We are excited to continue our series: Sonlight Spotlight. Each month the Sonlight team will choose a current family to highlight by sharing their #sonlightstories. If you’d like to shine a light on your family, apply here for a chance to be featured.
Meet the Portes Medina Family!
Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Sara and Ronal along with their three-year-old son Eduardo, “Edu” are currently working through Sonlight’s Preschool Program (and, “Loving it!").
Mom Sara has an Early Childhood Education background with a Master’s Degree in Education that provides insights on the type of schooling she wants for Edu.
"I studied abroad and met some wonderful homeschool families, so even before we got married, the idea was in our heads. When Edu was born we saw the benefits of teaching him, being with him, and being his primary influence. We saw the fruits of that and decided to stick with it instead of joining a private or public school."
The Portes Medina’s were researching homeschool curriculums, and they had a specific set of criteria on educational programs. Their requirements included the following:
Curriculum that aligns with their faith and values
An educational philosophy with a strong foundation
Literature-rich programs
When they came across Sonlight, they quickly realized those boxes were checked and more.
"We are bookworms, so when we encountered Sonlight with the literature and beautiful books, we fell in love with the idea of teaching with tons of books. The philosophy of why you educate with books that aren't textbooks really appealed to us."
Confirmation came from dad Ronal, "I see that he is learning way more (with homeschooling) than he would have in regular school."
Homeschooling Abroad
Schooling looks different in the Dominican Republic.
“In our country, homeschooling is not that popular. That is why the support and advice from the Sonlight Connections Community is a huge blessing to us.”
In addition to community support, Sonlight provides a personal library of books no matter how many other options are available.
“We don't have libraries (in the Dominican Republic) where you can check out books. You can go there to read them but not bring them home. The fact that we have #sonlightboxday with everything we actually need is really nice and encouraged us to continue. We are assured to have everything we need when we place a Sonlight order. We're really excited about all the books we're going to get with future levels!" - Sara states.
Bilingual Homeschooling
On Sonlight school days, the family speaks, writes, and learns in English. On non-school days for extra-curricular activities, like Edu’s art classes, only Spanish is spoken. They plan to continue the same practice during their homeschool journey to promote both languages.
“As a bilingual family, it helps and inspires us to get the books he really loves in our mother tongue as well. That's been really nice.”
Routine
Routine for the Portes Medina’s is extremely important and necessary for this active family of three. A typical school day begins around 9:00am as they dive into their Sonlight Preschool program.
"I wake up an hour before Edu to have my quiet time. That really helps me with my attitude to have time with the Lord. The preschool program has given me great ideas because it's Montessori-inspired. It's great how Sonlight gives you ideas to get the kids involved in chores - teaching how to wash the dishes, make the bed, and set the table. The Instructor’s Guide ideas help him be involved in our day-to-day life.”
One of the advantages the Portes Medina family has found homeschooling with Sonlight is the flexibility to adjust their schedule as they see fit. Once Edu has completed his daily curriculum, they head outside and enjoy the warm Dominican weather at a local park or enjoy playdates with other children.
“We adore the book selection, and the activities are developmentally appropriate. The Preschool Hands-on Materials are great!”
Sara confirms teaching Edu with a literature-rich curriculum has been a blessing saying, "We have confirmation from the Lord that this is the path he wants for us."
You can learn more about the Portes Medina family’s Sonlight experience by listening to their full interview on the Sonlight Connections podcast.
Last month, we highlighted recent Sonlight Scholarship winners. There were so many success stories we decided to feature a second group of these incredible young adults.
Since 1990, Sonlight has been blessed to be a significant part of the educational foundation to so many students across the nations. Sonlight’s President, Sarita Holzmann, wanted to support Sonlight students beyond their homeschool graduation.
The Sonlight Scholarship Foundation was created, and each year, the scholarship committee evaluates applicants, selects winners, and awards $4,000 to $20,000 total to each.
We offer scholarships based on two different sets of criteria. One puts greater weight on academic performance, and the other focuses on mission mindedness and acts of kindness. If you are a high school senior, we encourage you to apply here. Deadline is December 1, 2021.
From leading businesses to academia, churches to the mission field, from neighborhoods to home - we are grateful to have been part of these amazing students’ lives.
Meet Anna R. 2021 Sonlight Graduate
Anna R. is a recent Sonlight Graduate and is currently attending Wheaton College and studying biochemistry.
When asked how her Sonlight prepared her for college and beyond, Anna states: “I have learned to prioritize what I care most about and individualize my learning to the way I learn best. I've also learned to be more independent with my assignments.”
“There are so many ways to learn. As a parent, don't let yourself be trapped in a box of formal assignments/curriculum and fail to explore what your child is curious about.” is the advice Anna offers to homeschool teachers.
Anna encourages students to:
Split Photo of Anna
“Find something you are so passionate about that you never want to stop learning about it. Let that motivate you to work towards your goals. Don't let people discourage you from pursuing what you are interested in, but also don't be afraid to ask for help. No one can do it all alone!”
Meet Jeoffrey D. 2018 Sonlight Graduate
Upon Sonlight graduation, Jeoffrey attended Lansing Community College for two years where he attained an associates degree, and is currently finishing his bachelors in Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University.
“Homeschooling taught me the value of planning, beginning with the end in mind, knowing where to prioritize your time and energy and how to effectively handle multiple projects at one time. This has greatly helped me in my adult life and equipped me well to succeed in college and beyond.
Jeoffrey’s advice to both homeschool leaders and students is would be to utilize your time as best as you can. “Be intentional with activities, relationships, your faith, and passions. Work hard at work worth doing and everything will fall into place.”
“Homeschooling equipped me for adulthood by teaching me to take ownership of life. As a homeschooled student, I had to ownership of my time, attention, schedule, and academic life from an early age.” - Jeoffrey D.
One last tip from this young man is to, “Allow for pursuit of passions outside the classroom and make room for extracurricular pursuits. Emphasize character development and the meaning behind the school work and most importantly, emphasize and build a mindset of continuous learning and a thirst for knowledge.”
