Thinking about beginning your homeschooling journey but aren’t sure how to start? It may feel intimidating at first, but these five simple steps will help you get started without any extra stress.

Step 1: Do your research to decide if this is the right choice for you
Step 2: Find a great curriculum
Step 3: Create a schedule and plan you feel confident following
Step 4: Connect with other homeschooling parents
Step 5: Get started!

Continue reading below to learn more about all of the steps above. Or, contact the experts at EZ-Teach to find out how you can get started with the very best curriculum.

Homeschooling: How To Start

Step 1: Do your research to decide if this is the right choice for you

Homeschooling is a big decision for you and your entire family. It requires a commitment to a different sort of lifestyle and may require you to create big changes, such as a change to your work schedule or a decision to become a stay-at-home parent full time.

The Coalition For Responsible Home Education (CRHE) lists a few questions that parents should consider to help them decide if homeschooling is the right choice for their family, including:

Do you want to provide your child with an alternative education experience?
Do you feel that conventional schooling is not a good fit for your child?
If your child is old enough, have they expressed a desire to be homeschooled?
Do you personally love education, teaching, and learning?
Are you or another parent home full time?
Are you able to put the effort into facilitating your child’s social life?

To see more questions and considerations, check this great resource from the CRHE.

While some people may initially think of homeschooling as an easy alternative to the public school system, homeschooling does require a lot of effort from the parent(s) who will be the primary teacher.

As well, conventional schooling has many opportunities for children to learn from experienced teachers and engage in social activities and extracurriculars.

There are a variety of ways that parents can choose to do homeschooling.

These things are entirely possible for homeschooled kids to enjoy too, it just requires time and effort on the parent’s part to learn how to effectively teach, and facilitate opportunities for regular social interaction.

As well, there are resources that parents can use, such as online teaching sessions and online school, that allow for a homeschool environment with additional teaching from others aside from the parents. Co-ops also allow parents to teach together and provide frequent social interaction with the same group of children.

If you have done your research and still feel that homeschool is right for you, continue reading on to the next step below! If you have done your research and decided that maybe this isn’t a good fit for you or your children, don’t fret! Homeschooling is not the only option for alternative schooling.

There are private schools, Montessori schools, and many other options if you would still like to explore alternative. Click here to learn more.

Step 2: Find a great curriculum

If you have decided to pursue homeschooling, the next thing you will want to do is find a curriculum that you love and can work with. If you do a search for “homeschool curriculum” you will probably find yourself overwhelmed with so many results!

Finding the right curriculum can be a challenge because there is just so much out there, it can feel overwhelming trying to wade through it all.

Before you start searching for a curriculum, consider the following questions to help you narrow down your options:

As an educator, what do you hope to teach your child and what goals do you have?
What do your children need and are there any special considerations you have to make?
What is your homeschooling style and philosophy?
What is your preferred teaching method (e.g. books, online resources, etc)
What is your budget for purchasing a curriculum?

Once you have found your personal homeschooling philosophy and preferences, thought about your goals, considered your child’s unique needs, and narrowed down a budget, you will have an easier time finding a curriculum that works for you as the teaching parent and your children.

If your province or area makes it available, you can also take a look at your area’s particular curriculum guidelines if you would like to follow along with what is taught in public schools. For example, Ontario makes the Kindergarten - Grade 12 curriculum available for parents to see and provides resources to use.

You can also use online resources like EZ-Teach to find excellent resources and curriculums from quality teachers and professionals.

Step 3: Create a schedule and plan you feel confident following

Once you have a curriculum you plan to use and feel comfortable with, you can start making a homeschool schedule. Some teaching parents prefer to follow a loose schedule and let their child primarily lead the way. Others prefer to have a set schedule for topics and activities. Other parents do a bit of both!

The best thing about homeschooling is that the day is completely up to you. You don’t have to follow a traditional 9am- 3pm school schedule. You can spend hours outdoors, take an impromptu trip to the museum, integrate swimming lessons, or visit the library regularly as part of your weekly schedule - and so much more.

A homeschool planner can help you plan your days, weeks, and year.

Homeschooling allows for amazing flexibility for both parents and children. However, it is important that no matter how you plan to teach, you stay organized throughout the day.

Homeschooling is a lot of work. While it is so rewarding, it does require organizational skills to ensure your child gets the most out of homeschooling and to ensure you don’t burn yourself out.

There are many ways you can help yourself stay organized. You can choose a homeschool planner, one that has specifically been designed with homeschooling parents in mind. If you prefer working on the computer, you can create a simple schedule using Google Sheets or Excel.

No matter what you choose, make sure you pick something you feel comfortable using so that you won’t have a steep learning curve and end up giving up. You want to make sure your schedule and the method you choose to plan feels simple and easy - homeschooling is tiring enough!

Step 4: Connect with other homeschooling parents

Sometimes, homeschooling can feel a little bit lonely for parents who choose to teach - especially when you’re just getting started. The good news is that more parents than ever are homeschooling now, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite schools opening back up, many parents have decided to continue homeschooling and have chosen alternative schooling for their kids.

Since homeschooling has become more popular, there are more ways for homeschooling parents to connect with one another.

Homeschooling: How To Start - Connecting with other teaching parents online can help you build a strong community and get great resources.

One way is through online communities. Online homeschool communities are an amazing way to connect with others from all walks of life - those who have just begun their homeschooling journey and those who have done it for 15 years!

Teaching parents can share stories, troubleshoot common issues, discuss curriculums, and even decide to meet in person if it is a local online community.

If you would like to regularly meet with other local homeschoolers, you can choose to get involved in a homeschooling co-op. Every co-op is different, but many will meet a few times a week and provide great opportunities for socialization - for both your kids and for you!

Step 5: Get started!

You’ve put all that work into researching, getting the best curriculum, connecting with other homeschoolers, and creating a thorough schedule … now what?

It can be tempting to wait until the “perfect” time to start. Just one more week of planning. Just one more month to get everything ready to go. But there will never be the perfect time to start, so once you feel you’ve done all that you can, just dive right in!

If your kids are already in public school and you are making the transition to homeschool, you will probably want to wait until a natural transition (such as after summer break) to begin.

However, if you are planning to homeschool due to difficulties in your children’s current school, you should start as soon as you feel is best.

If your kids are not in school yet, you may want to wait until September (or whenever school begins in your area) so that you follow along with the traditional schedule. Or, you may want to just start as soon as you feel ready, whenever that may be!

There is no perfect time, just the right time for you and your family. As soon as you think you and your kids are ready, go for it!

EZ-Teach Provides The Best Resources For Homeschooling Parents

If you are wondering how to start homeschooling but feel stuck, EZ-Teach can help. At EZ-Teach, we’re committed to enriching education and helping you choose the very best homeschool curriculum for your needs and your child’s needs.

We offer unique resources that help connect parents to teachers with great curriculum, connect students to amazing teachers, and help homeschool parents get the support that they need. To learn more, contact us now!

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Homeschooling: How To Start In 5 Easy Steps