time to enjoy your family?

9 Secrets of Successful Homeschooling Secrets from Me to You

Download your FREE "Secrets for New Homeschoolers Cheatsheet" {printable}

1. Spend the first 6-12 months to a year organizing your home, working on establishing a daily rhythm, and studying your children.

You may even need to set aside all formal academic learning to allow you and your kids to detox from the public school way of thinking.

photo by Mike Birdy

2. Go to the library at least once a week and allow your kids to choose books that interest them.

Hand-pick random books for you to read aloud. Watch your kids as they explore and listen to literature. What are they interested in? What makes them excited? What do they find boring?

photo by Micahel Beckwith

3. Rely on your husband

He can help you create a vision for your children. Honest.

Don’t waste a second trying to figure out what other people are doing with their kids.

Every child, every family, every dynamic is different. Your best friend may do XYZ with her kids, but that does not mean it will work for yours. Rely on your man. {Learn to say Yes}

photo by Brooke Cagle

4. Keep your husband in the loop about your daily escapades and accept his advice quickly.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because he works outside the home all day that he will be unable to see what the kids need.

This piece of humble pie is best eaten early in homeschooling.

It's hard to admit your husband might be right. {Learn more}

photo by Brooke Lark

Say "YES" {Printable}

5. Rather than spending countless hours worrying about this curriculum or that, develop rock star homeschooling goals.

Sample Homeschool Goals:

  • Put the highest priority on sharing your faith with your children.
  • Ensure the kids know their math facts inside and out. Period. Forget “learning” them, they need to “over-learn” them.
  • Inspire a love for literature in your kiddos by exposing them to a steady flow of great books. (I would add daily read-alouds  no matter what their ages). Pick the brains of veteran homeschoolers, librarians, and authors that are in your sphere of influence for suggestions and prioritize a daily reading habit for both you and your kids.
  • Focus all learning on meeting the goal of developing excellent written and oral communication skills. Find your children pen pals so they can perfect the friendly letter. {postcrossings is a fun postcard exchange}

  • Have your kids do “copy work” from the masters and discuss why the sentences, paragraphs, essays, or stories are so great. Learn early that excellence in writing really comes from being well read. Expose them to great literature and practice, tactics, practice.

6. Find opportunities for your kids to stand and share in front of others, whether it is during a family BBQ or performing with the local theater- giving them the skill and confidence to speak in front of others.

Here’s one of my kids. (quality isn’t so great, but if you can get the volume up high enough it’s worth it)

7. View curriculum, tests, quizzes, and state tests as resources to help you customize each of the kids’ education.

Curriculum is not the substance of their learning. Curriculum is just a tool that you will use to teach them things.

8. Relax.  A Lot.

Let the kids get dirty.   Then let them get dirtier.   Get dirty with them.

  • Play in the rain
  • Build in the snow
  • Chase rainbows
  • Cloud watch
  • Visit the farm
  • Play at the beach
  • Collect  leaves
  • Examine bugs
  • Watch plays
  • Attend the theater
  • Interview your doctors and dentists
  • Locate inspirational guests like missionaries, mechanical engineers, artists, poets, and ace mechanics to share their passions with the kids
  • Put a map of the US and the world under glass or plastic on your kitchen table and every single time you read or heard about a place locate it on the map and discuss how close/far it from you.

9. Hide the duct tape.  Especially if you have boys.

I know my children so much more intimately because of homeschooling. I am forever grateful for the vision my husband was given for our family. I just wish I had relaxed into the journey from the beginning, rather than trying to force the education part. What your kids need most from you is your love, guidance, and attention.

The fact that you get to be the one that teaches them to read, write, and add is a bonus.

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Comments

  1. I have been homeschooling my children for 23 years now and I've just begun the last year. I love your list. We did most of the things on your list and don't regret any of them.

  2. I've been homeschooling 13 years. Most of these would've been great advice for me in the beginning. My main focus was always looking at everything we study from God's lenses and instilling a love for reading in my children. The one other thing I would add is that I wish I would've instilled in them the Philippians 2:4. My daughter served in the community with children with special needs, but as teenagers tend to be, this is an area she (and I) could improve on. Obviously we often see in our kids some of our own weaknesses. Ugh.
    Another thing that concerned me was teaching high school. I was great with the early years, but high school? I was worried, but still continued. I wish I'd had the website Let'sHomeschoolHighSchool.com for guidance. I'm using it now with my son, who is in high school now. My daughter graduates this year! 🙂
    This list is helpful for many moms. Thanks!

  3. Such a great article, Bekki! Your advice resonated with me as a stay at home mom, too. (Love your writing, it's so fun to read your posts! 🙂 Have a wonderful holiday! Kayte from MN

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