How to Start Homeschooling: A Complete Guide for Beginners

The question isn't whether you're qualified to homeschool your child. You've already taught them to walk, talk, tie their shoes, and a thousand other skills. The real question is whether you're ready for a different kind of education—one that fits your family instead of the other way around.

Roughly 3.7 million students are homeschooled in the United States, and that number grew 5.4% in the 2024-2025 school year alone. These families come from every background imaginable: teachers and truck drivers, doctors and stay-at-home parents, religious families and secular ones. What they share isn't a particular skill set—it's the willingness to try something different.

This guide strips away the overwhelm and gives you a clear starting point. We'll cover the legal basics, help you understand your options, and walk you through your first weeks so you can stop researching and start teaching.

First Things First: Is This Even Legal?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in every U.S. state and territory. That wasn't always the case—as recently as 1993, homeschooling remained illegal or heavily restricted in several states. But today, the legal battles are long settled. The question isn't if you can homeschool, but how your state wants you to go about it.

State regulations fall into roughly four categories. Some states (Alaska, Texas, Idaho) require no notification whatsoever—you simply start teaching. Others want a one-time letter saying you intend to homeschool. A third group requires annual notification plus some form of assessment. And a handful of states (New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts) have detailed requirements including curriculum approval and regular evaluations.

Your state's requirements matter because they determine your paperwork, your record-keeping, and your flexibility. A parent in Texas can change curriculum mid-year without telling anyone. A parent in New York needs to submit quarterly reports and meet with an evaluator annually.

State Regulation Levels at a Glance

The Legal Checklist: Getting Started Right

What About the "Deschooling" Period?

If your child is coming out of traditional school, resist the urge to dive straight into curriculum. Most experienced homeschoolers recommend a "deschooling" period—a transition phase where formal academics take a backseat to reconnection and decompression.

The general guideline: one month of deschooling for every year your child spent in traditional school. A third-grader might need three months; a seventh-grader, seven. During this time, follow your child's interests. Go to libraries and museums. Read together. Play board games. Let the pressure of grades and performance melt away.

This feels counterproductive—shouldn't you be teaching? But deschooling serves a purpose. Kids need to unlearn that education means worksheets and tests. You need to unlearn that teaching means standing at a board. The families who skip this step often find themselves battling resistance that could have been avoided.

Choosing Your Approach (Without Overthinking It)

Spend five minutes in homeschool circles and you'll hear about Charlotte Mason, classical education, unschooling, Montessori, and a dozen other philosophies. This can feel overwhelming—like you need a PhD in educational theory before buying your first workbook.

Here's the secret: most long-term homeschoolers end up "eclectic," mixing methods based on what works for their specific kids. The Charlotte Mason approach might fit your literature-loving daughter but frustrate your hands-on son. Classical education's rigor might appeal in theory but exhaust you in practice.

For your first year, pick one general direction and stay flexible. You're not signing a contract. If something isn't working by October, change it. The ability to pivot is exactly why you're homeschooling in the first place.

Popular Homeschool Approaches

Curriculum: Start Small, Expand Later

New homeschoolers make a predictable mistake: they buy everything. The full curriculum package, the supplemental workbooks, the hands-on science kit, the art history program—and by November, half of it sits untouched while guilt mounts.

For your first year, focus on two subjects: math and language arts (reading, writing, spelling). Everything else can wait or be covered informally through library books, documentaries, and conversations. Once you've found your footing—typically around month three—add science or history. By year two, you'll know what works and what to skip.

When evaluating curriculum, think about your teaching style as much as your child's learning style. Do you want lessons scripted for you or flexibility to improvise? Do you prefer physical books or digital programs? Can you teach math confidently, or do you need video instruction? There's no wrong answer—just honest assessment.

Curriculum Selection Questions

• How much teacher prep do you want? Open-and-go programs require no planning; others assume you'll customize
• Does your child need video instruction? Some learners thrive with a "teacher" on screen; others tune out
• What's your budget? Options range from free (library + Khan Academy) to $1,500+ per child annually
• How important is secular vs. religious content? Many popular curricula have faith-based elements
• Physical or digital? Some kids do better with tangible books; others prefer screens

The Schedule Question: How Many Hours?

New homeschoolers often plan six-hour school days to match traditional schools. They rarely last a week.

Here's why: one-on-one instruction is radically more efficient than classroom teaching. There's no attendance, no transitions, no waiting for 25 other kids to settle down. A concept that takes 45 minutes in a classroom often takes 15 minutes at home. Most elementary homeschoolers finish formal academics in 2-3 hours. Middle schoolers might need 3-4 hours. Even high schoolers with rigorous loads rarely exceed 5-6 hours of focused work.

Build your schedule around your family's natural rhythm. If your kids are sharpest in the morning, front-load the challenging subjects. If everyone needs time to wake up, start at 10 AM. Have a toddler who naps at 1 PM? That's your window for one-on-one time with an older child. The flexibility is the point.

Socialization: The Question You'll Hear Forever

"What about socialization?" Prepare for this question at every family gathering. Your answer will evolve, but here's what the research actually says: homeschooled students show comparable or better social skills than their traditionally-schooled peers across the majority of peer-reviewed studies.

The difference is intentionality. Classroom kids get social interaction by default; homeschool kids get it by design. Co-ops, sports leagues, music lessons, scouts, 4-H, church groups, neighborhood friendships—homeschoolers typically participate in 5+ organized activities. They interact with people of varying ages rather than being grouped strictly by birth year.

That said, don't dismiss the concern entirely. Some homeschool families do isolate their children, and those kids struggle. The parents who succeed treat socialization as a real priority, not an afterthought. Your local homeschool association can connect you with co-ops and activity groups from the start.

Your First Month: Survival Mode

Your first week will feel chaotic. Your carefully planned lessons will take twice as long (or half as long) as expected. Your child may resist or surprise you with enthusiasm. You'll question everything.

This is completely normal. Every homeschool parent has been here.

A few first-month survival principles: Start with less than you think you need—you can always add more. Don't compare your messy reality to other families' curated Instagram feeds. When something isn't working, stop doing it. And give yourself at least six to eight weeks before judging whether homeschooling "works" for your family. Early struggles usually reflect adjustment, not fundamental incompatibility.

The families who thrive long-term share one trait: they're willing to adapt. Bad curriculum? Replace it. Wrong schedule? Change it. Unexpected passion for dinosaurs? Follow that rabbit trail for a month. The flexibility to adjust is homeschooling's superpower—use it.

First Month Sanity Checklist

The Bottom Line

Every experienced homeschooler started exactly where you are now—uncertain, excited, and probably reading one more article before taking the leap. The truth is, no amount of research fully prepares you. At some point, you simply have to begin.

Your action items are straightforward: check your state's legal requirements, pick one math program and one language arts program, set a start date, and go. Everything else—the methods, the schedules, the extracurriculars—can be figured out as you go. Most of it will change anyway as you learn what works for your specific kids.

The parents who succeed at homeschooling aren't the most organized or the most educated. They're the ones who started before they felt ready and adjusted along the way. That can be you.