Meet Kaycie C. 2018 Sonlight Graduate
After graduation, Kaycie attended New Saint Andrews College, where she is currently finishing up her senior year with a NSA Liberal Arts degree. This field has sharpened Kaycie’s analytical and communication skills while showing her what faithfulness looks like in serious scholarship. Kaycie also got married this summer to her husband Josiah and they plan to move to Seattle for career growth.
Kaycie provides insights on how her experience applying to Sonlight’s Scholarship was great preparation for applying to schools and future jobs. She encourages high school seniors, “To see it as an opportunity to train how to present themselves professionally, and to enjoy the process regardless of whether or not they receive a scholarship.”
She learned the importance of finding the balance between school work and friends/church, and not becoming a slave to her own schedule.
Kaycie’s favorite Sonlight book is William Zisner's book On Writing Well. which allowed her to succeed in her college assignments.
“It's easy to compare yourself to a public school and think how much better your education is–but with true education comes true humility, as you recognize what you really don't know!” - Kaycie C.
One last tidbit from Kaycie is: “Push your kids. Expect high standards of them. Don't let them settle. My mom had us rewrite assignments over and over again until we did them well. Your kids will thank you for requiring excellence.”
Meet Daniel N. 2017 Sonlight Graduate
Sonlight and John Brown University graduate Daniel N. is currently working as an Applications Engineer at Texas Instruments in Dallas, supporting the use of TI's semiconductors in power electronics.
Outside of work he volunteers with the children's ministry at his church, and enjoys cooking and wood carving.
“Homeschooling taught me how to learn and think critically. In a new city with a new job I am constantly learning. At work many of the systems I am supporting were not covered in school, so I need to be able to do research myself to get up to speed quickly. Outside of work I am able to manage my finances, my housing, whatever it may be, by doing my research and thinking critically, skills homeschooling taught me early on.” Daniel states.
One of his favorite Sonlight memories is completing science experiments including dissections and titration in the kitchen with his brothers. Daniel really enjoyed going beyond the prescribed experiments, testing other conditions that sparked further curiosity.
“Homeschooling provides an opportunity for students to develop a love of learning, and for parents to learn alongside their kids. As I see it, the primary requirement for a successful homeschool is a family that has a desire to learn.” - Daniel N.
Meet Grace A. 2019 Sonlight Graduate
After graduation, Grace started school at Kingswood University where she is third year pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business as Ministry.
Grace attributes Sonlight for helping her not only learn facts and information, but also to “develop critical thinking skills and to be a person of integrity. This equipped me well for adulthood, for communicating well with others, being responsible and hardworking, and thinking for myself.”
Some advice she offers to high schoolers and college students is to be intentional about setting good habits and goals for studying and life. “Now is a very formative time, and the routines, habits, and priorities that you establish for yourself will carry with you into the seasons of life to follow.”
“Homeschooling provides a unique opportunity for you to specifically shape the curriculum to fit with your child's learning style, interests, and talents. It results in a lot of good memories and a rewarding education for your children that can prepare them for life.” - Grace A.
Grace’s favorite memory from Sonlight is reading history books with her brother and mom while making lunch every day.
Sonlight counts it a huge blessing when hearing about all of the great success stories from our recent graduates. These young adults are truly making an impact in our world in no small part because of their Sonlight educations. With a Sonlight education, your children will not merely absorb basic information, but, far more, they’ll develop an inquisitive spirit and love for learning. With Sonlight, you set the stage for your students to continue learning even after they have completed their formal education.
Are you thinking of making the switch to homeschooling, or looking for some best practices to bolster your existing homeschool routine? Whether you’re looking for homeschool tips for beginners, tips for successful homeschooling during COVID-19, or tips for homeschooling as working parents, this collection of tried-and-true tricks can help anyone have a great homeschool year. We’ll answer common questions and share our best advice for successful homeschooling.
How Many Hours a Day Do You Homeschool?
Sonlight reports it typically takes about 2 to 4 hours of formal instruction for a kindergartener to complete daily work. A sixth grader will spend 4 to 6 hours while a twelfth grader will spend 6 to 8 hours.
The important thing to remember is homeschool doesn’t have to mirror typical classroom learning.
Charlotte Mason, a historic British educator beloved by many homeschool families, is often quoted as saying, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” In other words, remember the first part of the word homeschool is home. Your children will be in your home all day, in many cases. There are nearly endless opportunities for learning.
Learning at home also doesn’t need to mean searing your eyeballs in front of a computer screen for the length of a traditional school day. Many homeschool families find they can complete homeschool work in a fraction of the time of a traditional school day—and with enjoyable resources like great books.
During the 2020-2021 school year the percent of homeschooling households in America more than tripled, up to nearly 20 percent, making the practice far from uncommon. If you find yourself homeschooling unexpectedly thanks to school closures or have chosen to homeschool because of the COVID-19 pandemic, remember these three key tips:
Prioritize connection over curriculum. Whether you’re choosing to learn at home or feel pressured into the decision, homeschooling is a terrific opportunity to build a relationship with your child. No math worksheet will ever be more important than that.
Take it slow, especially at first. If you plan to homeschool all year, allow your kids a brief period of deschooling for you all to get used to this new normal. Some families also start with one or two subjects and slowly add in others.
Go at your own pace. Want to know a classroom teacher's secret? They never finish the entire textbook in a year! So you don’t have to either! Set your own pace.
What Is a Good Homeschool Schedule?
A good homeschool schedule is the one that works best for you and your family. Your schedule can outline what times during the day, which days of the week, and when during the year you have homeschool lessons. As a homeschool family, your options are almost endless, as long as you meet any state requirements.
Scheduling Homeschool Days
Making the switch from a structured school classroom to learning at home can seem overwhelming. The good news is you don’t have to replicate a classroom at home or ring a bell between classes (although you could). But keeping to a routine, even a loose one, is helpful for most families.
Many families follow this kind of daily routine, studying the same subjects at about the same time each day.
Later morning hours cover Table Subjects™ like math and language arts where students work independently at their own academic levels.
