Should I homeschool my child?
Of course, you know I’m going to tell you that you should. (You’re reading a homeschool blog.)
Having said that, you want to explore the pros and the cons, the benefits, and the disadvantages.
So I’m going to give you straight talk to the question: should I homeschool my child?
There are so many reasons that someone might be drawn to homeschooling:
your child is dealing with bullying issues at schoolthe school isn’t addressing your child’s needsthey won’t accommodate your family’s travel plansthe school won’t accommodate your family valuesgrades and traditional educational approaches don’t make sense to youyou don’t like pandemic restrictionsor do you want more pandemic restrictionsyou want to spend more time with kids, especially when they’re youngerthe school environment is not amenable to your specific childyou feel like you kid give your child a stronger academic educationthe idea of your child creating their self-directed education is super valuable to youyou don’t like how your child is being influenced at schooland the other reason I haven’t mentioned here…Watch the “9 Mistakes to Avoid a Stressful 1st Year of Homeschooling” Webinar
1. One of the most compelling questions I’ve heard in considering whether you should homeschool your child is this: do you like spending time with your kids?
One would think that the answer would be yes, but that really isn’t always the case.
(And the only person who can answer that question honestly is you!)
Wanting to be with your kids will be highly necessary as you spend a good chunk of time with them.
Just so you know, you don’t spend all your time with your kids though.
Turns out, you don’t spend nearly as much time doing academic things, even if you approach your homeschool very traditionally.
And turns out, you have other things to do, like household stuff and errands and groceries, and volunteer stuff, or a job if you have one.
(You’re not actually spending all your time with your kiddos).
And then you start driving them hither and yon and nurturing their interests and then they’re definitely not always with you, because they’re at a playdate, or youth group, or part-time job, or lessons, or practice, or any of the bajillion things homeschool kids do.
But when you are with them, and you’re obviously signing up to be with them, do you WANT to be with them???
Should you homeschool your child? What is your first thought?
Because girlfriend, if you don’t know now, you’re gonna find out.
However, if you do know, and you don’t like the answer, you’re gonna feel that answer a whole lot more deeply than you do now.
2. Even if you answer yes to that question, another compelling question: how do you interact with the frustrations you have as a parent?
All that time you have with your kids means you’ll be seeing yourself a whole lot more clearly, and sometimes you’re not looking so pretty.
Now, two thoughts:
From one homeschool mama to another, I’m not trying to shame you. I want you to feel free, confident, and satisfied in your homeschool (just like I wanted for myself all these years). And shame doesn’t accomplish anything. But it is a universal truth: all homeschool parents have to come to terms with their ugly sides. And from one homeschool mama to another, you can do something about that ugly side. (You see, though it is very uncomfortable at times, addressing “your stuff”, it’s also a lovely opportunity to grow, learn, and become who you were meant to be).So expect to deal with your stuff head-on.
3. But I’m not a teacher and other ideas we need to shed…
But of course, you’re not a teacher.
Unless you are because it seems to me I’ve met an awful lot of teachers through my podcast forays. Here are a few:
Confidently Homeschooling Differently Wired Kiddos (& Taking Care of Us too) with Colleen KesslerBust Homeschool Myths, So We Can Be Confident & Happy with Alison MorrowHow to Address Your Big Emotions with Christine DixonCreate a Love of Learning, No Matter your Children’s Learning ChallengesWhy Homeschool High School is Better than We Thought with Mary Hanna WilsonSo do you have to go to teacher college?
No! You don’t need to try to be a schoolteacher.
You’re not teaching a schoolroom of anonymous children. You’re engaging your children and facilitating an education for each of your kids.
This is also why I don’t like the word “school” in homeschool. Your home is not a school.
Think of yourself as a facilitator or a learning consultant, not a teacher.
Guide to your 1st Year Homeschool
A few tips when engaging your kids in a regular homeschool day:
Siblings can help siblings. Think outside the workbook, grades, and testing box: you don’t actually need them.Think outside school subjects.Encourage independent study.Strew. (A borrowed concept from the unschooling world, randomly place interesting resources around the house that your child may find.)Recognize learning opportunities and pursue them.To the New Homeschool Mama…
Teach your own, really?
I taught a homeschool co-op class of twenty 8 to 14-year-olds. We discussed Africa.
So, I asked my teacher-turned-homeschool-mom friend to teach me everything she knows about classroom management in five minutes, ha. (She was a schoolteacher before her homeschool days).
Turns out, classroom management skills weren’t required because the kids were astute and engaged.
The only chattering I heard was from my own daughters, and with one fell swoop of their names spoken in the presence of their peers, they were magically quietened.
The second most common question I’ve been asked, next to the ‘S’ question, is “Are you a certified teacher”?
Originally, I was told that teachers know everything they need to know to teach kids. And I don’t know everything there is to know about everything.
(PS I’ve heard firsthand from teachers that they don’t know everything.)
In fact, I’ll tell you that I learned basic arithmetic right alongside my oldest daughter because some of it I didn’t grasp in school.
Now that we’ve been homeschooling for a few years, I’ve learned there are many things I didn’t learn in school.
(I just didn’t realize I didn’t learn them and turns out I survived just fine without them.)
My goal in my homeschool co-op class was to keep the kids’ attention and discuss a topic in which they may or may not have had an interest.
One of the reasons for attending this class may have been: mom decreed it.
Or I have been interested in my own topic: all things Africa as we traveled to rural Kenya in the last few months.
There may have been no interest.
I might have been boring the class silly, but they didn’t tell me.
I didn’t have enough time in the group to get to know these kids to see if they cared.
Teaching my own is not so difficult.
Even with my own kids, teaching my own takes some figuring and intentional observing.
Naturally, I’m motivated.
