5 Mistakes New Homeschool Parents Make

Here are 5 of the most common mistakes new homeschool parents make. How do I know? Because I made every single one of them, and so have many of my friends! Starting your homeschool journey is overwhelming and it’s easy to overthink your every move as a parent educator. Hopefully this will help you navigate your first years with with out some of these small stumbling blocks, but if not, don’t worry- we all learn and grow as we go.

Mistake #1:

Buying curriculum and resources for the FUTURE- I get it- you joined an awesome homeschool group and see someone post something AHHHHMAZING for kiddos several grades above your oldest…you figure, “might as well get it now and we’ll use it when we get there!” …or not, or it turns out it’s not a great match for your kiddo’s learning style, or your parent educator style, or a match with your kiddo’s interests when they arrive at the right level for the material. I 10/10 recommend only purchasing curriculum for THIS year, not future years that you “might use”. Take plenty of time to get to know how you all learn together and add at a pace you can consume the curriculum as much as possible. I will also add, don’t feel like you need to buy ALL the curriculum. You can start with some structured math and ELA and pepper in the rest as you see what works, I recommend starting with as many FREE RESOURCES as possible while you are figuring out what grooves best for you and your learner.

Mistake #2:

Overthinking the schedule/trying to duplicate “school at home”- I remember filling in a planner like we needed to be learning from 9-3 every day…then I remembered that’s one of the reasons we DIDN’T want to do traditional school! Don’t stress following a traditional schedule, don’t sweat days or even weeks “off”, your schedule will ebb and flow until you figure out what works best for your family. We have some friends who are all night owls! The whole family stays up late and sleeps through most of the morning, this works amazing for them. Our schedule has looked VERY different every year, this year we have jam packed Wednesdays and Thursdays- so Mondays and Fridays are very light and Tuesday is our “catch up/get organized” day. We also cancel things when we don’t have the energy and don’t stress about “finishing” a curriculum or project in a tight timeline. I would say the same goes for your set-up or environment. Don’t sweat desks and making a “classroom” in your house. Observer your learner’s needs as the year goes on and as you gain a better understanding of their learning style, you can adapt your space and activities and supplies to suit their needs.

Mistake #3:

Homeschooling on an island- and I don’t mean Catalina. I mean attempting to do this with our COMMUNITY. Any seasoned homeschool family will tell you the most REDICULOUS thing we hear all year is that “homeschooling isn’t social”. Even through covid lockdowns, my family stayed connected with others- we missed our field trips (I think I cried when museums and the libraries re-opened), but we already knew the importance of celebrating, grieving, learning and building TOGETHER. For secular homeschoolers, I know this can feel especially challenging. I’m here to tell you: your people are out there. Join the SEA (Secular, Eclectic, Academic) Homeschool group on Facebook (over 80K members strong, world wide), use local networks like Nextdoor or even your library to find others who are interested in creating a decolonized, anti-racist, world-view homeschool experience. If you’ve never TikToked, there are many of us there and I will say, the secular homeschool community on TikTok is an incredible village- come join us! It may have to start online if your local offerings are a Christian-nationalist nightmare, but I promise it will flow out into real life as you travel and get to know others in near-by places through your online communities.

Mistake #4:

Trying to turn every book into a novel study. Remember to read for joy as often as possible and find other cross-curricular opportunities to weave in comprehension exercises. Mine are 11 & 8 now (2022) and we always have a family novel going, honestly I plan to keep this up as long as they live here. They also have novels they read on their own, and they do 2-3 “novel studies” each school year. This really applies to most subjects, there are ways to subtly find the lesson in everything, quietly, without creating a unit study around every interest your child has- keep some things light and fun! Follow THEIR lead. Honestly, even if Unschooling is not your personal homeschool style, we can all learn something from this method. Letting our kiddos stay curious and discover what lights them up will always lead to more curiosity and deeper understanding of the topic- better retention too.

Mistake #5:

Worrying. You can’t take the PARENT out of parent educator and that’s why this mistake is the most common, and literally unavoidable. Remember to give yourself grace and space- Did you buy some curriculum that you and your kiddo HATED? Let it go, stop using it and see if you can re-sell it or donate it, no guilt there- we ALL do it! To love your kiddo is to wonder if you are doing the best for them, to wonder if they are getting the most out of their experiences, and to hope they are feeling valued and loved while they learn and make mistakes. Home education is a journey, not a destination and wondering if you’re “doing it right” or “doing enough” or “failing your kid” is, in my experience, an unavoidable part of it. Practicing the radical act of self-love, self-kindness, and self-nurturing actively, in front of your kiddos, is one of the greatest gifts you can give them! Saying, “I don’t have the energetic capacity today, let’s rest and come back at it when we are ready” is something so special and unique to our homeschool situation.