How To Homeschool Your Child

Wondering how to homeschool your child? Has the thought ever occurred to you? If it has, you're on your way to becoming a natural mother.

If you think about it, home schooling and natural motherhood go hand-in-hand. What more natural way is there to learn than by your mother's side? All mothers do home school their child/ren, but don't really know that's what they're doing. If you've ever taught your child anything, you've home schooled!

Homeschooling The Right Choice The First Year Of Homeschooling Your Child

The Unschooling Unmanual

Dumbing Us Down 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum

Teach Your Own

The Well-Trained Mind The Well-Adjusted Child

Getting Started w/ Latin

So, What Is Home Schooling?

The most basic principle of how to homeschool your child is realizing that it is simply about a parent taking full responsibility for teaching their child/ren. Instead of relying on government or privately run schools with many children in attendance, a parent decides to stay home and guide their own children down the path of knowledge. Before there were public schools, children were learning basic skills at home. Home schooling exists worldwide and has been going on for as long as anyone can remember. Within the past thirty years in America, a growing number of parents are beginning homeschooling.

To figure out how to homeschool, you first have to make sure everything is planned out before hand. Discussions should occur between the parents to determine if home schooling is right for that family. While homeschooling is beneficial to most families, it is not the best choice for all families.

Once a parent decides I will home school my child, they need to make sure they are familiar with their own state's laws for home schooling. This should be the second step in learning how to homeschool. Each state has its own requirements that need to be followed to the letter. Failure to fulfill state laws could land parents in court.

Before you begin to teach your child, you should first consider how you will teach.

• If you prefer to meet your child where they're at in their development, you may want to opt for a classical approach.
• A child who is very bright will thrive in a delight directed or unschooling setting where they can choose what it is they want to study.
• Some parents love reading great works of literature to their children in a Charlotte Mason approach to education.
• More control is given to the parent to lead education through the Principle Approach, Unit Study and Textbook methods.

Any one of these styles of teaching can be chosen or a mixture of a few. The key is to listen to what your child is telling you they need from you. Homeschooling allows parents to tailor make their children's education so make sure you find the best fit for your family.

The third step of working out how to homeschool for your family is to pick the home school books. I started with books that told the history of the home school movement in America like There are books on teaching you how to homeschool like The Well-Trained Mind and Teach Your Own. Then there are curriculum books that you will actually teach out of like homeschool textbooks. Cathy Duffy has gone through the trouble of reviewing different curriculum books for years and has complied them all into her 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. You can even find specialized books on catholic homeschool curriculum and The Unschooling Unmanual.

While home schooling is on the rise in this country, you may find you are in the minority in your area. Support can be crucial to your success. Look for:

• State Home School Organizations - Every state has home schooling organizations for the sole purpose of connecting home schoolers together.
• Homeschool Co-op's - Homeschool co-ops are mainly set up for the children, but also serve to connect home schooling families.
• Home School Parent Groups - There are untold numbers of parent groups forming. A parent preparing to learn how to homeschool should find one of these groups and join. The online homeschooling group The Homeschool Lounge is a wonderful place for learing the ropes.
• Home Schooling Magazines - Checking out home schooling magazines is another good way to find the support you need to home school effectively. Knowing help is close by can put your mind at ease and make the transition to home schooling much smoother.

The phrase, practice makes perfect, is an excellent guide and will help you to learn how to homeschool as well. As you practice doing homeschooling - coming back to homeschool year after year, you'll find you'll get more proficient and hopefully more laid back about the whole process of teaching your children at home. Hoe schooling can be difficult at times, but the rewards are priceless and worth any sacrifice.