Read-alouds are a natural fit during lunch, afternoon snack break, or tea time.
Many families finish schoolwork by lunch, leaving the afternoon for other activities. Shorter homeschool days leave more time for family activities, field trips, extracurriculars, special interests, or free time.
Scheduling the Homeschool Year
Similarly, homeschool families may choose a school calendar that works best for them: a traditional schedule, learning year-round, or any variation in between.
Above all, flexibility is key because one of the nicest aspects of homeschooling is the ability to chase rabbit trails when a student is particularly interested in a topic. Take more time as needed on a difficult subject rather than racing through to the finish.
Sonlight Instructor’s Guides make scheduling simple, no matter how you choose to schedule your homeschool. Subjects are color-coded and broken down into suggested activities for a 180-day school year. Many parents simply check off a box as they complete each item. Here is a walk-through of how to use the Instructor’s Guide.
Didn’t complete all the items on the day they were prescribed? No problem at all. The Instructor’s Guide is just that–a guide, meant to work for you. Each family makes it their own.
Homeschool Tips and Tricks: Tips for a Great Homeschool Year
So how do you combine your curriculum and your schedule into something that actually works for your kids day to day? What are the practical nitty-gritty secrets that get you through an entire school year while nurturing a zest for learning?
Best Practices for Homeschooling
Although there are about a dozen different homeschool styles and each family is unique, there are some overarching principles that nearly every family follows. Here are those universal, best practices for homeschooling:
1. Be Clear About Your Motivations
One of the best homeschool tips is to have a solid reason why you’re choosing to homeschool. Write it down, journal it, or post it on your fridge—whatever works best to keep it front and center.
While you may choose to homeschool to escape something fearful, a more inspiring and long-lasting perspective that will carry you through the rough days of homeschooling is to have a positive aim in mind.
To help you crystalize your homeschool motivations and goals and get them on paper, use this free Refuel Your Homeschool printable.
And be sure to revise your motivations periodically. While some core reasons will never change, you may find your homeschool priorities morph over time. Some families find that the reason they began homeschooling is not why they keep going.
2. Find Homeschool Community
Feeling alone is a terrible burden. So don’t let yourself get there! Find the support that ministers to your heart and cling to it.
For some moms, community means that one bestie who is always on tap to debrief a bad day or provide a voice of sanity when you’re second-guessing yourself.
For other moms, the vibrance of an in-person group with regular meeting times is what fills their cup.
Whether you’re in the bestie camp or the weekly moms-group camp, all of us can find bonus community support via virtual networking. For example, the (zero fee) Sonlight app offers a no-drama, no-advertising platform for connecting with other parents who know exactly what you’re going through.
3. Choose Your Curriculum Carefully
Your biggest homeschool expense will be your curriculum. And generally, it’s something you use for the full school year. So making the wrong choice can be painful not only to your budget but also to your morale if you hate it!
Talk to a representative from the companies you’re considering before swiping that card. They can help you avoid costly mistakes.
4. Keep Family First
Whatever curriculum you choose, whether you’re a homeschool veteran or just starting out, the best tip is to enjoy the time spent with your kids. Every day won’t be perfect. But the memories you’ll make together will be priceless.
While you’re agonizing over which math curriculum to choose and wondering if your child is getting behind in reading, remember that the most important part of your job as a homeschool mom or dad lies in your relationship with your child. Homeschool lessons will end one day! But your relationship with your child will be a lifelong source of joy and blessing. So always keep the main thing the main thing.
Academics, extracurriculars, and organization are all important. But the family bond of love is the heart of it all. Whenever faced with a homeschool decision, the family bond takes precedence over any other consideration.
Tips for the First-Year Homeschooler
About 9-12 weeks into your first year homeschooling you’re probably thinking,
“Oh my goodness...what have we done?”
You are knee-deep in overwhelm, right? Let me reassure you….
This feeling is 100% normal.
If I can be very honest, eight years into this homeschooling gig, that feeling is still occasionally normal for me.
Let’s face it. We have chosen to take our children’s education into our hands. Hands that sometimes don’t feel qualified. It can be daunting.
But nothing is more daunting than that feeling the very first year. I still remember ours. I had decided to piece together the curriculum for my first grader. I can’t decide if I was totally naïve, or just overly ambitious... probably a mix of both, really.
I remember being about a fourth of the way through the school year, thinking, “Oh my...this is way harder than I thought! Maybe we made a huge mistake!”
If I could go back in time and reassure my first-year self, here’s what I’d say…
1. Survive Your First Year
I’m forever convinced that people who choose Sonlight right out of the gate are at a huge advantage, but I’m sure that even those moms and dads have that moment of panic when the big box arrives. Here’s what you need to know about the first year: You just need to survive it.
You and your child are learning so much this first year. Just get through it. Don’t worry about having things set up just so. Don’t worry about checking every box. Just finish the year.
2. Set the Tone
This first year will set the tone for your homeschooling adventure. This year, you need to focus on the fundamentals of homeschooling, and I actually don’t mean reading, writing, and arithmetic! I mean relationships, expectations, and procedures.
Relationships
Focus on your personal relationships with your children.
Value connection over academics.
Enjoy your children as often as you can.
Study them to know their likes and dislikes.
I always like to challenge myself with this: If someone were to ask me to describe my child, could I do a thorough job? Strive to deeply know and enjoy your children.
Expectations
This is the year you will begin to establish expectations. Don’t stress too much. Your expectations will change as your children grow older, but you’ll need to get a good start this year.
First, establish expectations in the home. Since your children are home rather than at school all day, they will be able to help with the housework. What are your expectations there? Keep in mind that a huge part of life is learning how to deal with housework, so time spent on chores is not wasted.
Next, consider your schoolwork expectations. Do you expect them to work mostly independently or will you be available during certain hours? What happens if they dawdle? Will you let it slide, or will there be a consequence?
Year number one is the best year to instill your expectations. Now, don’t despair. If you are well past your rookie year, it’s certainly not too late. It’s just much easier to set expectations in that first year before bad habits set in.
