Are you thinking about homeschooling? If so, you’re not alone — more than 3 million children in the United States were homeschoolers last year!

Families come to the decision for many different reasons. Some wish to customize their children’s curriculum and learning environment. Others want to accomplish more academically than in a traditional school. Some prefer pedagogical approaches that are different than what’s offered in their public schools. For others, it might be about enhancing family relationships or teaching a particular worldview or set of values.

Taking on the full scope of your children’s education — including curriculum, learning objectives, and socialization — is no small feat. And getting started can feel extremely overwhelming. But there’s no better time than now to give it a try — and it really doesn’t need to be as complicated as it may appear.

Here are four simple steps to get the homeschooling process started. 

Learn

Visit the AHEM (Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts) website.

Read the laws. Laws regarding homeschooling are different state to state, so make sure you understand them for Massachusetts. Read the information. This resource provides templates, an FAQ section, methods for reporting, and a host of other helpful information. 

Visit the MHLA (Massachusetts Home Learning Association) website.

This is another wonderful resource that provides a great deal of information for a basic understanding of the process.

Search for other helpful websites.

Many sites, like The Homeschool Mom and Homeschooling.mom, help to spell out and simplify the process.

Connect

Join some Facebook groups.

The homeschooling community is a vibrant, committed, and welcoming group of people. Several groups have exposed me to an incredible amount of information regarding the laws, strategies, and curriculum options. These groups have also connected me with other homeschooling families in my town. I have joined Massachusetts Homeschoolers Connection, South Shore Homeschoolers, and Secular, Eclectic, Academic (SEC) Homeschoolers and have found them to be very resourceful. And there are plenty more! Your town or area may even have its own group.

Connect with the homeschooling families you already know.

Ask them about their approach, and find out their how and why. Just listen. The beauty of homeschooling is that each family can forge their own path. So, while their way may not be yours, learning how others go about it will help you uncover your own unique style.

Plan

Explore approaches.

While homeschooling can look any way you want it to, there are some common approaches. These are good for those first-time families looking for some structure. If you find one that fits your family style, use it to help you move forward in determining how your curriculum, day, and goals will look. 

• De-schooling: This is a very highly recommended first approach for families who plan to homeschool long term. Many families use this at the start of their journey to transition children from formalized schooling to homeschooling.
• Relaxed eclectic: A little bit of this and a little bit of that. This approach picks and chooses what will best suit the child, the day, and the family throughout the year.
• School-at-home: This is a good approach if you want your homeschool to mimic traditional schooling or if you want to follow one set curriculum program.
• Other popular styles include unschooling (different from de-schooling), classical, traditional, unit-studies, Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, and Montessori.

Explore curriculum options.

There are plenty of curriculum and material options for the beginning homeschooler. All-in-one, online, and eclectic curriculums are readily available. Many families start out by using free or low-cost resources, such as TeachersPayTeachers. Some families select materials that align with the Massachusetts Current Frameworks or a universal learning standards outline.

Submit and go!

Submit your education plan.

This seems intimidating, but it is relatively simple. First, check your district’s expectations. Then prepare an educational plan that outlines your plan for homeschooling. Depending on your school district, you may be asked to include qualifications of the parent, a review of texts and materials to be used, and information of academic progress. When preparing our education plan, I found the Facebook groups very helpful for understanding how to word things and to gain an understanding of expectations for particular school districts. 

Get ready and get started.

This is the fun part! Envision and journal about what you hope and expect for the coming year. Start preparing your materials. Order and print your curriculum. Develop an organization system. Pick a place to hold your schooling sessions. Think about field trips. Talk to your kids and imagine possibilities. 

Our family is already planning to learn to cook, build a garden fence accent, learn about horses, do science experiments with grandma, study the solar system and human body, make a comic book, harvest fall vegetables, and read lots of cool books that we pick out regularly from our local library. 

Once the initial research, decisions, and formalities are behind you, it is now your family’s education party for the year! At the end of the school year, most districts will expect you to submit a progress report and your education plan for the next school year if you decide to continue. While I haven’t covered it all (and I still have more to learn!), these are the basic nuts and bolts of getting started. Good luck!

This article was originally published in 2020 and has been updated for 2024.