My Top Tips For New Homeschooling Moms

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Right now a lot of parents are suddenly homeschooling. Many not by choice either. I know many parents who were so frustrated with Zoom and having the kids on the computer for several hours a day, so they opted to homeschool this year.One of my husband’s friends told me his kids start school at eight in the morning and finish between six and seven at night. That is the actual schedule given by the teacher. We should not expect kids to spend several hours a day online for school.

I have been homeschooling for five years. Homeschooling can feel overwhelming at first, but homeschooling is easier than people realize. Remember, you are in charge and you can do things the way you want once you realize that homeschooling gets so much easier. We forget as the parent, we have the power and can do anything when determined.

I am going to share my tips with you so you can rock your homeschool this year with less stress! These tips are crucial to getting started. They will also help you set up a curriculum which I find stresses parents out the most.

Getting Started Legally

First visit the HSLDA website and look up your state. The HSLDA will tell you how to get started legally. Time 4 Learning also has similar resources. Some states have very specific requirements to start homeschooling. Find out what forms you need to fill out, so you can get started on your homeschooling journey.

Remember, some states require home schools to teach certain subjects and take attendance, so make sure you look up the laws for your state on HSLDA and print any forms you may need. Thought Co has some great free printable forms to help you out.

Curriculums, And Teaching Your Kids At Home

Curriculums can be stressful for some parents. Sometimes joining a charter school or an online school that will establish one for you is the way to go. If you feel lost, sign up for an online or charter school. If you want to create your own curriculum, that is ok too.

You can Google homeschool curriculum and you find you can pre-purchase ones. There are bundles you can buy to make things simple. If you Google homeschool curriculum bundles, there are many bundles to choose from.

I have noticed many of the moms in my homeschooling groups who use bundles still purchase other resources. Most bundles are comprehensive if you feel you must teach a certain subject you may have to find the materials on your own if it is not in the bundle.

I do not use bundles as some are very expensive. Instead, I look up the grade on Homeschoolcurriculum.org to figure out what my curriculum should be. I then look for bundles on Teachers Pay Teachers. Teachers Pay Teachers is exceptional, the resources are all made by teachers. Some worksheets and bundles are free. Personally, I find purchasing bundles at the end of the year cost me less than if I had bought a pre-made curriculum.

I purchase specific curriculums from Teachers Pay Teachers, use online learning programs, and purchase workbooks. This works better for my family. I pick what we need for the year, and I do not end up with a bundle where there may be subjects or lessons we do not need or use. The workbooks are great for when your child needs extra help with a subject. There are a variety of workbooks, some even themed to a specific cartoon or movie that some kids gravitate towards those with more enthusiasm.

For online learning, I use the ABC Mouse (click here for a free month trial with my affiliate link) and Reading Eggs. I am going to be honest here ABC Mouse is great but when we added Reading Eggs into our curriculum, my daughter’s reading skills improved. Reading Eggs also has a program that comes with your subscription called Math Seeds, and I love it. I pay for this, but I prepaid for a year of Reading Eggs and it was affordable. It was $59 for one year for one child; a family subscription is $89.

ABC Mouse is better for younger Children and when my daughter turns 8, I will cancel it. Splurging on Reading Eggs is the way to go, as it’s for kids ages 2-13 and better overall. I feel Reading Eggs does a stellar job teaching math, reading, and phonics. We do the bulk of our math and phonics here. Between Reading Eggs and our math and phonics journals I purchase from Teachers Pay Teachers, we have the subjects covered thoroughly.

I also want to emphasize that using Reading Eggs teaches your child to learn independently, use a computer, and gives you and your child a break from each other. It helps a lot to supplement whenever you can. Supplementing enhances your child’s learning and gives the parent a chance to make lunch, clean, or just have 15 minutes to yourself.

You also need to consider all kids learn and react to different teaching methods differently. By mixing my methods, I keep things from getting stale. You may have to experiment and learn what works best for you. If you are homeschooling more than one child, they may need different curriculums and methods of teaching.

The bottom line is that you have to find what works for you. It never hurts to reach out to the local charters, online schools, and local homeschooling support groups on Facebook and ask questions. Also, in a good deal of homeschooling groups, parents will give away resources like books and curriculums they no longer use or sell them for a fraction of the cost. Before you pick a curriculum, explore your options and seek support.