I care that they learn. …that their interests grow.I care that their understanding expands.…and that their ability to communicate blossoms.So I’m as intent as a mama with a preschooler helping him sound out letters of words or learning to potty train.
If I don’t know something, I find a book, Google, or YouTube it.
Of course, John Holt’s encouragement that I can teach my own helps too.
Knowledge is found at the tap of a finger.
In my Friday morning homeschool co-op class, I kept sharing my experiences and learning about Africa, I engaged them with questions, I incorporated a few stories, with photos and videos, and lightened the topic with a few games.
But at the end of that class, it’ll be their mamas who know their kids, will discover more of their curiosities, and will again, most assuredly and capably, teach their own.
Book a consultation to discuss a concern about your homeschool choice
4. What if I miss something?
You’ll realize you invested a whole lotta time in your firstborn’s education, they’ll begin conjugating Latin verbs, learning violin at five, and you’ll learn that your youngest child hasn’t had his letter sounds explained to him before he’s six.
Will you let me discuss gaps with you?
These infamous things called gaps: what even are they?
Gaps.
The word suggests there’s something missing.Someone forgot something.Maybe someone didn’t catch all the details the first time, or the second time, the quadrillionth time.Someone’s missing something.(Or if you’re thinking about the latest fashion trends with reasonable prices, from a place called The Gap, that’s not what we’re talking about here).
Straight up, I don’t believe there is an education out there that doesn’t have gaps.
It’s not a thing.
There are no children anywhere who make it through…
public school,private school,tutorship,Sudbury school,Waldorf school,Montessori school,homeschool,law school or medical school,or any school whatsoever that doesn’t have a gap.We all have gaps.
That is why none of us is capable of writing about every topic on Wikipedia.Or why none of us is consulted for everything.That is why none of us declare ourselves to be as knowledgeable as God.This is why ALL of us consult the Google bar.
Or DuckDuckGo. Whichever you prefer.
We ALL, and I mean ALL, have gaps.
I share a story about how I came to understand preventing educational gaps isn’t my responsibility as a homeschool mama here: What about Gaps in my Child’s Home Education?
Book a consultation with Teresa, the Homeschool Life Coach
5. Will I be able to find the perfect curriculum?
Oh you’ll admire many of them. (If you can afford all of them).
But you’ll discover as we veteran homeschool mamas discover…
You might like it, but your kiddo doesn’t.Someone, maybe you, spent a lotta money on curriculum and you don’t like it.You liked it for a time but discovered you didn’t want to finish it.Here are 3 guidelines for choosing homeschool curriculum…
Tips on where to find curriculum:
The same place everyone gets stuff, book stores, online, the library, or friends.Ask about favourite homeschool curriculum on a Facebook page will garner oodles of opinions. Word of mouth is a powerful sales agent.What you like might not be what your friends like or what your kids like…or what just one of your kids likes. Lots of experimenting is involved.Even the most exciting curriculum gets boring by the middle of November or the beginning of February.And if you buy lots of curriculum you’ll feel like you have to use it, so if you can not buy it, that is good.Be ye encouraged: the perfect curriculum will not be found, because it doesn’t exist.
If there is no magical curriculum, how do you choose it?
If you’re not locked into a prescribed program of learning, I suggest three principles for choosing it.
1. Follow their interests.
Easiest way to get someone engaged in writing or math or any subject is to pursue their interests.Do you have a kiddo Minecrafting? There are writing prompts for that. There are math games for that. There are history books used in conjunction as building prompts. There’s even an online school for that!Sometimes your kiddo likes mixing stuff together. (Watch out kitchen!) Chemistry experiment books and experiment sets, and slime sets abound for such a purpose. We have purchased this one twice and used it three times.If I had to sell anything, it would be Usborne products, because they would sell themselves. Their format, vocabulary, and illustrations are excellent entry resources for any subject area from chemistry to Shakespeare, Roman history to US presidents.An interest in history? Have you seen the Kingfisher Encyclopedias? The Usborne On-Line Encyclopedias? The Horrible History DVD series?If your kiddo has an interest, there’s always a resource for that.
2. Follow your interests.
Who says homeschool needs to focus only on the interests of the child? Homeschool is a family affair.If you’re passionate about gardening and writing, like I am, incorporate your interests. For years, I’ve included my kids in spring planting. They’ve grown to not love it. Yes, I said not love it. When they were little, planting and harvesting oodles of carrots, and digging in the dirt was a delight. This is less so as they grew older. But they get to be with me in my element. They learned by osmosis all the things I read or practice. (But now I have a quiet space).Football and baseball, all things Canadian and American politics, Broadway theatre and presidential history are my husband’s passions. At bedtime and breakfast, in transit or at campfire, our kids have had all manners of discussions or games about these topics with him. In his own words, “You need your own savvy, and then share your savvy (with your kids), and let your kids do things with you.”No matter the interest, you can spend a few minutes a day engaging your topics of interest.When they watch you passionately engaging in your interests, they will see that learning continues throughout a lifetime.
3. Trust that the way they like to learn is the right way to learn.
Which will greatly influence your choice of curriculum. And frankly, make your life easier because if they’re engaged, learning is a whole lot easier.I was primarily taught in a lecture, record, study, regurgitate approach. Most of us were.These modes of learning have their place. Being told something, writing something on paper, reviewing it, and being quizzed on it have their place in learning.We have all been taught we have preferences in learning styles, but Tesia Marshik believes the notion of learning styles is a myth.
Barbara Oakley gives insight in how we learn to learn…
Learning about learning helps me learn how my kids might be learning. And learning about learning might be more important than time spent perusing curriculum choices.How does all this influence our curriculum choices? You will know. Watch your kids. Ask your kids. Trust your instincts. Continue to learn from them what is useful and what is not.