Procedures
Many public schools spend the first week of school establishing procedures for the classroom. While homeschoolers generally don’t have to devote so much time to logistics, it is important to establish procedures in the first year.
You’ll want to make sure that your child knows where to gather supplies, where they should do their work, and how supplies should be cleaned up after tasks. Teaching these simple procedures early in your homeschool journey will save a surprising amount of time in the long term.
3. Celebrate
You and your family are doing a big thing! It should be celebrated! That first year is a prime time to learn to enjoy each other. Homeschooling families spend a lot of time together, so families need regular times to blow off steam and relax together.
Find big things to celebrate. Find little things to celebrate!
You made it through your first week? Yay! You should take everyone out for a park play-day!
You completed your first biology dissection with limited gagging? Way to go guys! You should go grab a snow-cone!
Your kiddo finished their very first Sonlight reader? Wow! That deserves an outdoor picnic I think!
Your first year holds the potential for thousands of small and big celebrations. Take advantage. Those are good memories you’re making!
In a nutshell, your rookie year is all about learning and growing together. Focus on the big things this year instead of the little things. Think about the big picture. Remember why you’re doing this, and keep your eyes on that single goal. You’re going to have your moments, but everyone has moments. You can do this!
Christian Homeschool Tips
If you’re homeschooling as a Christian, you have an added motivation. By educating at home, you can provide your child an environment which nurtures their faith in Jesus. You can speak freely about the Bible and your beliefs and interject those truths into every subject you learn together.
1. Find Your Faith-based Goals for Homeschooling
There are plenty of secular reasons to homeschool: a superior education that’s tailored to each child, flexible scheduling, and room for student-led exploration. But when you tap into your Christian faith as inspiration for homeschooling, you find a deeper motivation!
A Christian homeschool education does not have to mean indoctrination or brainwashing. Quite the contrary! You can impart Christian principles and study the Bible while also teaching your children to understand and respectfully engage with opposing views. Be sure to provide multiple perspectives as part of your teaching. This may be as simple as a discussion to see both sides of an event from history. Or it could involve actually reading books that tell the same story through different lenses.
3. Shelter Your Children In (But Not From) the World
“My sheltered childhood was like a day at the beach: sun, shells, bikinis, beach balls, and all. The sheltering I had was a shaded awning, like something made from bamboo and dried palm fronds. The sea-breeze could flow in with the sights and sounds of life. I could go out and come back. I had a safe place to be, protected from rain and cold. I was not tossed alone into the world. I was sheltered, covered, protected . . . and free.
Sure, I got sand in my shorts. The air occasionally was fishy. Sometimes I got sunburned.
But despite this mild discomfort, my parents let me dig moats, fly kites, talk to people, explore, run, play, discover.
The world was open to me, and I was encouraged to interact with it and, in doing so, to exhibit God's love and grace to any and all whom I met along the way.
Life does not disrupt the kind of sheltering I had. Because as we read our Bibles and various biographies and learn together, we encounter complex characters and situations. We learn about life. Like anyone, we can be disheartened and disillusioned. But we're not huddled in a house, hoping nothing gets in. We are standing on the shore, looking out.
Sheltered.”
It’s a beautiful picture of the kind of sheltering we want to provide our children: a sheltering that gives them tools to engage kindly with the world, not one that causes them to wall themselves away from society in an angry huddle.
3. Teach Them to Think and Let Them Wrestle
As you teach your child to think critically, you may find them disagreeing with you from time to time. Take this as a sign of success not failure! Wrestling is key to owning your own faith.
In Why Christian Kids Leave the Faith, Tom Bisset explains a key reason kids abandon Christianity: “They left because they never personally owned their faith.”
A personal testimony is something kids have to strive to attain. They have to ask hard questions and come to their own answers. Spoon feeding them the right answers is not enough to anchor them to faith. Expose them to big ideas and have discussions about them.
Maintain a humble sense of wonder and curiosity so you can learn alongside your child. While we base our lives on the bedrock truth of the gospel, there remain many mysteries we cannot fully comprehend. Embrace this uncertainty and let your child see how your own understanding is constantly developing and how it deepens, not diminishes, your belief.
Before you read the basic tips for homeschooling kindergarten below, take a deep breath. You absolutely can do this—yes, even teaching your child to read. It’s really not that hard to teach a child how to read, and there are so many great curriculum options to guide you step by step.
Leave your anxiety behind and embrace the delight of teaching your child. Remember, your mood sets the tone!
1. Build a Predictable Routine
To prepare your child for homeschooling, establish a daily routine. This predictable rhythm will give your child a sense of safety and will smooth the transitions from activity to activity.
This routine does not have to be clock-based at all! It’s simply a sequential flow of your day, for example from breakfast to reading time to playtime to lunchtime to nap time, and so on. Of course, some days will be exceptions to the rule, but setting up this comfortable pattern will make formal schooling easier to ease into.
2. Ease into Formal Schooling
Having a fully planned kindergarten curriculum will give you peace of mind and eliminate the time-consuming task of lesson planning. So, yes, get a solid kindergarten curriculum! But hold it loosely, always taking cues from your child.
The biggest mistake an eager young homeschool mom makes is to push too hard too soon. So take your time! If your child is resistant or frustrated, put it aside and try again in a few months. Or lay out all the goodies from your curriculum and let your child choose what to work on.
School doesn’t take long at this stage—just 1-2 hours a day is plenty! So don’t force your child to sit at a table for hours on end with pencil in hand. Make sure your kindergarten is age-appropriate with lots of hands-on exploration and listening to great books.
3. Nurture Curiosity and a Love of Learning
Above all, make it your goal to nurture your child’s natural curiosity and ignite a love of learning. Working through the curriculum is far less important than accomplishing these two.
Welcome rabbit trails and “What if …” questions, letting them take over your day if your child is excited about them! Let your child know that the goal of each school day is learning and that learning is so fun!
Shun busy work that typically bores and tires young children. Instead, fill their minds with great stories and then discuss them! Yes, it’s really this simple.
