Episode 5: How to Start Homeschooling Step-by-Step (Part 1 of 2)
You're listening to Episode 5 of Modern Homeschool - Part 1 of our two-part series on how to start homeschooling step-by-step. Today, we're covering the four foundational steps you need to take BEFORE you buy a curriculum or set up a single shelf. Whether you're pulling your child out of public school next month or just exploring the idea, this episode gives you the mindset and groundwork to start strong. My mission is to help modern families homeschool with structure, flexibility, and a life they love, so let's get started!
Episode Highlights:
1. Why this is a 2-part series and what you'll learn in each
2. How to check your state's homeschool laws (and what to actually look for)
3. What deschooling is and why it might be the most important step
4. How to get clear on your why before choosing anything else
5. Understanding your child's learning style and how to spot it
6. What's coming in Part 2 next week
Resources Mentioned:
FREE Homeschool Weekly Planner: https://www.chantymacias.com/weeklyplanner
Getting Started With Homeschool Guide: https://www.chantymacias.com/guide
HSLDA State Laws: https://hslda.org/legal
Connect with your podcast host:
https://www.instagram.com/chanty.macias
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Welcome back to Modern Homeschool. I'm your host, Chanty Macias, and I'm so glad you're here today because this episode is a topic that I get asked about constantly. People slide into my DMs literally every week saying, "Chanty, I wanna homeschool, but how do I start? Where do I even begin?" I've gotten calls from this. I've had personal close friends ask me this. I've had family members ask me this. It's been the highlight of my homeschooling journey, honestly. And I get it, right? We, when we were in the beginning of this journey, I remember feeling like there were a million things I needed to figure out, and not many people around me who had done it the way I wanted to do it, right? So today and in the next episode, I'm walking you through exactly how to start homeschooling. We're talking step by step and because there's so much to cover, and I don't want this to feel rushed or overwhelming, I'm gonna split this into a two-part series. So this episode is part one. It's all about the foundation, the four steps you need to take before you buy a single curriculum or set up a single shelf in your home. Because honestly, this is the part most people skip, and it's the part that makes or breaks your whole entire homeschool experience. And then in the next episode, part two, we'll get into the practical stuff, so choosing your approach, picking curriculum without overspending, setting up your space, and what to actually do in your first week. So grab a coffee or tea, matcha cha cha, whatever you like. Take a deep breath, and let's get into it.
Okay. First things first. Before you do anything else, you need to know what your state requires. Every state has different laws when it comes to homeschooling. Some states are super relaxed, so you basically just pull your kid out of public school, and you go. Or you never even enroll them, and you just continue as is.
Other states require more paperwork, like submitting a notice of intent or some people also call it a letter of intent keeping attendance records or even annual assessments and portfolio reviews. The good news is that most states are not as complicated as they sound. So according to the HSLDA website, that's the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, they have a free state-by-state breakdown that makes it really easy to understand what applies directly to you. So I'm gonna link the website in the show notes, so you could just click on it and go directly to your state and see what your requirements are. So here's what you wanna look up for your state Do you need to file a notice or a letter of intent or a withdrawal letter if you're removing them from public school with your school district?
Are there attendance or record-keeping requirements? Does your state require annual testing or a portfolio review? Are there any teacher qualification requirements for me or for you as a parent? And the last one is, are there age requirements for compulsory education in your state? Now, if your child is currently enrolled in public school, you will need to officially withdraw them.
Most districts just require a simple written letter or an email saying that you're withdrawing them to homeschool. In our state, in Florida, the letter of intent served this exact purpose. So I just completed the form, and I emailed it to my district, and that was it. Two days later, I think I got an email confirmation from them saying that they had accepted it and I was good to go.
There are tons of free withdrawal letter templates online, so you don't really need to overthink this part. It's almost always just a quick formality. Now, one pro tip, send your withdrawal letter via email or certified mail so that you always have backup and some proof.
Some districts will try to schedule meetings or maybe even push back, and I've heard this happen to some people. You don't owe them an explanation. You're simply informing them. So the bottom line is know your state's rules, follow them, and then don't stress about it. Most homeschool families find that the legal side is always way simpler than they expected, and once it's done, it's done.
Now, step two is give yourself and your child some time to deschool. This term is always thrown around so lightly on social media, and I feel like it doesn't really get the proper explanation it requires. Let's talk a little bit about that. This is the step that nobody talks about enough, and honestly, it might be the most important one in the entire episode.
So what is deschooling? Deschooling is the period of time that it takes for both you and your child to mentally detach from the traditional school model. And I will tell you from experience, we did this. It took a little bit longer than expected mostly because of my hardwired teacher brain and what I was used to, but it served so well, and I'm so grateful for it.
So when kids come out of public school, they've been conditioned to learn in a very specific way. The bells, the desks in specific orders, the worksheets, the raising hands, being told exactly what to do and when to do it, even going to the restroom. And then when they first get home, they might resist it, right?
They might say that they're bored or they're sitting at the kitchen table waiting for you to teach them like a classroom teacher right? You're gonna get all my attention. They might even melt down or have a breakdown because the freedom feels so weird and unfamiliar. And if you're not prepared for that, it can feel like everything is going wrong so soon in the game, when actually that just means that everything is going exactly right.
So the general rule of thumb is one month of deschooling for every year your child was in traditional school. Now, that doesn't mean that you do absolutely nothing during deschooling. No, it just means that you give yourself permission to go slow. Read books together, visit museums, go to the library, bake things together, go to the park, do things and projects that they're actually interested in. Let learning happen organically without the pressure of recreating school at home. So I said this earlier, and I'll be honest with you, even I had to deschool myself. This was my biggest issue when I first started, and I know a lot of teachers are listening to this right now.