Teresa Wiedrick, author of Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer
Follow your children’s interests, follow your interests, and learn how they learn.
If you want to Deschool your Schooled Mindset, use this workbook
6. Is it even legal?
But the legal nomenclature (wording, expectations, requirements) around homeschooling in each state, province, or country is different.
If you’re living in Canada…
British ColumbiaOntarioYukonNova ScotiaSaskatchewanAlbertaPrince Edward IslandNewfoundland & LabradorNorthwest TerritoriesNunavutNew BrunswickManitobaQuebecAnd if you’re living in United States…
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingIf you’re in another part of the world and want to learn if it’s legal where you reside, please contact me.
7. But what about socialization?
Teaching kindness to our kids IS socialization.
Be it Muslim or Christian, Shambhala Buddhist or Hindu, most of us, minus an occasional psychopath, aspire to teach our kids to be kind to one another (arguably, the most important lesson in socialization).
Teaching kindness is learning to treat each other as we would have others treat us.
Be patient in cafe line-ups.To not cut lines.We teach our kids to understand their siblings’ perspectives, even if they’re frustrating them.Teach them how to speak kindly.We teach them how to argue respectfully.And teach them to listen and not to interrupt.We teach them they should be listened to & that they have something to say.
Social opportunities aren’t the same as socialization.
Attend youth groups and religious observances,Sports activities, art and music lessons,Attend birthday parties and Christmas socials, summer camps and family BBQs, Have visits at the lake with friends, and vacations and trips around the world,…these are social opportunities.
And our homeschooled kids get plenty of ’em. In fact, they get more because they usually have more time in the day to attend to them.
That schooled six hours a day, five days a week, nine months a year, class of twenty-five?
There’s no magic sauce in teaching kids socialization there.
Learning to be productive citizens of their society, charitable and community-focused, we help to tailor an education that enables our children to be who they were meant to become and contribute meaningfully.
Teresa Wiedrick, author of Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer
But know this, by far, the most difficult aspect of socialization is teaching our children, not by the words we use, the consequences we respond with when we’re trying to teach them to do things differently, or deciding how to help them learn kindness, but rather recognizing that they’re not taught by our words, but lessons and attitudes caught by our lives.
This is socialization.
Book a consultation to discuss your concerns about your specific scenario
8. I have a part-time job: can it be done even then?
From experience, working from home while homeschooling, I’ve learned these things:
You need to be realistic with your expectations around your work,Realistic with your expectations around how you’re homeschooling, andYou need to ask yourself regularly: is it working for you?I don’t think you should assume…
My child is old enough to independently do their homeschooling efforts independently.Or I’ll try to get my child independently do their homeschool stuff so I can work on my own.I’m able to do my work after my kids’ needs are satisfied. (They’re kids, they’ll always want you and need you).I’ll find a way to do a traditional homeschool approach and then move into my work after that’s done. (That might just be unrealistic in your energy expenditure.If you’re looking for guidance from a homeschool life coach and mentor, you are welcome to join me in a discussion on your unique scenario here:
So I gave you the straight talk about why you will find homeschooling challenging.
Now to the stuff that will bolster your choice to just do it:
Connect with me to answer more questions
So what are the benefits to homeschool?
1. Freedom.
A whole lot of freedoms as homeschool families…
We have the freedom to…
Choose your schedule.Decide your community.Teach your kids your values.Understand your kids.Connect with your kids.Choose an individualized education. Have a whole lotta fun with our kids.Develop our interests.And develop our kids’ interests and encourage their passions.Maintain close connections with each of our kids.Get clearer on what we want in our families and in our lives.Freedom comes at a cost though.
The homeschool parenting experience is saturated, both the really good and the really challenging aspects.
(You know I don’t have to tell you this if you’re already a homeschooler.)
Other than having to face our character flaws continuously and address them at lightning speeds, this homeschool lifestyle is loaded with freedom.
Sandwiched on both sides.
Permeated with the osmolality of a water molecule dropped with gentian violet.
You get the point: homeschooling is saturated with freedom.
2. Encouraging an individualized education.
There need be no standard education, when there is no standard child to teach.
If our world was filled with individuals who fulfilled their internal and unique purpose, our world wouldn’t be such a high-wired, boastingly busy, unhappily exhausted, materialistically focused, letter-after-your-name striving, and treadmill-oriented.
We’d all know each other more authentically. We would not have to strive after meaning because we would intrinsically know we were born into it and meant to follow the thing inside of us that needed to be manifested in our practical world.
And of course, we’d all be happier.
My goal is to provide my particular child, with his varying penchants and aptitudes, to have a personalized education.
3. Homeschooling is fun.
This might have been my biggest learning curve in homeschool: learning to incorporate fun.
It took me years to learn how to have fun.
I’ll share 15 ways to incorporate fun into your homeschool.
I’ve probably been motivated by these reasons:
Kids get bored of routine.I get bored of routine.All those fun Pinterest board activities are lonely.Oh, and because I’ve discovered that changing up the routine actually increases the kids’ interest, comprehension, and retention.I’ve learned to make fun part of our weekly routine as we dedicate Friday to Funday.
Learn more about coaching options
4. It gives you an education.
It’s not just your kiddos that are gaining an education. You will learn a whole lot of things. (That you may have missed in your conventional education or because you had no interest in them until now).