High School Homeschool Tips
Your goal for the high school years is not just graduation but raising a self-sufficient adult! Here are the three ingredients you need: independent learning, accountability, and autonomy.
1. Ease into Independent Learning
Just as you ease into formal schooling for a kindergartener, you need to ease into independent learning for a high schooler. By all means, don’t go straight from parent-led instruction to totally independent work. A gradual increase in solo work is the best path to take.
You’ll probably begin this process in middle school (or even 5th grade for some more motivated learners), giving them the reins to work one or two of their daily assignments alone. At first, it may be just a few reading passages or math activities done solo. As time goes on though, a teen can do more and more without your direct supervision. Check out our steps for teaching independent learners at different ages.
2. Provide Accountability
Even the most responsible of teens can get behind if they don’t have predictable check-ins to monitor their progress. So be sure to give your teens the support they need even if they seem to bristle against it.
3. Give Autonomy
Without autonomy, teens become listless and anxious. In fact, autonomy is the primary contributor to life satisfaction. Talk with your teen about their academic and life goals. Listen to what they say, and as much as possible, make room for their concerns and preferences.
Make sure they have ownership in homeschool curriculum decisions and extracurricular pursuits. Be the facilitator of their goals, knowing that high school is the first step towards higher education and/or a career. Read here to learn more about homeschool graduation requirements.
Homeschooling Tips for Working Parents
Can you work and homeschool? Absolutely! A large proportion of homeschool parents have a part-time job or side gig and manage to successfully educate their kids at home. And some parents who work from home are able to juggle full-time jobs!
1. Flex Your Schedule
Release yourself from the 7:45 am to 3:15 pm school day box. Look at all the waking hours of your week as potential homeschool hours. Don’t forget evenings and weekends. Here are just a few flexible scheduling ideas to get your wheels turning:
Save all of your science for Saturday mornings. Do the full week in one fell swoop.
Use time on the road for audiobooks, independent reading time, discussing Read-Alouds, practicing math facts, going over vocabulary workbooks, etc.
2. Become a Time Management Pro
Since time is what the working homeschool parent typically feels most limited by, time management lies at the crux of any tips for working parents.
We already know that a homeschooling schedule is incredibly malleable. But depending on the flexibility and variability of your work demands, you may prefer rigid time blocking or a looser routine.
One way to get more homeschool value from your time is to overlap subjects. For example, with a literature-based curriculum, your children learn history and language arts at the same time with the same program. Topics like vocabulary and geography come up organically and don’t require a separate curriculum. This holistic approach to education means that you streamline your day and teach in a much more connected way that actually makes the material stick.
Another pro tip for time management is to rely on an open-and-go, fully planned curriculum. Lesson planning, reserving books from the library, and researching activities are incredibly time consuming. Use tools that save you time instead of squandering your precious hours reinventing the wheel.
3. Adjust Your Expectations
As a working homeschool parent, you will have to choose your battles. You may have to release the desire for
An always tidy and sanitized home
Three homemade meals each day
Matching socks and perfectly fixed hair
It’s okay to opt for takeout or use frozen shortcuts for mealtimes. And your home is just going to be messier since you’re there all day! As far as personal appearance, you may decide that pajamas are an acceptable work and school from home uniform!
Come up with a minimum viable homeschool day and commit to getting at least that much done daily. But let the extras go—guilt-free—on the days when you’ve got a pressing work deadline or there are errands to run. Your minimum viable homeschool day may be as little as reading, spelling, and math. But set that bar ahead of time so you don’t feel like a failure when you ditch science and the Timeline book for a week.
4. Invest in Child Training and Processes
While you’re adjusting those expectations, realize that you aren’t the be-all-end-all. Your children can help!
Could you train your children on how to load the dishwasher or how to clean the bathrooms? Would a weekly chore chart divide the labor and keep everyone accountable? Yes, it takes time to teach kids how to do these tasks (and follow up when they slack). But in the long run, you gain considerable benefits of time savings and a tidier home! Your children master practical life skills and get to contribute to the working of the family. It’s a win-win.
Would a defined process for meal planning, prep, and cleanup improve efficiency, lower your own stress, and ensure that the family isn’t resorting to frozen burritos three nights a week? If yes, take the time to put it in place.
When we run through each day in a crisis mode, it feels impossible to make changes like these. So think about your next day off when there is no school or work. Call it infrastructure day! And invest in setting up routines that get your kids involved in making the home run more smoothly.
Do Homeschoolers Get a Better Education?
As a homeschool parent, you’re bound to have days of doubt.
But be assured that yes, you are giving your kids the best education they can get. Because you love your children more than anyone else could, you are the most motivated person on the planet to give them a high-quality education.
Ask most homeschoolers and they would agree, their education is better than one they would receive elsewhere, for a few main reasons.
First, homeschooling is individualized education. Parents can tailor curriculum to a student’s learning style, pace, and interests. They can choose curriculum based on what’s important to their family, whether that’s a Christian background, a focus on the classics, instilling a love of literature (or all three!).
Homeschooling also offers the smallest possible class size, greater focus, a shorter and likely more effective school day, and less time dealing with transitions and classroom mechanics. Young children, with shorter attention spans, can get up and move when they need to, not according to an arbitrary classroom schedule. Older children can get the rest they so often need, perhaps sleeping later and starting their school day mid- or late-morning instead of sometimes before the sun is even up.
With more time and greater flexibility, students can also pursue what interests them. Homeschooling creates lifeline learners—an ultimate goal for many parents.
What Are the Disadvantages of Being Homeschooled?
People unfamiliar with learning at home may have questions, and sometimes misinformed opinions, about homeschool life. In reality, the disadvantages of homeschooling are few and far between and fairly simple to resolve.
Academic Add-ons and Extracurriculars
While a public school may have the resources for elaborate classroom setups, complete libraries, computer and science labs, gyms, bands, and art rooms, a homeschooler has more modest means to provide this kind of tangible enrichment.
If your child feels a loss in this area, talk about what they are wanting more of and find creative ways to supply it for them. With programming at local museums and zoos and a homeschool co-op, most of these supposedly lost perks can be replaced or even improved upon!
