Hesitant to Homeschool: 5 Tips to Inspire Confidence
So many questions…How do I start homeschooling? What about socialization? How much does homeschooling cost? What homeschooling curriculum should I use? Should I follow a homeschool schedule? What are the homeschool laws in my state? How do I prepare my teenager for college? You have so many questions and so much information is out there…It can feel like you’re trying to drink from a full blast firehose…it’s too much!
You have questions, we have answers. This book answers those twenty most common questions parents ask about homeschooling. We wrote this short, simple guide for you! Whether you need a confidence boost, data and research findings, or even just a place to start, we serve you a sweet elixir of information, inspiration, and fun.
Here’s a glimpse of the goodness we offer in our book.
5 Homeschool Tips
Trust that the overwhelm will pass.
This too shall pass. Many of us felt unprepared when we brought our baby home from the hospital, but we gladly parent our children through every new milestone. The homeschooling overwhelm is not much different. Homeschooling is not as hard as we think; we just need to make the decision and get down to business.
Know that you are capable of homeschooling your child.
As their parent, you know them best and can explore the world with your child. But, if you need more of the “How to Homeschool” methods, you can equip yourself just like you do with any other job. YouTube how-to’s, internet searches, curriculum, homeschooling books (like ours!), social media homeschooling groups, homeschool conferences, local homeschool groups, and more…you can pick your favorite kind of resource to equip yourself.
Check out our Quick Start Guide.
We have a quick start guide for you. We share lots of tips and hacks that will make your beginning legal, inspirational, and customized for your child and preferred educational lifestyle. It includes investigating your child’s interests and finding community. We have a more thorough start guide and a “Can Do” checklist available in our book. You can get it here.
Start with an activity you are comfortable with and have fun doing it.
Be it a museum field trip, a visit to the library, a play date, games, reading aloud a favorite book…do what you feel confident doing, be present, and enjoy it. If it worked in bringing joy to you and your child’s homeschool life, weave it into your regular week so you always have that to look forward to.
Make a weekly checklist for your child or teen.
This was a game-changer for our family life this year. I’ll say it again, GAME-CHANGER! The weekly checklist encourages independent, autonomous learning, which gifts your child choice throughout their day. Helping your child learn to take charge of their education and schedule can make both you and your child feel successful. The checklist can include the weekly chores, the number of times (or minutes) for math lessons, memory work, exercise, music instrument practice, you name it! This will decrease the nagging and need for constant follow-up.
Bonus Tip: Invest in a community
This tip will enrich your life more than you may realize. It can give you the confidence boost that you need. The more you serve and invest your heart and time, the more you will feel connected to others and your chosen community. Volunteer to help at your child’s sport’s leagues, church, enrichment classes, co-ops, neighborhood, wherever you are already involved, or wherever you want to be involved. I love this tip since it’s so much fun for our family. Find a gap and fill it. Doing this will grow friendships and provide unforeseen social and educational opportunities for living your best homeschool life.
Deciding whether or not to homeschool is ultimately a family lifestyle choice. We all want what is best for our kids, but more importantly, what is best for our family. Only you as the parent can make that decision. Hesitant to Homeschool? has been a huge help to hundreds of people making that choice. Start there by perusing the chapters that address the hesitations you have, and drink in the refreshing ideas, information, and memory-making fun that suit you.
For our book’s synopsis, reviews, and preview, go here.