Things I’ve learned:
the relevance of the Pythagorean theorem as I helped build the goat barn with my son,how to do double-digit subtraction,and adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions,the grammatical parts of a sentence (despite writing for years, I had no idea!)what an article is, “a” and “an” (a piece of info I still don’t need to know IMO),phonetic rules and why learning them as a homeschool mama makes it easier to engage my child in learning to read without teaching the phonetic rules,Minecraft is educational,why allowing my child to build a lapbook on the Titanic is educational too,encouraging violin lessons is self-torture for the homeschool mama,every child is different, they don’t learn the same, they don’t listen the same, they don’t always want to listen, they don’t have similar interests, sometimes working together as a family works for history or science and sometimes it doesn’t,sometimes seasons of unschooling work and sometimes seasons of classical homeschool works too,that my kids will learn things that I’ll never learn, they’ll be the experts in our family, andreading a wide variety of genres makes a widely thinking person.Mama has the freedom to learn with her kids.
Math wasn’t intuitive, and the school didn’t help clarify enough of it for me. I may have been the meme originator of “Math, solve your own problems”. I have a higher tolerance for math problems these days. My brain is more math-plastic.
As many subjects as my children have been exposed to, I have been as well. Plate tectonics, ancient history, periodic table of elements, geology, forensic science, physics, and Canadian history. This paragraph could be endless.
Obviously, I didn’t begin homeschooling to increase my IQ or prevent dementia. One of the anticipated goals of homeschooling is that our kids would reap the benefit of a rounded, individualized, brain-expanding education.
Turns out, we homeschool mamas get that too.
5. It gives your kids an individualized education, setting them up for living a life on purpose.
How does your child learn?
What do I want them to learn?To be independent thinkers?To coexist in the world harmoniously, kindly, and responsibly?Find the things they enjoy doing that bring them purpose and bring their communities value.To find a way to make an income doing the things they enjoy?Not one box out there will fit my homeschool family or even fit one of my kids.
And that’s why I know that there is no box out there that will fit yours either.
But what is our homeschool goal?
Not to find a comfy box, but rather, to create an education and an atmosphere conducive to growth and expansion for our specific children.
How to do that?
There is no easy formula. There is no one-size-fits-all.
Which makes this whole homeschool thing highly individualized.
What gets in our way?
Often our preconceived notions about what we think we need in order to create that home education.Our preconceived notions about what an education is anyway.And also others’ preconceived notions about education too.So let’s unpack that all, get clear on what we really think, and determine how we want our homeschools to reflect our real homeschool kids.
Let’s deschool our homeschools & create learning opportunities in our homes so they can live their lives on purpose.
6. It gives you a lifetime of family memories.
Let’s help our homeschool kids spend their time wisely, so they have meaningful childhood memories and they learn to live their lives on purpose.
Parenting is short-lived. That’s a statement that doesn’t always feel true.
It gives you more time, not less, to do things your family actually wants to do (& you too).
Time moves quickly after having a few children. Not so in the first year after my first child’s birth.
She was gorgeous. I was never more excited to wake up each morning except in those days. Except that I was too tired to wake up each of those mornings. She was adorable for a reason: because if she weren’t, the effort would have been too much.
My first daughter didn’t want to sleep but was desperate for it. She didn’t want to be put down but wasn’t soothed by being carried all day. It was a bracing introduction to parenting. A. Lot. Of. Work.
But she was a beautiful baby.
Despite not having a digital camera to capture all the moments (there were no digital options when she was born), I took an incredible number of photos (that I also developed at the Walmart camera department). Kodakifying each moment seemed realistic. I even scrapbooked every last photo for my first. Everything about that first year was magical.
It also felt like one long night. Time can slow to a snail’s pace when you’re not sleeping.
Then magically, she’s all grown up, backpack slung on her back, and zooming out the door to drive to the airport where she’s spending five months traveling around Mexico.
How do we help our kids live their lives on purpose?
So, invest your kids’ time, don’t just spend it.
What do we want them to remember? What do we want them to learn?
Their childhood doesn’t have to be reflected in our culture’s attachment to reading semi-useful info tidbits, then regurgitating those tidbits for standardized tests.
We can teach our children to live life on purpose, explore their interests, and find meaningful work now.
You don’t have to begin alone, connect with me
It gives you so much time to create a family dynamic that you want.
(Having said that, I don’t mean that you can control the outcome of that family dynamic. It won’t take long to discover you’re not the overseer of a strategic chess game. Oh, you can seriously influence the atmosphere. You can show up on purpose for yourself and those you love. But your kids are independent operators, arriving in this world and your family with personalities that you don’t determine and can’t make to be something other than they are.)
Having said THAT, you get to deeply influence the energy of your family.
What you value, what you actually value, not what you say you value, will be deeply imparted to your kids. (More is caught than taught).
If you value hard work, they will too.When you value hard play, creative, spontaneous, present play, they’ll know how to do that too.If you value non-judgmental energy toward the neighbours who don’t think as you do, or family that don’t think as you do, your kids will learn that too.Notice that when you want to create a community of authentic, supportive connection, they’ll feel surrounded by authenticity and support and engage the same way with their communities.If you value harmony and making others feel understood, seen, and heard, you’ll see them value those things, and engage in them too.We get to create a family dynamic that deeply infuses our children’s world.
It allows you to hone your values and share them with your family.
I don’t know about you, but the values I thought I had at the beginning of family life and what they are now, after twenty-five years, aren’t the same.
I’ve grown. My husband has grown.
Obviously, my children have grown.
What homeschooling allows is a whole lotta space and time to experiment with a variety of values and ways of being.
It encourages you to build boundaries with relationships.
The space and time to experiment with a variety of values that feel like they genuinely reflect who I am encourage me to be aligned with authentic relationships that genuinely reflect who I am too.
Are the relationships that are surrounding me and my family consistent or aligned with who we are?
Do they function in a way that reflects who I am?
I don’t have to have a phone quickly accessible to anyone who wants to call me at any time of the day. I can be available when I choose to be available. (And not always be available to anyone).