The Stereotypical Trappings of School
Some kids may long for a school locker, eating with friends in the cafeteria, playing sports on big teams, performing in the marching band, attending the homecoming parade, or going to prom. As a homeschooler, their school experience will mostly be devoid of these traditional aspects of public school (especially high school).
But there are alternatives! Some public schools include homeschoolers in sports or band. And many homeschool groups hold their own dances and field trips. You can even buy your homeschooler a class ring or create a homeschool yearbook!
Loneliness
Don’t let the myth of the unsocialized homeschooler become a reality for your child! If you’re a homebody introvert who is homeschooling an extroverted social butterfly, it will take special attention to make sure your child isn’t lonely or isolated. Again, this is not impossible to overcome; it simply takes a concerted effort. Keep the lines of communication open with your child so you can modulate their need for more (or less) social time with peers.
Disadvantages for Parents Who Homeschool
From the parent’s perspective, there are sacrifices you’ll make as a homeschooler. These aren’t necessarily disadvantages as much as realities that you’ll need to account for as you make the choice to homeschool.
1. Time Commitment
Homeschooling requires a deep commitment from parents. While using a curriculum like Sonlight makes it simple, investing time in your child’s education is a journey that requires work but reaps rich rewards. It’s not as easy as dropping your children off at a public school and simply inquiring about homework each day. Homeschooling is the time and energy commitment of at least a part-time job.
2. Isolation
Being a stay-at-home parent can feel isolating at times. But with the proliferation of homeschool co-ops, civic groups, online networks, and other organizations, there are a myriad of ways to find your community. Make self-care a priority, and be sure to have hobbies and friends that are outside of your homeschool bubble so that your entire identity is not wrapped up in solely being a homeschool parent.
3. Responsibility
Although parenting is a huge responsibility itself, when you take on your children’s education, there’s another layer of gravity. While it’s essential to take this role seriously, it’s counterproductive to feel paralyzed by fear of making mistakes. When responsibility becomes a painful burden, it’s time to call in reinforcements—maybe ask for help from your spouse or friend, maybe see a therapist, or possibly talk to a Sonlight Advisor.
Are Homeschoolers More Successful?
No form of education can guarantee a particular outcome for a student. But homeschooling does offer the opportunity to develop into more self-directed, creative learners than students might otherwise be. An educational career spent in thoughtful discussions over quality literature and with ample time for extracurricular pursuits is bound to create a very particular kind of student.
For evidence-based research about the success of homeschoolers, see the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI). Here are two key articles that demonstrate the efficacy of homeschooling:
Yes, colleges care. But not in the way you may assume. Most colleges welcome homeschoolers rather than shun them! Being homeschooled is an asset, not a drawback when it comes to college admissions.
So don’t let the idea of college scare you away from homeschooling through the high school years. Remember Charlotte Mason and her idea that education is “an atmosphere, a discipline, a life?” That holds true for colleges, too. Getting into college and succeeding there isn’t merely about a grade point average or a stellar application essay. Most colleges are looking for students who want to learn:
Who have strong study skills
Who know how to research
Who can effectively write
Who actively engage inside (and outside) the classroom
Who aren’t afraid to ask good questions
These are qualities most homeschool students have mastered by high school graduation.
Homeschool students understand the value of self-driven, efficient education. These are qualities employers value, too. A study from the Homeschool Legal Defense Association showed that more than 74 percent of home-educated adults ages 18-24 had taken college-level courses, compared to 46 percent of the general US population. It also showed they are more likely to be involved in their communities and engaged citizens, and that they are glad they were homeschooled.
Consider that a typical homeschooler might spend an average week bouncing between co-op classes, extracurricular activities, church meetings, field trips, and outings with friends or family. Now consider the wide age range (birth to elderly) a student is likely to regularly interact with at these events. It’s much broader than a typical grade-level classroom, giving homeschoolers a genuine breadth of experience that boosts their emotional quotient.
Instead of being influenced mainly by the narrow confines of a grade-level peer group, children are influenced at home and by other avenues parents choose. Far from being socially awkward, homeschool parents often receive compliments on how skilled children are at navigating social situations with people of all ages.
In short, no, homeschoolers aren’t socially awkward due to being homeschooled.
How Expensive Is Homeschooling?
There are many factors to consider when figuring the cost of homeschooling. But the average homeschool family spends between around $700 to $1,800 per year. While it is possible to spend less, keep in mind the value of the materials you’re using.
A complete homeschool curriculum package is an open-and-go option that makes it simple to homeschool (a great option for working parents to consider). You might spend less money than the averageif you opt for DIY unit studies, but spend more time tracking down materials and putting together a schedule. Or you may spend more money than the average if you enroll your child in an online homeschool program which costs thousands of dollars per year, per child.
How Much Should I Pay Someone to Homeschool My Child?
You’re not alone in your homeschool journey. Help is available if you need it. Check your state regulations, but chances are you can pay someone to assist in schooling your children—whether that’s a math tutor, extra help a few mornings a week, or simply music lessons. Parents of children with special needs should consider that therapy as school, too. Everyone from speech to occupational therapists can be part of your teaching team.
How much you might pay outside help will vary based on expertise, experience, and their specific function in your child’s academic life. Tutoring costs may range from $25 to $80 per hour, depending on several factors. You may pay more for private horseback riding lessons than you would for a county soccer league, but both are great options for physical activity. Other options to share teaching responsibilities may be joining a homeschool co-op or other learning group where the labor is divided among parents.
Do Parents Get Paid for Homeschooling?
While you cannot get paid for homeschooling your own child, you can get paid while homeschooling, whether by tutoring a student from outside your family (if your state allows it), by working a part-time job, or by freelancing. Some parents even work full-time while homeschooling.
A few states offer families the chance to apply for benefits on taxes or stipends if they meet certain criteria, but this is not common.
So in general, no, parents are not paid monetarily to homeschool. But that’s not to say that homeschooling is without rewards! There are so many intangible and priceless benefits to homeschooling that very few families regret the investment into their children. In fact, most parents are sad that they didn’t start sooner!
