Just as it’s good practice for our children in their school work, it never hurts for homeschooling parents to do a little review for ourselves, even if it’s just the basics.

So your review question for today is: What is Homeschooling?

The term ‘homeschooling’ refers to the process in which one or more children of not more than 2 families are instructed by parents or legal guardians, or a member of either household.

I know, it sounds pretty clunky, but we have to start somewhere. Stay with me here…

The laws that define homeschooling vary from State to State. The legal requirements for establishing a homeschool also vary with the State, and are different from country to country. (For more detailed information, visit the Homeschool Legal Defense Fund at http://www.hslda.org).

For most children, the actual process of learning begins much before school. Many children already know their alphabet, the names of animals, colors and other more complicated stuff before they reach school age.

This is usually due to the hard work of a family member or members who have taken the time to teach the child. Homeschooling is just a natural progression from there. You have already been teaching your child, whether you realized it or not, from the time they were born.

Instead of sending their children to a public school, parents make their own curriculum or follow a pre-defined program and teach their children in ways that best suit the child. This is homeschooling, simplified.

Before you make a final committment in favor of homeschooling, there are some important matters for consideration. First off, meet with parents of other homeschoolers, or join an online homeschool group. Find out the pros and cons of homeschooling.

Then ask yourself why you would want to use this method. This is more important than it first appears, as its success depends on how clear your purpose is and how sincere you are in moving forward with a home school program.

Next, it’s time to consider the expenses of homeschooling. It may cost anywhere from between a few hundred to a few thousand dollars every year. We’ll be posting sources for free and low-cost resources on a regular basis, but it would be difficult to homeschool without some minimum level of expenses.

More importantly, you are also eliminating or reducing the job opportunities for one of the parents. It’s much better for one parent to stay at home full time to manage the homeschool. A home-based business, however, is a great alternative to outside employment.

Are you qualified to take on homeschooling for your children? Don’t let this scare you, as teaching is a continuation of your own learning process. With the power of the internet, information is readily available. You can learn right alongside your child if you’re covering unfamiliar territory.

There are various books and resources for those interested in homeschooling (we’ll be sharing these with you periodically).  There are also various methods of homeschooling, which we’ll be
discussing soon, so you’ll need to choose one that is most suited to you and your child.

It helps if you know what kind of learning style your child has. For example, Is he a visual learner? Does she have to read it AND hear it before it sinks in? Also, find out what your child feels about
homeschooling before you start, but don’t let them have the final say.

Homeschooling may seem like a lot of fun and freedom from the outside. However, things are seldom as simple as they seem…

Homeschooling is a lot of added responsibility and hard work. But, if successful, it will forge a strong bond of love and respect between parent and child, while providing your child with the best
form of education he or she needs.