Having my screen next to me while I am in my homeschool day is a large distraction to me being present with my kids.
I come to understand that certain friendships aren’t really serving me or my family and I need to create an honest connection there, not trying to appease anyone who wants to be in contact with me just because they want to be with me.
Do they serve me? Can I serve them from the truest parts of me?
Do the activities I include in my homeschool routine reflect who me and my kids are? Or are we doing them because other people think we should?
Am I homeschooling in a way that reflects us or the wider community in that we live? And does that wider community want us to be like them so they don’t feel threatened by differences OR can I be who I actually am and encourage my kids to be who they actually are?
Do I have a true, non-defensive response to the family’s questions about my choice to homeschool? Or a random stranger’s questions too?
Homeschooling helps to build our independent muscles and eke out our boundaries.
It allows you to focus in on who you are and what you’re all about.
Building those boundaries and clarifying our values helps us become stronger in learning who we are and what we’re all about.
Yay! An unexpected benefit to this homeschool lifestyle.
You naturally encourage your kids to do the same!
Which allows you to get clear on what you want in life and what you don’t.
Thereby encouraging you to show up on purpose in your homeschool and life.
And living your life on purpose!
Are you kidding? So homeschooling isn’t just about creating a school in the four walls of your home?
There are so many benefits to this homeschool lifestyle, so much freedom, so much opportunity to become more you, to live your life on purpose, and encourage your kids to do that too how could you NOT homeschool your kids?
So should you homeschool your kids?
And welcome to homeschooling!
The New Homeschooler’s Quick Guide: 9 Mistakes to Avoid for a Stress-Free First Year
“The New Homeschooler’s Quick Guide: 9 Mistakes to Avoid for a Stress-Free First Year” will help you confidently begin your homeschooling journey! This Quick Guide, crafted by an experienced homeschool parent, is your roadmap to a successful start.
– Strategies to navigate legal requirements and curriculum choices
– Tips for balancing family life with homeschooling
– Insights on creating personalized learning routines
– Advice on managing family dynamics
– Confident responses to common homeschool questions
Perfect for new homeschoolers or those in their early years, this guide addresses real concerns like socialization, patience, and unrealistic expectations. Learn to trust your instincts, embrace flexibility, and celebrate progress.
Don’t let doubt hold you back. With practical advice and encouraging wisdom, you’ll build a strong foundation for a fulfilling homeschool experience. Welcome to the rewarding world of homeschooling—you’ve got this, girlfriend!
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I help overwhelmed homeschool mamas shed what’s not working in their homeschool & life, so they can show up authentically, purposefully, and confidently in their homeschool & life.
Book a no-obligation conversation with Teresa
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9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them)
August 13, 2025
Top Tips for New Homeschool Moms in Season 3
August 11, 2025
5 Challenges Working Homeschool Moms Face—And How to Overcome Them
August 5, 2025
How to Manage Overstimulation as a Homeschool Mom
July 30, 2025
Reclaim You: Rediscover Life Beyond the Homeschool Mom Role
July 22, 2025
A Summer Reset for Homeschool Moms: The Secret to a More Peaceful Year Ahead
July 15, 2025
How to Help Reluctant Writers: Julie Bogart on Homeschool Writing
July 7, 2025
7 Ways Brené Rescued Me from One of those Homeschool Days
June 30, 2025
Morning Affirmations for Homeschool Mama: A Simple Practice for You to Parent with Intention
June 24, 2025
5 Overlooked Mistakes That Are Stressing You Out as a Homeschool Mom (& How to Fix Them)
June 18, 2025
The Soul School Way: Books as Mirrors, Windows, and Voices for Homeschool Families
June 3, 2025
Sibling Bickering in Homeschool Families: What’s Normal & How to Handle It
May 27, 2025
Homeschool Mom Boundaries: 6 Truths That Will Set You Free
May 20, 2025
How the Mother Wound Affects Homeschool Moms—and How to Break Free
May 12, 2025
Homeschool Mom Boundary Issues? You’re Not Doing This…
May 6, 2025
How to Deschool as a Homeschool Mom and Rediscover Your Identity
April 30, 2025
How my story of deschooling brought more freedom & purpose
April 22, 2025
How to Know if Deschooling is Right for You: 7 Signs you Need to Deschool
April 13, 2025
Why Do You Want to Deschool? Understanding Why it Matters
April 11, 2025
Is My Homeschooler Behind? The Truth About Learning at Their Own Pace
April 1, 2025
A Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Purposeful Living
March 25, 2025
10 Simple Steps to the Homeschool Life (& Live it on Purpose)
March 17, 2025
The Three Lies Homeschool Moms Tell Themselves
March 11, 2025
The Myth of the Perfect Homeschool: 3 Common Challenges
March 5, 2025
Tired of Homeschool Sibling Fights? Try These 3 Simple Strategies!