Parents commonly cite these invaluable perks of homeschooling: less anxiety and stress (compared to attending school), closer family bonds, the ability to tailor an education for the child, and flexibility in scheduling and pacing. So while you won’t get a paycheck for homeschooling, you will certainly be blessed by the results it brings!
Gifts are an exciting part of Christmas. Many of us give gifts to honor Jesus and his amazing gift of eternal life. Others of us give gifts to emulate the three wise men who sought to honor the Christ Child. Regardless of the reason, Christmas gift giving is a wonderful way to teach financial literacy as a Christian homeschool family.
It’s the time of year when festive carols are playing, Christmas performances are happening at local venues, and streets are filled with beautiful lights on homes. All I want to do is to ditch real life for watching Christmas movies, baking holiday desserts, and wrapping gifts, but I can’t always justify dropping academics for the holiday spirit. So what to do instead?
Changing My Perspective with Christmas School
As someone who tends to be slave to the lists I’ve made and boxes I need to check, I’ve realized that I don’t necessarily have to choose between Christmas cheer or homeschool academics. My family can enjoy the Christmas season and still be learning things, even if we take time off from structured school days.
If it helps you to embrace the freedom of flexibility, think of it as Christmas school. Here’s a list of ways to combine holiday fun with practical learning.
Geography Lessons for Christmas School
Sending or receiving Christmas cards provides an opportunity to identify specific cities, states, or countries on your globe.
Tracking the shipment of packages can be done on your Markable Map.
Watching YouTube videos provides a glimpse of how other cultures celebrate Christmas.
Handwriting Lessons for Christmas School
Sending notes of holiday cheer to friends and
family is a chance to improve cursive or printing skills.
Showing gratitude with thank you cards is an
opportunity to practice writing in a straight line on unmarked paper.
History Lessons for Christmas School
Reading books from the library shows how the fictional Santa Claus transformed from the story of the real Saint Nicholas.
Doing an Advent study or activity teaches biblical prophecy and history.
Literature Lessons for Christmas School
Gathering around the dining table to listen as a family member reads a Christmas book during meals can be a chance to hear timeless classics.
Turning on an audio book in a room lit only by the lights on the tree is a soothing way to listen to new Christmas stories or old favorites.
Math Lessons for Christmas School
Doubling or tripling the recipe for a favorite treat,
then determining how many to put on plates to share with community members and
loved ones, requires multiplication and division.
Monitoring the amount of money spent on each
gift and deducting it from the total set aside for the purpose is a lesson in
budgeting.
Staying Light-Hearted
Of course, not every Christmas activity needs to have an educational component. The point is not to take the season so seriously that every moment is forced to serve an academic purpose. While I don’t want to shirk our homeschool studies, it’s equally important to have some Christmas fun simply for the pleasure of it!
That means we’ve worn Santa hats when we’ve gone on runs through town, cranked silly Christmas songs in the car, and built gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. You might want to invite the neighbors over for a snowball fight, get creative with Elf on the Shelf antics, or cut out paper snowflakes to tape on your window.
As the year comes to an end, I want to know that my family and I have savored the Christmas season and forged precious memories. If we focus so much on school work that we forsake the fun and meaningful aspects of Christmas, we've wasted an opportunity as a homeschool family. You only have so many Christmases with your children under your roof. Cherish each one!
Three Advent Unit Study Kits
Each kit comes with a novel, discussion guide, activity ideas, recipes, and many of the craft supplies you'll need.
Life is full of rhythms. Times of waiting and times of celebration, times of plenty and times of lack—they weave themselves into the tapestry of our year and make us appreciate each new season in contrast.
Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas awaits. This in-between season that some observe as Advent can be a sweet time to cultivate anticipation in our children. When we pause to try and wrap our minds around the idea of Emmanuel, God with us, heaven come down to earth, our children get the best gift we could offer: a pure sense of wonder and awe.
To say I was a reluctant homeschooler is an understatement. When my husband suggested we switch to homeschool, I said, “You’re not going to enslave me like that! No way!”
As an introvert, I did not want to be stuck with my children at home. I knew they would drive me crazy. I felt I was not fit for this task.
It transformed our family. It transformed my relationship with our children. It transformed all of our relationships.
What’s more, our children got a great education. And, we all enjoyed the process even through the years of homeschooling high school.
You can learn how to homeschool.
An oversimplification of the story? Yes. But if you're thinking about transitioning from traditional school to homeschool, I'd love you to think about the long view: Even if the prospect seems overwhelming, you really can learn how to homeschool and enjoy it.
When we talk about the transition from public school to homeschool, it’s so good to remember that all the advice in the world can’t compete with getting to know your child’s unique needs. Just as you are their best teacher, you’re also the ideal guide to love your kids through new experiences.
“You’re cheating me out of a good education.”
my fifth grader
I’ll never forget the night when I knew we'd bring my daughter Amy home from school.
I had just begun homeschooling Luke and Jonelle in kindergarten and first grade. Amy was in fifth grade in private school—the perfect student—getting good grades. Everything seemed to be moving along smoothly.
Over dinner, my homeschooled kindergartner and first-grader were telling my husband John how they had learned about centrifugal force that day. Amy was appalled that she had yet to learn about centrifugal force. She pleaded with us to homeschool her, too. Although we were spending significant dollars on her private school, she believed she was being cheated out of a good education by not being homeschooled. What a request!
The stress lifted after our transition from public school to homeschool
We brought her home the next year with a bit of trepidation. I had two primary concerns with bringing her home:
I was already teaching two young students how to read while watching a toddler who wouldn't nap.
Of all my four children, Amy’s learning style was most suited to a classroom environment—she did exceedingly well, providing what the teacher wanted. Worksheets didn't bother her.
If it’s not broken, why fix it? And yet, when your fifth grader begs you to bring her home because she doesn't want to miss out, what do you do?
