How to Homeschool with Confidence

It’s time to start a new year. Do you know how to homeschool with confidence this year? Or, are you saying to yourself:

• I’m burned out. My kids are burned out.
• So many decisions. Will I make the right one for my kids?
• I’m overwhelmed. I need help!
• I know what I’m doing, but want support.
• How do I get started?
• I said yes…but how to homeschool in real life???

You’re in the right place. I homeschooled for 10 years…all my kids are adults and doing well. We even have some grandkids. If I’m honest, I made plenty of mistakes and I don’t want you to repeat those mistakes.

What are my top 3 tips on how to homeschool with confidence?

How to Homeschool Tip #1: Goals

I know. I know. You hear this all the time, but do you have any goals for your homeschool.

If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.

-Zig Ziglar

When I first started homeschooling, the only goal I had was to use real books for reading, not textbooks. I was a public school teacher for 6 years. We read a chapter of this book and a chapter of that one. I wanted a class set of a good book, but never got it. I didn’t want my kids to have the same experience.

How did the goal of reading real books help me homeschool with confidence?

I focused on finding the best books for my kids to read and for us to read aloud as a family. Reading books individually and together as a family was of upmost importance, so I created a schedule around reading. Not math. Not Science. But reading. I realized that reading is a part of all education.

We used good books to learn . . .

• History
• Science
• Math (Yep…There are Math Story Books)
• Art
• Music
• Literature
• Grammar

Not only did I use real books in most subject areas, I planned our schedule around reading aloud and reading individually. We began our day with a 1-hour Family Time. During Family Time, we read a classic book as a family for 30 minutes.

At first, my kids complained. “What if we don’t get our Math done?”

I told them reading is most important in our homeschool, so we start with reading. Isn’t that true for all of us? Whatever is “really” most important is what we do first.

If I’m honest, I only had one goal in the beginning. Over time, we added more goals for my kids. These goals helped me decide which curricula to buy, how to plan our year, whether or not to be in a co-op, and the main focus for each kids that year.

What goals do you have for your homeschool?

Grab a piece of paper and write down one goal for your homeschool this year. Then, write one goal for each child. Use those goals as you make decisions about curriculum, scheduling and your approach to homeschool.

Tip #2: Have a Plan

Do your kids ask what’s for dinner, immediately after lunch? Mine did. When I didn’t have a plan, I was a mess, on edge. I even took it out on my kids.

When I had a plan for our meals, I was prepared and knew I had the ingredients. My spirit within was much calmer.

It’s the same with homeschooling. Do you have a plan for your homeschool? To help me be prepared and homeschool with confidence, I spent Sunday night preparing for the week. My kids were in Awanas & Steve had Bible Study. I had time to focus and prepare for the week.

That’s what worked for me. You might plan better on Saturday mornings when your husband takes the kids to the park or out for breakfast. Find a time in your schedule to plan your week.

Personally, I think it’s best to plan one week at a time. This allows you flexibility when your child isn’t learning a concept. You can spend more time on that concept the following week. When you plan a month or year in advance, you can put added stress on yourself.

You feel tied to your plan. Then, you lose the beauty of homeschooling. You, also, lose the freedom to do what’s best for your kids.

Tip #3: Support from Experienced Homeschoolers

Back in the day, before smart phones & social media, we had email support groups. Every day I received an email with questions and answers from local homeschoolers.

When I started homeschooling, most people told me, “You’ll be great. You’re a public school teacher.” What a mistake to think being a public school teacher would help me homeschool. Just the opposite.

I had to unlearn the education methods of public schools and discover what true education was. I watched experienced Christian homeschoolers to see what they did. I asked them questions about how to homeschool. I leaned on their experience to guide me through a new way to educate with a Christian perspective.

Fast forward to 2023

You can find online groups for every aspect of homeschooling: Teaching Preschoolers, Teaching High School, Using Charlotte Mason, Teaching History, Organizing Your Homeschool.

You name it. It’s out there. It’s helpful. It’s also overwhelming.

You can’t join every group or you would never have time to homeschool. How do you decide which group to follow and which ones will truly help you where you are right now?

To save you time and cover almost every aspect of homeschooling in one week, I am hosting Homeschool Super Heroes Week (HSHW). I invited 50+ experienced homeschoolers to share their expertise and guide you on how to homeschool. Best of all, to answer YOUR questions so you can homeschool with confidence.

You’ll have a chance to hear from our Homeschool Super Heroes, like Andrew Pudewa (IEW), Steve Demme (Math U See), Rachael & Davis Carman (Apologia) & Jen Merckling, Peggy Ployhar, Meredith Curtis. You’ll be surprised you can hear from them for FREE.

Click here to get ALL the Details & Grab your FREE Ticket

How can Homeschool Super Heroes Week help you this year?

• Transform the Chaos
• Get Your Questions Answered in our Private Community Group
• Get Your Homeschool Organized
• Stop Homeschool Overwhelm
• Discover Tips to Homeschool with Confidence

You’re probably thinking … I don’t have money to attend an online event. That’s the beauty of Homeschool Super Heroes. Our HSHW Sponsors make it available for you to attend with a Free Ticket.

80+ Original Videos, Interviews, Live Sessions – Available to watch first 24 hours after released
Private Community Group – Interact with Speakers, Sponsors, Other Homeschoolers
Digital Swag Bag – Valued over $500 in free and discounted items
Attend in your PJ’s, if you like – From anywhere in the world
Facebook Party – Giveaways, Door Prizes & More – Monday, July 24
Kick-Off with Kerry – Get the most out of your pass – Sunday, July 23
Option to upgrade to VIP LifetimePass  – Private Podcast, Lifetime Access to all video, audio, handouts and bonus items
No travel. No hotel. No long car rides.