Homeschool in 2020? Here are 10 Tips of Encouragement.

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We are diving into another year of homeschooling and although we fully chose to homeschool six years ago, I realize that many are making that hard choice this 2020 school year due to COVID-19. Mom’s have reached out to me a little overwhelmed at this last minute decision and wondering not only how to get started, but no idea what homeschooling looks like. I’m sharing these 10 Tips of Encouragement to give you confidence and excitement as you start your homeschool year! Please feel free to add to this conversation with questions or other encouragement in the comment section or you can always email me findingfaithsfuture (@) gmail (dot) com or follow along on Instagram.

1. State Requirements

Every state is different as far as what is required. We live in Indiana and currently the only thing we are required to homeschool is to keep an attendance record for the required 180 days of school. It also states that children are not required to start their education until they are age 7.

Some states may require you to meet with someone to go over your curriculum, file a formal letter with your school district, etc. Here is a resource for homeschool laws in all 50 States, but you should cross reference it on your states government website (printing it out is a good idea also!) since that article is dated 2017.

2. How Does Your Child Learn?

You may not even stop and think about this, just as I didn’t initially until our second child began schooling. They learn different; my oldest loves to read and can grasp many things just by reading whereas my second student is a typical boy that grasp learning more with hands on activity. If he isn’t understanding a math concept initially and before frustration can take over, simply switching his mind by using hands on items like dried beans can help him understand better than trying to write out in different ways. Trust me when I say things can go a lot smoother to homeschool when you can recognize not every student learns in the same way.

3. Homeschooling is Not School at Home

What I mean by this is we don’t sit at our table for 6-8 hours a day ‘doing’ school. Right now (5th grade, 4rd grade, 1st grade) homeschool takes less than 3 hours to do. We do have workbooks, but we also have read alouds, singing, sign language, exercise breaks and life skills. It also gives the children/students to pursue their own interests in the afternoon- sewing, cooking, searching for bugs outside, playing games, fort building, YouTube videos and yes an occasional movie!

4. Don’t Buy a Box Curriculum

Thankfully I have not fallen into that trap. … I do know there are people that enjoy an open and go curriculum, but no one I actually know (in real life) uses one.

If you are interested I suggest buying second hand or trying out pieces of the curriculum before committing to it, as they can get expensive.

5. Easy Homeschool?

The first year I homeschooled I was overwhelmed by all the different theories, curriculum, and opinion on the “right” way to homeschool. I decided to simply google what my daughter would learn in a public school during kindergarten and simply pieced together curriculum based on that list. That came in the form of workbooks from Target dollar spot, flashcards, dry erase work boards, and craft supplies.

6. Give Them a Challenge.

It took me a couple years for me to learn this! Kids are creative and innovative. Give them a lego challenge, coloring contest, have them draw a scene from your read aloud book. Challenge them to create a new game using what they learned in math, supply them with items and have a ‘craft afternoon.’

7. Teach them life skills.

Now is the perfect time to incorporate teaching them life skills within your homeschool! How to change the oil, money lessons, cooking, baking, a small sewing project (my girls enjoyed sewing aprons last year), yardwork, gardening, growing flowers, taking apart something to figure out why it isn’t working. So many options- start with the life skills you wish you were taught!

8. Read.

So many good books to encourage their minds. The older, classic books are so rich with description than the Amelia Bedelia book sitting on my shelf. Some books we have enjoyed are Anne of Green Gables, Narnia series starting with the first book, The Tale of Despereaux, A Wrinkle in Time, The Lighthouse Family series, Charlotte’s Web, Little House on the Praire; there’s a few options to look into 🙂

9. Frustration WILL Happen.

Just like parenting, there definitely will be days your student (or yourself) will be frustrated. Possibly multiple times some days. There may be tears and screaming. .. Remember that even though you think they wouldn’t necessarily act out like that in a public school setting, you are their safe space, which means they feel okay to (over)react in some situations because it’s YOU.

When this happens, feel free to take a break and come back. You can immediately switch gears into another lesson, it’s okay! Sometimes if the frustration is day after day say, during math, the maybe it is because they are not understanding how you are trying to teach it. Instead of using paper and pencil for their lesson, get out some dried beans, or a dry erase board and try to teach your homeschool lesson from a different angle.

10. Let Them Explore.

Let them catch bugs in the yard to examine. Go on walks. Let them take their shoes off in the creek. Do a nature study on their favorite animal. Buy a monthly subscription to National Geographic Kids.

Bonus Tip: Enforce Quiet Time!

Enforcing quiet time is still something we are trying to incorporate as a daily practice. But I will tell you, being at home every day, all day, we need it.

Quiet time could be whatever time works for you. I like afternoons personally. It gives everyone space, uninterrupted time to use as they wish, time for ME to work on a project or dinner prep, or phone calls. Couple of favorite things of my kids is playing Legos or dolls while listening to an audiobook. Another thing they enjoy is drawing or crafting.