Some other important topics for new homeschooling parents are discussed briefly on this page. (follow the relevant links for a more in-depth discussion of topics on this page). It is very important to have your head around a lot of the issues here as they can really benefit your homeschool and set it up for success.
Deschooling
Before you do anything, make sure you deschool your children before homeschooling them. You can start to do this by learning about the deschooling process here. Deschooling makes sure you and your children relax before you start your educational journey. This is important as it means children don’t start learning while still carrying baggage from their school years.
Curriculum Accreditation
Before choosing your curriculum, you might be worried you need to choose something which is ‘homeschool accredited’. This article is about why I believe this is unnecessary (perhaps even technically impossible unless you’re doing online schooling).
Busywork vs Productive Work
Think you need to do everything in the curriculum package you’ve just received in the mail? Think again.
Although not all pre-packaged curricula are stuffed with busywork (work where children don’t learn anything, however, it keeps them busy for a time), many have unnecessary fluff which bores and embitters children towards the curriculum. Learn to spot busywork (and know what to do about it) here.
Should My Child Do Everything Online?
Thankfully parents are becoming much more aware of the negative effects of technology overuse. This has meant that they are more carefully considering courses that are done completely online and (sometimes) opting for a curriculum that can be sent through the mail or printed.
Read this article to find out the pros and cons of using technology in your homeschool.
Homeschooling Socialization
Will your children be properly socialized if you homeschool them? This is the most common legitimate concern of many potential home educators today. Learn why I’m not worried about homeschool socialization, and why you shouldn’t be either.
Also see our other article about home education and socialization here. And discover some of the biggest mistakes new (and even experienced) home educators make here.