Education tends to make parents nervous…and with good reason: your child’s social, emotional and economic future is at stake. Private and parochial schools may not be an option for your family due to financial reasons or other constraints, and with severe budget cuts starting to curtail learning and activities at our nation’s public schools, parents are anxiously looking for options.

Have you considered homeschooling?

You are well on your way! You have selected your homeschool program; you have researched your state homeschool laws; you have found the right approach for your child; you are ready to begin!

What next?

My next piece of advice is essential for an organized and relaxed homeschool program:

Be sure to set aside a specific area in your home for homeschooling.

One of the best moves we made as a homeschool family was to establish a homeschool support group. At the onset, we were simply a group of families who planned field trips, met for “physical education” classes, shared ideas and supported one another through the rewards and the struggles. As the years passed, we began to work together to provide specialty courses for our kids:

Does your child love to get dirty and explore the world around him?
Is she a child who loves to sit down and listen as you read a story?
Is he an analytical thinker, who tends to question what is happening around him?
Is she one who can connect events and experiences to lessons in life?
Does he seem to thrive when able to create with his hands?
Does she naturally “get it” the first time she hears it?

These kinds of questions can help to define the best kind of learning approach for your child. A hands-on learner will not be content to sit and fill out worksheets or listen to you explain concepts. A student who has strong auditory skills will thrive with a curriculum that uses interesting stories to teach about history, science or literature.

When individuals begin to consider homeschooling, they are often filled with uncertainty and a little bit of fear. How do I do it? What should I know? What if I don’t do a good job? . . .

However, a great place to start is to get to know your state homeschool law.