March 4, 2025
11 Powerful Affirmations Every Homeschool Mom Needs to Hear
February 25, 2025
6 Homeschool Burnout Signs that Suggest You Need to Try Something New
February 18, 2025
7 Red Flags That Say You Need Homeschool Wellness Coaching—Before Burnout Hits
February 12, 2025
How to Motivate Your Homeschool Child toward Curiosity & Independence
February 4, 2025
How I Learned to Build Healthy Relationships in My Homeschool Family (And How You Can Too)
January 27, 2025
Reignite Your Spark as a Homeschool Mom in 10 Powerful Ways
January 21, 2025
Fed Up with Homeschool? 18 Strategies to Regain Joy
January 13, 2025
6 Challenges Every Struggling Homeschool Mom Faces — and How to Transform Them
January 7, 2025
Re-Envision Your 2025 Homeschool: A 5-Day Vision Challenge Homeschool Moms
December 31, 2024
What 2024 Taught Me About Supporting Homeschool Moms
December 17, 2024
Write Your Truth: How Vulnerability Shapes Homeschool Wellness & Mindset
December 10, 2024
11 Practical Tips How Homeschool Moms Can Let Go of Unrealistic Expectations
December 3, 2024
Foster Strong Relationships in Your Homeschool Family
November 26, 2024
Finding Healing & Purpose When Life is Life-ing
November 19, 2024
Awakened Homeschool Family: Living with Purpose, Learning from Heart
November 12, 2024
Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose
October 31, 2024
Why you Don’t Need a Perfectly Decluttered Homeschool (and How a Little Decluttering Can Bring Big Calm)
October 28, 2024
The Heart Of Homeschooling: Essential Lessons From Two Experienced Moms
October 22, 2024
The Helpful Homeschool Mom’s Guide To Intentional Living
October 15, 2024
Need Change in Life? Discover Balance as a Homeschool Mom
October 8, 2024
7 Remarkable Lessons from a Weekend Away: Homeschool Realities
October 1, 2024
Rethinking Homeschooling: It’s About the Child, Not the Method
September 23, 2024
Discover Your Unique Voice: Beyond your Homeschool Mama Identity
September 17, 2024
Homeschool with Integrity: How to Stay True to Your Values
September 10, 2024
15 Fun Activities for First Day of Homeschool Party
September 3, 2024
Finding Her True Self: From Anxious to Authentic Homeschool Life
August 26, 2024
7 Easy Ways to Incorporate Writing into Your Homeschool Mom Life
August 21, 2024
The Joy of Slow: Homeschool & Wellness with Leslie Martino
August 13, 2024
Why I Homeschool, Unexpected Challenges & My Transformation
August 3, 2024
John Holt & Pat Farenga Teach Homeschoolers How to Learn
July 29, 2024
Empowering words for your new homeschool year
July 22, 2024
Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2
July 17, 2024
9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1
July 11, 2024
Can I Homeschool in Canada? Your Ultimate Guide to Support & Resources
July 2, 2024
Dive into 10 Helpful Books for Homeschooling Moms!
June 17, 2024
7 Important Reasons for Project-Based Homeschooling
June 10, 2024
The Ultimate Homeschool Burnout Prevention Plan
June 3, 2024
“Should I Homeschool My Child?” Here’s What You Need to Know
May 31, 2024
5 Reasons Why Self-Care is Essential for Homeschool Moms
May 27, 2024
Own Your Learning, Own Your Life with Stephanie Sewell
May 21, 2024
Customized Homeschool Help for Parents that Can Transform your Life
May 14, 2024
Get Started Homeschooling in 2024: A Guide for a Successful & Satisfying Journey!
May 7, 2024
Unraveling the Art of Learning with Andrew Pudewa
April 30, 2024
Counseling 101: a Homeschool Parent’s Most Important Skill
April 22, 2024
How Can You Live a Charged Homeschool Mom Life?
April 15, 2024
how to become more you as a homeschool mama
April 9, 2024
An Energizing Homeschool Mom Retreat for your Heart
April 2, 2024
Becoming Authentically You with Britt Acciavatti
March 26, 2024
how to deal with homeschool mama guilt (in no easy steps)
March 18, 2024
16 Practical Self-Compassion Tools to Help for Homeschool Moms
March 12, 2024
How to homeschool without losing your mind in 11 Steps
March 4, 2024
10 Declutter Tips for Homeschool Moms with Simple by Emmy
February 27, 2024
Self-Care & Deschooling: Is there a Helpful Connection?
February 21, 2024
Crack the Loneliness Code: How to Find Homeschool Community
February 12, 2024
how to deschool 101: Embrace Freedom and Individualization
February 5, 2024
Breaking Free: How Deschooling Helps You Live a Purposeful Life
January 30, 2024
The Readaloud Revival Podcast: A Homeschool Mom’s Vision That Sparked a Literary Movement
January 23, 2024
How to Develop Boundaries in your Homeschool Life
January 16, 2024
Find a Vision for your Homeschool Family in the 2024 New Year
January 9, 2024
Join the 2024 Homeschool Challenge for Clarity, Confidence & Vision
December 21, 2023
Tis the Season: 10 Steps to Simplify Homeschool Christmas
December 12, 2023
Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year
December 4, 2023
50 ways I nurture myself as a homeschool mama
November 28, 2023
A Homeschool Mom Podcast for Boundary Breakthrough
November 21, 2023
Healing the Mother Wound for Homeschool Moms
November 14, 2023
A Candid Conversation with Unschooler at Virtual Kitchen Table
November 7, 2023
13 Ways Taylor Swift can Inspire your Homeschool Life
October 24, 2023
Grow Yourself Up: A Guide for Homeschool Mom Personal Growth
October 16, 2023
Nurture Resilience & Big Emotions with Lindsey Casselman of Schoolio Learning
October 10, 2023
The Homeschooling Option: How to Decide When It’s Right
October 3, 2023
6 Hidden Challenges of the Homeschool: Support for Parents
September 26, 2023
Unshackle Homeschool Mom Frustration: Unleash for Growth in 5 Ways
September 19, 2023
5 Creative Ways to Design a Homeschool Mom Personal Vision
September 11, 2023
6 Game-Changing Ways to Streamline your Homeschool Routines
September 5, 2023
Child-Led Learning Benefits Your Kids (& You) Will Love
August 28, 2023
Crafting a Simple Homeschool Vision Statement with Your Family Values
August 24, 2023
How to Plan for Your Homeschool if You Don’t Want to Continue
August 14, 2023
Unique Homeschool Help to Reimagine your Homeschool
August 8, 2023
6 Fresh Ideas on How to Homeschool Plan
August 1, 2023
How to Plan Homeschool: What I Want My Kids To Know
July 25, 2023
Why you Might Want to Incorporate a Project-Based Homeschool
July 18, 2023
What It’s Like: Homeschool to High School Transition
July 11, 2023
How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide
June 27, 2023
Navigate the 2nd-5th Homeschool Years: Challenges and Insights
June 22, 2023
Can I Homeschool My Child? 9 Simple Steps to Confidently Start the Journey
June 20, 2023
How to Reimagine Your Homeschool Support: 7 Essential Lessons
June 12, 2023
Teach Your Own: Homeschool Confidently Without Being a Certified Teacher
June 6, 2023
Raising Wildflower Kids: Embrace an Authentic & Customized Homeschool
June 2, 2023
Homeschool with Purpose: Honouring our Values & Priorities
May 25, 2023
Planning for Your Upcoming Homeschool in 11 Important Steps
May 23, 2023
What should success look like in our homeschools?