Although Amy had been doing well in school, I was amazed to see a transformation in her attitude immediately. It was as if a huge weight of stress had been lifted that we hadn't even realized was there. Where she used to sometimes needle her siblings to rile them up, now I saw her relax into her own personality and be the leader and peacemaker she was born to be. What a relief! How reassuring to see that even the dutiful student thrives in the homeschool setting.
Let me offer you peace of mind as you transition to what I believe to be a fabulous way to educate your kids. Here are nine tips on how to homeschool that will ease the transition from public school to homeschool:
2. Legally withdraw your child from public school to homeschool
This process varies from state to state and system to system. So first check your state's legal requirements. Typically, there is a form or some sort of document used to formally withdraw your child in order to homeschool. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association has a helpful interactive map that will guide you.
Can you start homeschooling at any time?
You may be wondering about the timing of this switch. Is it best to make this decision between school years so that your child completes one school year in public school and then transitions to homeschooling in the fall with a fresh school year? This kind of clear-cut division makes sense to a lot of parents and feels like the right way to handle a switch to homeschooling. There’s a fear of quitting that keeps many families locked into finishing a school year.
But instead of thinking of each school year as a discrete unit, think of all of life as a learning journey. And then ask if you want to continue even a few days longer with an educational environment that’s not working. Make the course correction as soon as you realize it needs to be made!
Can you switch to homeschool in the middle of the year? Absolutely! You can legally make this transition any time of the school year or calendar year. The timing is up to you and your own preferences. But if you know you’re going to take the leap, do it as soon as is feasible for your family.
At what age can you start homeschooling your child? Technically, you’ve been teaching your kids since birth! Some families do preschool at home and call that homeschooling. Other families don’t call it homeschooling until their child would have been obligated to attend school (in kindergarten). Other families initially enroll their children in public school and later opt to homeschool. This change can happen in very early grades, in upper elementary, in middle school, and even in high school. You can start homeschooling at any age or grade.
3. Don't recreate school at home
Trying to recreate the school environment in the home is an easy trap to fall into. This can happen in your schedule or approach, but also if you try to separate your role of teacher and parent. Homeschooling is an entirely new category!
My son Luke attended kindergarten, and when he came home in first grade, I remember him looking at me with a quizzical look. I could see him thinking, “Wait, you’re my mom, how can you be my teacher?”
We have to be authentic with our kids. Rather than trying to change hats throughout your day from teacher to parent with false formality, it helps to integrate your learning and teaching into your parenting and lifestyle.
General Questions on How to Start Homeschooling You May Be Asking
When you get down to the nitty-gritty of planning your homeschool day (check out our helpful Instructor’s Guide), choosing resources, and allocating a budget, a myriad of second thoughts and questions arise. We’ve written extensively about all of these common concerns elsewhere. Click through to read the answers on how to homeschool.
Do homeschooled students do better than public school students? Is homeschooling as effective as public schooling? Is homeschool harder than public school?
Give yourself room to breathe! Realize it might take some time to find your groove when switching from public school to homeschool.
Some families take a few weeks (or a couple months!) to just enjoy being together again and to work slowly into new routines.
You might start just a couple subjects at a time and ramp into a full workload.
Consider planning some memory-making fun the first week to celebrate the change to homeschooling and share with your kids a positive vibe. Go to the zoo in the middle of the day, or eat donuts in your pajamas. Let it sink in that you can do that now!
(This totally terrified me before I began homeschooling. I soon realized my worries were unfounded and that I actually liked being with my kids! But all good relationships take work.)
More time together means you may initially notice both more of the good and more of the bad. This is a gift! You want to know what is going on in your kids' minds and hearts. If you can work through the tough things that come up, you will come out stronger and enjoy one another in your family all the more.
Commit yourself to look for the positive and affirm the good things you see in your kids. Lean into helping everyone develop the kind of character they need to be mature adults one day, while letting them know you are on their side.
6. Find a support network
You want supportive friends who can help you during the hard times and celebrate the victories of your homeschool journey. You also want to find places your kids can connect with other homeschoolers. A local homeschool group is often a great way to meet both these needs.
Enjoy getting involved, but be careful not to over-commit as you adjust to the new life of homeschooling!
7. Plan social times with both old and new friends
Think broadly as you connect with people from your community. Planning playdates with public school friends as well as new homeschool friends can reassure your kids that they can maintain relationships while they also make new ones.
8. Tweak as you go
Observe your family as you go and continue to adjust to what works best for you. You'll be amazed at how much you learn about your children's personalities and how they best learn. You'll also start to get a feel for how you like to teach.
One of the beautiful things about Sonlight's guarantee is that you have time to really get into the program and try it out and still return it or swap it for a better fit. Even if you decide mid-year to try a different level, you have the freedom to do that. We really want every family to love learning together and want to do whatever we can to make that happen!
Curious About How to Homeschool But Nervous About the Commitment?
Homeschooling is a huge responsibility. And you may be wondering if there’s an escape hatch in case it turns into a fiasco. Can a homeschooled child go back to school? And if yes, what about switching from homeschool to public school midyear?
Homeschooling isn’t for everyone. And it may be viable only for a season. For example, we’ve heard stories from widowed moms or moms going through cancer treatment who couldn’t maintain the energy or time commitment that homeschooling requires. They found the support they needed by sending their children back to public school.
Let me reassure you that, yes, you can always pull the plug on the homeschool experiment and send your child back to public school. The state is legally obligated to provide your child a free education, and opting to homeschool for a season or a few years does not negate that responsibility. There will always be a place for your child at your local public school.
Sometimes the best choice is to return to public school after a stint of homeschooling. Before you abandon homeschooling though, try a different curriculum, use a different weekly schedule, or talk to an Advisor to see what other changes might make homeschooling doable for you if you have a strong desire to continue.
9. Get expert help on how to homeschool
If you are transitioning from traditional school to homeschool and have specific questions, please contact a Sonlight Advisor (a veteran homeschooler) who can offer a free consultation and walk you through curriculum options.
You CAN teach your kids at home! A well-planned curriculum makes it so easy, and you can trust that you are giving your kids all the academics they need.
