How to get started homeschooling

Want to be more involved with your children’s education? Here's everything you need to know to start teaching them at home.

Step 1: Investigate your state's rules
Investigate your local homeschooling laws. Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, but the rules regarding attendance, curriculum, record-keeping, and testing vary.

Parents do not have to have teaching credentials in order to homeschool their children.

Step 2: Talk to homeschoolers
Search online for a homeschooling support group in your area. Homeschooling vets can guide you through any required paperwork and share what they’ve learned about the experience.

Step 3: Choose a curriculum
Choose a curriculum. Your options range from the traditional method used in public schools to “unschooling,” which bases the program of study on the child’s interests.

Step 4: Get teaching materials
Figure out what teaching materials you need to purchase—textbooks, workbooks, teacher’s manuals, maps, and so on.

Attend your state’s homeschooling convention and/or curriculum fair to gather information on the best textbooks and other educational materals.

Step 5: File necessary notice
If required by your state, file notice with your local school superintendent of your intention to homeschool your child. Be sure to meet all deadlines. Some states also mandate that you file a home instruction plan.

Step 6: Decide on a daily schedule
Figure out how you’re going to structure daily lessons. Though flexibility is one of the advantages of homeschooling, you should still have a general idea of how you will fit teaching and schoolwork into the household routine, especially if your state requires that your children pass standardized tests.

Step 7: Consider outside help
Think about what kind of outside help you might need to educate your children properly. Consider hiring a tutor if a subject isn’t your strong suit.

Step 8: Keep a transcript