If you are a beginner who is starting out in your homeschooling journey, these tips will help you get started and navigate many nuances of homeschooling.
Homeschooling Pros and Cons
There are more than 2 million homeschoolers in the US today, with the numbers rising significantly in 2020 because to the school closures due to the pandemic. Despite the many benefits provided by homeschooling, it can turn out to be an overwhelming experience for both the parents and the students.
There is a constant need to create structure in the learning environment, which can often be a source of frustration for everyone. Students become more prone to missing out on deadlines or falling behind on their assignments. Additionally, there are the mental and emotional challenges of at-home learning.
4 Important Beginner Homeschooling Tips For Parents
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Find out about local homeschooling requirements
Unless your child is being homeschooled as a part of the flexible back-to-school system, you need to find out about the homeschooling requirements of your city or state. If you wish to withdraw completely from your public school, you have to register as an independent homeschooler. Different states have different homeschooling regulations and requirements. You should also connect with homeschooler groups and attend homeschool conventions. Visit https://hslda.org/legal/ to determine the requirements for your state (and consider joining HSLDA to help navigate any issues you run into).
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Create a designated and personalized learning space
One of the most crucial things that you need to do to get a student started with homeschooling is to choose an area in the house where they can study and focus, without any kind of disturbance. They should also be able to use that space to store and organize their books and supplies. Having a designated learning space will prevent chaos and allow your child to stay on task.
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Set the educational goals and decide on the right approaches
The best way to ensure that you and your child remain on the right track all through the homeschooling year is to set measurable goals before you begin. Make a list of long and short term goals. You can also adapt the goals and adjust them as necessary. Depending on your approach, you can follow a standard curriculum or go for a more mixed approach with a formal curriculum as well as informal learning resources.
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Create a daily schedule
Homeschooling does allow for some great flexibility in your child’s learning experience, but the flipside to that is that a lack of a clear structure makes it difficult for them to build a consistent study habit. To keep that from happening, you need to create a schedule that works for you and everyone else in your family and suits your children’s daily habits.
Finding The Right Homeschool Curriculum
Looking for a good homeschool science course for your student(s)? Check out our selection at Berean Builders. We offer various books for homeschool science for middle school, junior high, and senior high grades.