12 Homeschool Tips for Parents

Homeschooling is tough, but it's also so much fun. Homeschool moms are always looking for helpful tips, and these are some I've learned over my years of homeschooling. Whether you're brand new or a veteran, here are 12 homeschool tips to help you on your journey. As you read, it helps to ask yourself three questions: What is working in your homeschool? What is not working? And what have you already tried?

Tips 1–5: The foundations

The first five tips are the heart of a peaceful start, and I cover them in depth in 5 Stress-Free Tips for a New Homeschool Mom. In short:

• Tip 1 — Know your state's homeschool laws. It's legal to homeschool in all 50 states, but each has different requirements. I check HSLDA every year to make sure my state's laws are still the same.
• Tip 2 — Learn what works for you and your children. It's a trial-and-error process of finding your homeschool method, your teaching style, and your children's learning styles.
• Tip 3 — Don't compare yourself to other homeschool moms. What works for one family may not work for yours. Once I stopped comparing, everything changed for the better.
• Tip 4 — Find a homeschool group or support system. It takes a village, and it's for parents as much as for the kids.
• Tip 5 — Find an all-in-one curriculum for your first year. It contains the main subjects and removes so much guesswork.

Tip 6: Keep it short

I've learned over the years that it's better to keep learning in short intervals. Both of my children are the active, play-outside type. When I first started teaching my son, I would teach a skill or subject, then give him a five-minute break to get water, use the restroom, and move around to get the wiggles out — then he'd come back to the table ready for the next part of the lesson. My daughter is more of a sit-down-and-get-it-done child, so I didn't need as many breaks with her, but I still broke it up so she wasn't sitting the entire lesson.

Tip 7: Keep it fun

When you keep learning fun, children are learning — and sometimes they don't even realize it. Kindergartners especially require a lot of one-on-one time, and they don't always have to learn by sitting still or doing a stack of boring worksheets.

Tip 8: Be patient

As a homeschool mom, I've heard so many people say, "I don't have the patience to homeschool," or "You must have a lot of patience." We're all human and have our good days and bad days, just like our children. Being patient when teaching is so important — if you get aggravated or frustrated, your children will pick up on it and feel the same way. If you start to feel that way, take a break. Flexibility is the best part of homeschooling; you can do what works best for you and your children.

Tip 9: Feed your child a healthy breakfast

I know — seriously?! But I've found over the years that a healthy breakfast makes a huge difference in my children's ability to do their schoolwork. Here's a real example: if I feed my son yogurt loaded with sugar, that sugar makes him more fidgety and less focused. If I feed him a cheese omelet, he's less fidgety and more focused. It's just a fact I've learned from teaching him over the years.

Tip 10: Understand deschooling

Deschooling is the transition period when a child leaves a structured school and moves to more relaxed schooling at home. It affects both the child and the parents, and it can be a difficult, confusing time as you both discover your new normal. It boils down to patience and understanding, and it won't happen overnight — but it won't last forever, either. (I go deeper in What Is Deschooling?)

Tip 11: Know the qualifications

According to the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), most states do not require parent qualifications to homeschool. But 11 states require a high school diploma, GED, college credits, or completion of a homeschool study course: Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

Tip 12: Try gameschooling

Gameschooling is when a board game is used to help a child learn a particular skill or subject. It's a fun way for kids to learn and enjoy themselves at the same time, and some families gameschool instead of using a curriculum for a given subject. (Learn more in What Is Gameschooling?)

I hope these 12 homeschool tips give you some fun ideas to add to your homeschool!

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Small changes, big difference

You don't have to overhaul everything at once. Try one or two of these tips this week — keep a lesson short, add a healthy breakfast, or slip in a learning game — and notice the difference. For the deeper dive on the foundations, read 5 Stress-Free Tips for a New Homeschool Mom, and grab the free starter checklist below.