Homeschooling and working from home can be a daunting task, especially for those who are new to both. However, with the right strategies and mindset, it is possible to balance both successfully.
Starting anything new can be overwhelming. There are so many questions that plague our minds. Can I work this many hours and still do schoolwork? Is it ok to school at night? How will I find the right curriculum? Will I know if the kids are getting an excellent education? How to homeschool and work from home? And I could keep going with all the questions we can come up.
Yes, it can feel daunting. Check that off your list. Yes, you will have a lot of questions. Another check on the list. Yes, it will take time to figure out what works for you. But the bottom line is it can be done.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase using one of these links, I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me keeps things free for you, and who doesn’t love free stuff. For more information, see my disclosures.
If you are starting out and you need a list of steps to take on how to homeschool and work from home. This beginner’s guide is all you need to navigate unfamiliar territory and help you keep your sanity.
How to Homeschool and Work From Home
Follow these steps to get started.
Step 1: Homeschool is Not Public School at Home
Yes, this is one of those mindset things that you need to complete overhaul. We are conditioned to expect school to last seven hours a day. And spending the whole time with the books open.
First, that doesn’t even happen in public school. Think about all the breaks, recesses, classroom management time, movies watched, and all the extras. Once you subtract all these from the school day, you realize how little time they actually spend in books.
Your school day isn’t going to look like public school. Kids will amaze you when they can start marching to the beat of their own drum.
Your homeschool will not look like the public school classroom. The hours you count as school will go beyond the curriculum books. There are everyday activities that count as homeschooling. There are also online classes you can add like online science and self-paced online classes to make it easier for you.
Change your mindset, so you aren’t trying to match an unrealistic expectation that your homeschool should be like public school. It won’t.
Step 2: Know the Legal Requirements
Every state is different. It is extremely important to know how to legally homeschool in your state. The best resource for find the legal requirements in your state is HSLDA. This is a legal homeschool advocate group. It has great resources state by state.
Step 3: Find Your Tribe
When it comes to homeschooling, one of the newbie questions that is always asked: What about socialization? This is one myth of homeschooling…you don’t get enough socialization. It was a myth when I was homeschooled. And it is one of those urban legends that still persist.
Although it is a myth, it doesn’t mean that socialization happens with a wave of a magic wand. You need to find your tribe. Whether that is a homeschool Facebook group, a homeschool co-op, or something else. Find the people you and your kids can connect with and be a part of. These groups are as much for moms as for the kids.
Find your tribe.
Step 4: Pick Your Curriculum
Your curriculum can make or break your homeschool year. Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to stay that way. You have the freedom and flexibility to change your curriculum.
How to homeschool and work from home will come down to the curriculum you use. Pick a curriculum that works with your child’s learning style. Grab your copy of the Momtrepreneur’s Guide to Curriculum for more guided help.
Step 5: Designate Your Space
I am a big encourager of working and schooling in the same space. Now, this may not work for everyone, so you need to figure out what works best for you.
Since I work and kids school at the same time. It makes it easier for me to monitor what is happening. Most of my kids do not require direct involvement from me, but I want to see what is going on.
Since they use computers, I also monitor their screens. All the screens face my desk, so I can easily glance at them to see what each child is doing.
I also think you need a workspace that you can walk away from at the end of the day. It is really easy to keep working when everything is at your fingertips. Boundaries for yourself are not always easy. One of my boundaries is to turn my computer off and walk away from my desk. I only do work at my desk, so once I am done for the day, the office is closed.
We are fortunate to have 3 living spaces (formal living room, family room, and loft). The formal living room is our schoolroom and office. Each kid has their own desk and space to store their schoolwork. With so many of us, we need the space. Otherwise, we would lose curriculum left and right.
For your space, find a way to keep clutter to a minimum and have a designated space for all your curriculum. That looks different for everyone. Figure out what works for you. The most important thing is to not lose your curriculum, so it helps to have a designated space for it.
You may also want to read
How to Pick the Best Curriculum for Your Tribe
Homeschool Curriculum we use for a Family of 6
How to Teach Your Kids to be Independent Thinkers
15 Everyday Activities that Count as Homeschool
Step 6: Create a Routine
After many years of figuring how to work from home and homeschool, I’ve concluded that routines are better than schedules.
There are so many experts who will tell you the only way to get anything done is to schedule every minute of your day. If you want to get these big, hairy scary goals done, then you need to schedule every minute of your day.
I always want to raise my hand and ask, “So tell me exactly how I do that with 6 kids?”
There are so many unexpected things that pop up. If you are a mom of any number of kids, your day is getting interrupted.
You can’t schedule every minute of your day because nothing will get done.
The alternative is to create a routine. Think about the morning and what needs to get done. Start teaching your kids to do these things in the same order every morning. This starts to add structure to your day, so your kids know what to do and your keep your sanity.
Step 7: Involve Your Kids
One way to balance homeschooling and working from home is to involve your kids in your work. Yes, you really can get your kids to help. This gives them work experience to add to their resumes, and they learn job skills.
Some tasks that I delegate are social media creation, editing videos and podcasts, research, and creating b-roll for videos.
Step 8: Use Online Tools
I am all for outsourcing learning. There are so many online learning tools you can incorporate into your homeschool.
There are online math programs, science with virtual labs and a lot more.
Don’t be afraid to use the internet in your homeschool. There are a lot of tools you can use to outsource learning. Which will help to take a lot of pressure off your day.
Step 9: Take Breaks
This is something that is very easy to forget. Honestly, I am not very good at it. So do as I say, not as I do.
Be sure to take breaks. It is easy to keep working and keep working. There is always something else to do. If I just finish this one thing, I will be good. Then you think of one more thing, and it keeps going and going.
Be intentional about finding time in your day to take breaks.
One thing that I want to do is to add more time to read aloud to the younger kids. I know there is a lot of value in reading to them, so I want to add this into our day.
Step 10: Test and Change
There isn’t a perfect how to work from home and homeschool guide. Things can change from year to year, or season to season. Our homeschool doesn’t look exactly the same from year to year. Things change.
The important thing is to figure out what’s important to you. Then adapt your routine as needed.
You will test and change your homeschool every year. This is a natural part of it. So don’t be discouraged if you finally figured it out, just to have it change the next year.
Conclusion: How to Work from Home and Homeschool
Your homeschool and work from home won’t look the same as mine, but that’s ok. These are just a few ideas to get you started.
Your curriculum is going to have the greatest impact on your homeschool—for good or bad. Check out The Momtrepreneur’s Guide to Homeschool Curriculum. It is 55 pages of sanity saving tips.
0 Comments