The best advice I can give you is to get your child involved before you buy a curriculum or sign up for a charter or online school. Ask them questions like “What do you like and dislike about school?” or “What subjects do you want to learn about this year?” Even asking them if they feel like they learn better on their own or with more guidance can give you insight into what curriculum or program is right for your child and family.

Curriculum Isn’t Everything

There are ways to learn and to teach without a curriculum or a lesson plan. Trips to the zoo are a perfect example of this. Regular trips to the library. Some days I would not make it without pre-made art kits sold at Target and Wal-Mart.

Taking a walk or a hike can be a lesson. Take pictures of plants and then use an app or Google to identify them. Or collect rocks on a walk and use them for an art lesson later on.

Go to museums and art galleries. Museums with self-guided tours are perfect for homeschooling families. Kids can learn so much from just one trip.

Volunteer at a food pantry or pick up trash on the beach. Spending a day helping others can teach kids so much about compassion and kindness.

We forget that teaching kids how to bake can be a lesson. Fix some things around the house, let the kids help. Kids grow up. They need to know how to cook, put air in tires, assemble furniture, make a bed, etc.

Think about certain skills and hobbies you wish you had learned growing up. Then ask your kids if they want to learn together with you. Sewing, kitting, gardening, bird watching, or whatever you want. We learn many life lessons outside of the classroom.

How Much Time Should We Spend On Lessons

POPSUGAR’S guide on how much time you should spend homeschooling is fantastic. Homeschooling should never take several hours daily. At most for kids ages 5-8 an hour and a half. It will surprise you how much you can teach in an hour. Being at home and not having 28 other kids in the class means you can accomplish much more in an hour and a half than you could in a traditional school setting.

I would like to emphasize timers are essential and make things easier. Kids can only focus for so long! Breaks based on time and age are important. The timer helps you track how long you have been working and lets you know when it is break time.

Breaks help your child stay focused, productive, and feel less stressed. I like to spend the first 30 plus minutes of the day sitting down with my daughter. This is when we do language arts, math, handwriting, or phonics one on one together. We have a mini break and snack after half an hour.

After that I set my daughter up on Reading Eggs, I set the timer and when it goes off; I tell her to take a longer break. We use the timer for that too. Then once the break is up, she uses Math Seeds or ABC Mouse for a set amount of time.

Most days I aim for 45 minutes of one-on-one time and 45 minutes with online learning. That is a perfect 90 minute day for us. You can break it up! Do 45 minutes when in the morning and the rest after lunch. For some families this is perfect the kids can play, eat lunch, and come back refreshed and ready to learn.

Teaching More Than One Child

Teaching two or more kids may challenge your patience. It gets easier. If the kids are close in age, I suggest you find a book or subject that you can teach all the kids at once. I know a lot of families who will have the kids do the same science, health, or geography lessons.

This is another reason timers are essential and so is using an online program. One kid on the computer while the other has one-on-one time with Mom. I alternated between the kids time with mom and time online, and it worked perfectly. We never spent more than two hours a day working. I picked my curriculum out in advance and use an accordion file to store my lessons; I take a few minutes to set up daily. Honestly, if your child can use a computer, then use an online program like Reading Eggs to supplement some lessons.

Without the online learning aspect, I could not have homeschooled two kids with a large age difference. You may also want to read this article from Calvert Education if you have little ones who cannot work independently there are some great tips. Truth is you can teach two or more kids at home, you just have to find what works best for your family. Experiment and see what works best.

YouTube Is Your Friend

YouTube is an invaluable tool. I could not figure out how to explain long and short oo sounds in a way my daughter understood and YouTube helped save the day. Jack Hartman and Mr Spelling have saved the day in this house more than a few times. PE with Joe is great for PE when the weather sucks, or when kids need to burn off excess energy.

Set up a playlist for each child with specific videos, you can use YouTube to teach one child while you teach your other kids. Or just make lunch. YouTube has videos on science, history, math, PE, and any subject you need to teach. I have even found videos of teachers teaching classes.

I have used YouTube when something unexpected comes up, like the dishwasher flooding my house. When my kiddo or I am sick, the videos can save the day. Use YouTube when you need it, YouTube is one of the best free homeschooling resources out there. YouTube gets a bad rap, but when using it with parental supervision it can make life easier.

Final Thoughts

If you are new to homeschooling and find it hard, take a deep breath. Getting started can be hard, but once you find your groove, things will get easier. Homeschooling is amazing because your child will get much more attention and help than they would in a traditional classroom. You will find once you and your child find what works best for your family that your child will love learning.

I hope I could help and if you have questions, please comment below.