How to Get Started Home Schooling

1. Homeschooling is legal in the United States however home schooling is different in every state. Each state has laws governing what kind of paperwork is necessary to file with the state and some states have requirements about what must be taught or how many hours a day one must school. A good website for a summary of state laws is The Home School Legal Defense Association.

2. If necessary, notify your child’s current school in writing. Some parents want to do this.  If you want to notify them in person, you may not get the response that you would like. A written note is sufficient in most cases.

3. Start planning your child’s course of study if you will be homeschooling independently or look through your materials if you have signed up with an online school. If you choose to homeschool independently-order catalogs from all the homeschool suppliers.

This is the most time-consuming task ahead of you. Just know that there is no “perfect” curriculum. Expect to change  several times throughout your homeschooling years. Try to buy from companies with good return policies and try to preview the materials before purchasing. Many states have homeschool conferences with vendor displays.

4. Read Homeschooling books and start to formulate your homeschooling goals. Will you be homeschooling for religious reasons? To provide a balanced family life? To unschool? To travel?

All these factors will contribute to what you choose to study and how you choose to study each subject. By writing down your goals for each child-you will be more focussed in your home schooling.

5. Jump in and don’t expect to be a perfect home school mom. Home schooling is a big adjustment.  Love your kids, share your love of learning  with them and you will be successful.