So I will tell you, as a former educator, my instinct was to structure everything. I had laminated schedules. I'm sure you've seen them on social media too. A whole wall of supplies and was, like, ready to go full classroom mode. And it took me a minute to realize that learning can look really different and still be incredibly powerful. Watch your child during the deschooling period. Notice the things that they're drawn to. Notice when they relax. Notice when curiosity returns, because for a lot of kids who've been in school, real curiosity has been suppressed for quite some time. Notice it, right? When did you see it come back? That's the moment deschooling is working.
Now, I said the general rule of thumb, one month for every year that they were in school. You do not have to follow that. It definitely did not take us that long. I wanna say maybe just a month, maybe even less.
Before you choose a single curriculum or buy a single workbook, I want you to spend real time getting clear on this step. And this is step three, get crystal clear on your why. Why on earth are you homeschooling? What matters most to you about your child's education? Take a few minutes, and literally grab a journal or open a notes app and answer some of these questions, okay? Is it flexibility and freedom that you're craving? Is it a deeper connection with your kids? Is it academic reasons? Maybe your child learns differently or needs more of a challenge. Is it lifestyle, travel, work schedules, or just your family values? Is it because something just doesn't feel right about where they are right now? What kind of childhood do you want your kids to have? And what kind of relationship do you want to have with your kids five years from now? Your why is gonna be the anchor when things get hard. And listen, they will get hard sometimes. Not because homeschooling is wrong, but because anything worth doing has hard days. Your why is what keeps you going when you hit those days. Trust me. So write it down, put it somewhere you'll see it, a sticky note on your laptop, the inside of your planner, the lock screen on your phone. Some of you get really fancy with these apps on your phones, and they make everything look super pretty and aesthetic. I wish I could do that. You have to get on my DMs and teach me how to do that. Seriously, though, when you're three weeks into a tough season, that little tiny reminder is gonna matter. And don't worry about getting it perfect. Your why might even evolve over time. I know mine certainly has. You start with one thing and discover deeper layers as you go. That's just part of the process too.
Step four, understand your child's learning style. Here's something traditional school doesn't always have the luxury of doing well, teaching to one specific child. One of the greatest gifts of homeschooling is that you actually get to understand how your child learns best, and then teach them that way. You're not trying to keep 30 kids on the same page. You have one or maybe two or three or sometimes even more, and you can adapt to exactly who they are as individuals. So there are a few common learning styles you hear about. We've got the visual learners. They love diagrams and colors, videos, seeing lots of information laid out visually. You've got your auditory learners. They learn best by listening, discussing, and talking through ideas out loud. You've got your kinesthetic learners. These are your hands-on friends. Hands-on is everything. Your sensory peeps, right? They need to move, touch, and physically do everything. And you've got your reading and writing learners. They absorb things through reading and retain information by writing things down. Now, I'll be honest with you, 'cause I've done several workshops on this specific topic itself, 'cause sometimes you might hear these learning styles are so out of date," or, "They're dead now." And I can tell you that is the furthest thing from the truth, okay?
Now, I've had the pleasure of working with a lot of educational companies who have asked for my expertise in this specific concept, and I have told them most kids are a mix. And honestly, they'll show you over time if you really pay attention. Notice what lights them up. Notice what makes them shut down. That's your data. So some questions to help you figure out which learning style your child is or which ones they are, plural, 'cause it could be more than one. When my child is excited about something they've learned, how did they learn it? When my child explains something to me, did they draw it, did they talk through it, or did they act it out? Do they remember things they read or things they hear better? When they're frustrated with the tasks, what kind of break helps them the most? Moving, talking, or just being quiet?
For us, Ari is a real hands-on learner with a strong visual component, so she always has been since she was a baby, and we started doing sensory play activities since she was months old. So we use a lot of games, manipulatives, and really colorful resources. And math has actually become way easier for her since we added the physical objects that she can move around and visually see.
It makes a massive difference. And here's the thing. Once you understand how your child learns, you can then choose curriculum that supports that style. You're not buying things blindly, you're buying it with intention, and that alone is gonna save you so much time, money, and frustration. Okay. Before we wrap up part one, let's quickly recap the four foundational steps we covered today.
Step one is knowing your state's homeschool laws. Step two is to give yourself time to de-school. Step three is get clear on your why. And step four is to understand your child's learning style or styles. These four steps are really the foundation, so if you get these right and everything that comes next, the curriculum, the schedule, and the daily flow will all feel so much more clear and intentional. That's a wrap on part one.
These four foundational steps, the legal stuff, the de-schooling, your why, and understanding how your child learns, these are the work that needs to happen first. Everything else you do will build on top of this. So in the next episode, in part two, we're getting into the practical hands-on stuff. Choosing your homeschool approach without going down a 12-hour Pinterest rabbit hole. You know the one I'm talking about. Picking curriculum without overspending. I've got some real talk on this one. Setting up a learning space that actually works, and how to start your very first week of homeschool without losing your sanity. Make sure you hit follow or subscribe for part two so that it lands on your feed automatically next Monday.
You don't wanna miss it. If this episode helped you, would you do me a favor? Share it with a mom who you know has been thinking about homeschooling. You might be the reason she finally takes that first step. Come find me on Instagram @Chanty.macias. I would love to hear where you are in your homeschool journey and answer any questions you have.
Now, I would like to say, real quick disclaimer, I am not, or I don't consider myself yet a homeschool pro. I'm just sharing our real life and just whatever it is that we're doing and hoping that it helps some of you. Because I have noticed that having my expertise and my background as an educator and having my daughter at home for the first couple years in her life has really made all the difference in our journey, and we just really love getting on this mic and sharing all the things with y'all. So remember, homeschool doesn't have to look like school at home. It just has to work for your family. See you in the next episode for part two!