May 18, 2023
Reimagine Homeschool: Nine Simple Steps to Plan for Confidence & Clarity
May 16, 2023
6 ways to live your homeschool life on purpose
April 23, 2023
7 Ways to Live your Best Life: Self-Care for Homeschool Moms
April 17, 2023
A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life
April 11, 2023
How to Use Internal Family Systems for Homeschool Moms
April 3, 2023
How to Help your Kids Read with Confidence
March 22, 2023
How to Show Up for You (& your Kids) as you are a Working Homeschool Mom with Charlotte Jones
March 13, 2023
How to Celebrate Diversity & Kinship with Amber O’Neal Johnston
March 6, 2023
How to Encourage Happiness in Our Homeschools?
March 3, 2023
How Marie Forleo Informs my Homeschool (& makes it figureoutable)
February 20, 2023
John Taylor Gatto Informs your Homeschool in 7 Freedom-Loving Ways
February 13, 2023
How Rachel Gathercole Clarifies Concerns on the Homeschool Socialization Question
February 6, 2023
A Journey of Self-Nurturing for the Homeschool Mama’s Heart
January 30, 2023
How Elizabeth Gilbert infuses our Homeschools with Big Magic
January 24, 2023
5 Ways We Can Include Self-Compassion for Homeschool Moms
January 17, 2023
How Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart Influences our Homeschools
January 10, 2023
Homeschool Help Podcast for Your (Real) Homeschool Mom Life
January 3, 2023
Tackling Homeschool Mom Overwhelm in the Homeschool Mom Podcast
December 12, 2022
How Charlotte Mason Can Help you Change & Grow with Modern Miss Mason
November 28, 2022
how to build and create community as a homeschool mom
November 16, 2022
Journaling for the Homeschool Mom to Overcome Overwhelm
November 7, 2022
Intuitively Grow your Fearless Homeschool Flow with Vanessa Wright
October 31, 2022
The Art of Talking with our Homeschool Children
October 17, 2022
More than Enough: How Kara S. Anderson Informs my Homeschool
October 11, 2022
Making our Homeschool A Little More Beautiful with Sarah Mackenzie Readaloud Revival Podcast
October 5, 2022
Understanding the Enneagram for Homeschoolers
September 19, 2022
Are you homeschooling good enough?
September 14, 2022
Unleash Homeschool Potential: Embrace Flexibility & Growth with Aimee Otto
September 5, 2022
Time Audit to Address Unrealistic Expectations in your Homeschool
August 31, 2022
How to manage unrealistic expectations in our homeschool
August 19, 2022
Growth Mindset for Homeschoolers with Jenny Mouse
August 12, 2022
How to Handle Homeschool Overwhelm
August 2, 2022
Supporting the Overwhelmed Homeschool Mama on the Podcast
July 25, 2022
when you buy new homeschool curriculum: 5 clever suggestions
July 5, 2022
why kids don’t need school socialization & why they need you instead
June 28, 2022
why homeschool your child? 8 reasons my family homeschools
June 20, 2022
How to Facilitate Child-Led Learning in your Homeschool
June 14, 2022
curiosity and education: how to facilitate it
June 8, 2022
What about gaps in my child’s home education?
June 2, 2022
the surprising transition from school to homeschool
May 24, 2022
A Beginner’s Guide to Your First Year of Homeschool
May 17, 2022
A Homeschool Mama Will Benefit from Coaching for Homeschool (& Life)
April 20, 2022
How to Deal with our Stuff so We Can Help our Kids with Jenn Dean
April 11, 2022
Homeschool Mama Big Emotions Toolbox Part 3
April 5, 2022
Confidently Homeschool Differently-Wired Kids with Colleen Kessler
March 28, 2022
Deal with Your Homeschool Mom’s Big Emotions: Taming Thoughts
March 23, 2022
Overcoming Frustrations with Jennifer Bryant, Practical Family Podcast
March 14, 2022
Homeschool Mama’s Big Emotions & How to Address Them
March 8, 2022
Bust Confusing Homeschool Myths with Alison Morrow
February 28, 2022
How Listening to our Trauma Stories can Enable our Homeschool Families with Norm Quantz
February 14, 2022
How to Love Myself as a Homeschool Mama
February 8, 2022
Why Homeschool High School is Better with Mary Hanna Wilson
January 31, 2022
Homeschooling in a Pandemic: 14 Approaches to Address Overwhelm
January 27, 2022
How Gordon Neufeld Informs my Homeschool
January 19, 2022
How to Deschool with Kelly Edwards from 90-Minute Day
January 18, 2022
A Meaningful Step-by-Step Guide to Plan your Homeschool Year
January 4, 2022
how to naturally care while homeschooling special needs with Julie Polanco
December 7, 2021
Manage Impatience in your Homeschool: 14 Strategies to Freedom
December 1, 2021
4 ways essential oils contribute to homeschools with Kristin Mercer
November 24, 2021
A Parent’s Guide to Raising Critical Thinkers with Julie Bogart
November 9, 2021
the truth behind homeschool socialization: 10 secrets that surprise
November 3, 2021
Freedoms of Self-Directed Education with Robyn Robertson
October 26, 2021
Should you be a homeschool mom: how do you know you’ve got what it takes?
