When I first began homeschooling in the beginning of 2017, I thought it would be easy.
I had broken my leg and couldn't return to work for several months after surgery, so I decided to finally try homeschool.
I never intended to homeschool my daughters but God was pulling me in a direction I never thought I would go.
Keep reading to learn how to avoid the mistakes I made when we started to homeschool.
There is also a fun giveaway at the bottom to help you with ideas for your first day of homeschool for 2023!
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Don't Make These Homeschool Mistakes Like I Did
My daughters started out in public school a few years prior, but common core math and other reasons drove us out of public schools.
We tried a private Christian school, but that was not working out for us either.
The Christian school we withdrew from allowed us to borrow the books my daughters had been using to finish out that school year so that was the easy part.
The hard part was the upcoming school year where I bought prepackaged curriculum full grade kits.
I was so determined to stay on track and do everything the teacher's manuals told us to do.
That turned out to be a ton of draining work that my kids hated.
My homeschooling journey did not start out the way I thought it would.
I wanted my daughters to enjoy learning.
Instead, they hated learning.
I soon realized that the boxed curriculum stuffs every single lesson into 180 days.
Did you finish your school books when you were in school?
Me neither.
So why was I trying to cram everything into the day that the curriculum was telling us to do?
I wanted my girls to get a good education and I thought that doing everything the books told us to do would put them ahead.
I ended up making my kids hate learning.
The whole point of homeschool is to allow kids freedom to explore their interests and have fun learning.
Here are a few ideas for your first day of homeschool to set the stage for a love of learning, instead of a dread of learning.
Ask your kids what they want to learn about
Make a list together of the subjects they want to learn
Start a journal
Complete printable pages with fun writing prompts
Play games
Take turns reading aloud
Make a list of all the books you and your kids want to read together over the school year
Take a trip to the library to search for good books to read
Create a plan to get outdoors every day as weather and safety permit
Make a plan of all of the field trips you will take for the year
Make a list of all the educational places you and your kids want to visit
Make lunch together
Take first day of school pictures
Journal about the first day of school
Have your kids write letters to other family members such as grandparents about how excited they are to be homeschooling and what they hope to learn
The first day of homeschool should be full of fun without stress.
Having fun on the first day of homeschool will set the stage for a love of learning instead of a dread of learning.
Make sure you check your state's homeschooling laws and regulations to fulfill the state requirements for your homeschool education. A great resource we use is HSLDA.
Now for our giveaway to help you have some fun on your first day of homeschool! The giveaways will begin August 8, 2023 and go through August 25, 2023! Our giveaway is great for kids in grades K through 2nd grades. For additional information on the prizes included, please visit our Teachers Pay Teachers store here: Creative Writing and Stories * or click here: Compound Words Activities * or here: All About Me Back to School Writing Prompts *
Please also visit the other links for the #BackToSchoolHop hosted by The Review Wire!
*Jessica D. Adams is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Jessica D. Adams, Author.
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Disclaimer: Our products, services, and recommendations are for general use and information and are not intended to replace the advice or expertise of a physician or Occupational Therapist. Please seek professional help when necessary. Circumstances and results may vary. By participating in our challenges, contests, or giveaways, you agree to release Jessica D. Adams and her family from any and all liability and we will not be responsible for anything that may happen to people who participate. We also will not be responsible for any other participants who host giveaways, including those who do not fulfill their obligations during group giveaways, blog hops, or the like. No purchase is necessary to enter any of our giveaways. Winners are chosen at random. We're not responsible for incomplete entries.
Jessica is the author of the children's books about The Underground Toy Society. She decided to begin a blog about her experiences and opinions of being an author, as well as a mother and Occupational Therapist. Please note all information on her website and her blog posts are her opinions and her personal experiences. Individual results may vary and her results may not be your results or experiences. This website is meant to be general information, not specific advice. Circumstances and results may vary. The Underground Toy Society children's books aim to teach children to love and appreciate what they have. Hopefully children will want to clean their rooms after learning about The Underground Toy Society. However, all children are different and results may vary. The books are for entertainment purposes only. All recommendations and activities should be completed with adult supervision. Thanks for reading!