October 12, 2021
How to Address Your Big Emotions with Christine Dixon
October 12, 2021
How to Keep Sane as a Homeschool Mom: 5 Simple Principles
October 5, 2021
How to Address Worry & Overthinking for the Homeschool Mama
September 28, 2021
how to live your simple homeschool life on purpose
September 22, 2021
How to Maintain Authenticity in our Homeschool with Betsy Jenkins
September 14, 2021
a Letter to My Homeschool High School Daughter
September 8, 2021
3 Things You Need to Know Before You Homeschool
August 24, 2021
How to Plan for your Upcoming Homeschool
August 18, 2021
The Not So Big Life with Sarah Susanka
June 29, 2021
Homeschool Teens Perspective: How to Homeschool High School
June 23, 2021
a Perspective Shift on the Art and Science of an Education
June 21, 2021
A Homeschool Dad’s Thoughts on How to Homeschool
June 14, 2021
How Homeschooling Requires us to Face our Shortcomings
June 11, 2021
How to Be Conscious in Your Homeschool with Erica Kesilman
June 8, 2021
How to Marie Kondo your Homeschool
June 7, 2021
Grow your Confidence & Banish Burnout with Kara S. Anderson
June 1, 2021
How to Journal to Process Stress, Anxiety & Trauma with Nicolle Nattrass
May 25, 2021
How to Use Nonviolent Communication in our Homeschools
May 18, 2021
How to Survive the Pandemic when you Homeschool
May 3, 2021
How to Deal with our Traumas as Homeschool Parents
April 28, 2021
How to Tackle Unhealthy Habits for the Homeschool Mom
April 20, 2021
A Love of Learning, Despite Challenges with Diane Geerlinks
April 13, 2021
How to Care for Mama’s Six Selves with the Homeschool Genius
April 7, 2021
How to Influence Your Homeschool with Self-Awareness
March 31, 2021
How to Be a Stay-At-Home Mom & Stay Inspired with the Kids
March 22, 2021
How to Create a Simple Homeschool Routine with Kelly Briggs
March 15, 2021
Incorporate your Interests in your Homeschool with Kimberly Charron
February 9, 2021
Let’s Chat with Vicki Tillman of Homeschool High School Podcast
February 2, 2021
Thriving, not just Surviving Homeschooling after Pregnancy
January 26, 2021
How to Incorporate Ten Self-Care Tips for Homeschool Moms
January 18, 2021
How to Create a Fresh Start to Unhappy Homeschool Days
January 12, 2021
A Proactive Guide for Planning Your Homeschool in the New Year
December 29, 2020
Introducing the 12 Day Self-Care Strategies for Homeschool Moms
December 8, 2020
7 Effective Tools to Build Boundaries (& Why You Require Them)
December 3, 2020
How to successfully balance working while homeschooling
December 1, 2020
Building Boundaries and Requiring Time Outs with Stacy Wilson
November 25, 2020
How to Address Doubt in your Homeschool Choice with Confidence
November 17, 2020
How to Develop Self-Confidence as a Homeschool Mom with Sarah Gorner
November 11, 2020
Encouraging Words for Homeschool Mom
October 28, 2020
Building Connection with Tamara Strijack of the Neufeld Institute
October 14, 2020
How to Homeschool & Find Your Thing with Julie Bogart
October 7, 2020
How to Help Homeschool Mom when she’s Frustrated
September 30, 2020
How to Deal with Anger in Your Homeschool with Judy Arnall
September 23, 2020
How to Get Quiet Time as a Homeschool Mom with Rachel Le
September 16, 2020
How to Homeschool During a Crisis with Lynda Puleio
September 9, 2020
How to Work from home While Homeschooling with Meaghan Jackson
September 2, 2020
Debunking the Myth of Balance with the Canadian Homeschooler
August 26, 2020
7 Things to Structure a Grade 1 Homeschool Curriculum
August 19, 2020
Self-Care from 30 Years of Homeschooling with Bonnie Landry
August 12, 2020
Creating Learning Opportunities, not Recreating School Subjects
August 5, 2020
How to Do Unschooling with Robyn Robertson
July 29, 2020
If You’re Planning for your Homeschool Year: 10 Lessons in 10 Years
July 22, 2020
How to Homeschool as a Single Mom with with Sarah Wall
July 15, 2020
A Day in the Life of Homeschooling: 18 Years with my Kids
July 6, 2020
Unveil Education Insights: Your Guide to Homeschooling Success
July 2, 2020
What about homeschool socialization?
June 22, 2020
Exploring Your Identity with Pat Fenner
June 18, 2020
Homeschool Mama, Are you Living a Life Worth Living?
April 14, 2020
How Changing your Perspective Shifts your Homeschool with Sarah Scott
April 6, 2020
Homeschooling Little Kids & Taking Care of Yourself with Isis Loran
March 4, 2020
Welcome to the Homeschool Mama Self-Care Podcast (& Why I Homeschool)
February 19, 2020
The Mistake of Multitasking in our Homeschools: 5 Tips to Be More Present
September 16, 2013
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The post “Should I Homeschool My Child?” Here’s What You Need to Know appeared first on Capturing the Charmed Life.