Episode 6: How to Start Homeschooling Step-by-Step (Part 2 of 2)
You're listening to Episode 6 of Modern Homeschool — Part 2 of our two-part series on how to start homeschooling step-by-step. Today we're getting practical: how to choose your homeschool approach, pick curriculum without overspending, set up a simple learning space, and start your very first week without losing your mind. If you missed Part 1 last week, go back and listen to Episode 5 first! My mission is to help modern families homeschool with structure, flexibility, and a life they love, so let's get started!
Episode Highlights:
1. Quick recap of Part 1 (the foundational steps)
2. An overview of homeschool approaches: Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, Traditional, and Eclectic
3. How to choose beginner-friendly curriculum without overspending and the mistake to avoid
4. How to set up a simple learning space (without a dedicated room!)
5. What your first week of homeschool can actually look like
Resources Mentioned:
Enter Launch GIVEAWAY: https://forms.gle/6uir26i17qKYUgs69
FREE Command Center: https://www.chantymacias.com/commandcenter
Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org
Outschool: https://outschool.com/teachers/Chantal-Macias
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 we are picking up right where we left off last week. So if you missed last week's episode, this is officially part 2 of our How to Start Homeschooling Step-by-Step series. So I'd encourage you to hit pause on this one, go back and listen to episode five first. It covers the four foundational steps that everything in today's episode builds on. So a quick recap for anyone who is caught up, last episode, we talked through step one, which is knowing your state's homeschool laws, step two, giving yourself and your child time to deschool, step three, getting clear on your why, and step four, understanding your child's learning style.
Today, we're moving from foundation into action, baby. We're getting into the practical stuff, so choosing your homeschool approach, picking curriculum without overspending, setting up your space, and what to actually do your very first week of homeschool. This is where the rubber meets the road. Let's go. Okay, fair warning, this part of the research can send you into a very, very deep rabbit hole. So I'm gonna give you the straightforward overview and then tell you what actually matters, okay? And this is step five, exploring your homeschool approaches without overwhelm. So there are several main homeschooling philosophies you'll hear about over and over. You might see them on Instagram, find them on some blogs.
So we have the classical approach, which is structured, logic-based, built around the grammar stage, logic stage, rhetoric stage. They're very heavy on books. Latin sometimes is included, and they focus on developing strong critical thinking. So this is great for parents who love structure and academic rigor. The next one is Charlotte Mason. So this is nature-based, living books over textbooks, they like short, focused lessons, especially when the kids are very young. They prefer narration when the child is able to tell back what they've learned. And it's really a beautiful, peaceful approach that emphasizes wonder and depth. There's also unschooling, and we mentioned this in last episode. This is child-led, interest-based learning, so there's no formal curriculum. Instead, the parent supports the child's natural curiosity and provides resources as it comes up. So this one Kind of freaks out some new homeschoolers because they're worried that the child is not gonna learn enough. But it does tend to work really nicely for some families. There's also traditional or school at home. Now, this is the one that's most similar to public school structure. So you have your desks, your schedule, your textbooks, and test taking. So this option is often really comfortable for families that are just leaving public school because it already feels so familiar. And the last approach is eclectic. This is where you take the best from each approach and mix them together based on what your child needs and what subject you're teaching.
Most homeschool families, including us, are eclectic. We pull from different approaches depending on what the subject is and what our child needs in that season. You do not have to pick a lane and stay in it forever. Your approach will probably evolve as you get more comfortable, as your kids grow, and as your family changes, and that's completely normal and okay. Everyone is allowed to change their mind, none of these approaches are right or wrong. It's truly whichever one or ones you love the most and work for you and your kiddos. If you're brand new and feeling overwhelmed by all of this, you may wanna start with the eclectic approach. Pull what feels good, drop what doesn't, and adjust as you go. There's no homeschool police checking your label, okay? And honestly, like I said, it's just a label. Nobody even really checks that. And you certainly don't need to let people know which approach you're using. It's just for your own understanding.
Step six is choose curriculum without overspending. This is where I see a lot of new homeschool families getting tripped up, and I'm gonna save you from making the same mistake I see over and over again. Don't buy everything at once. I am being so serious. I know it's tempting. You go on Instagram, you see those gorgeous homeschool setups, all these beautiful curricula fanned out, or people doing reviews on a wooden table with morning light streaming in and a coffee in their hand, and the next thing you know, you've spent four hundred dollars on things your child hates, and that is sitting on a shelf collecting dust.
I've been there. I have made this mistake. Please don't do it. Here's a much more sustainable approach. You're gonna start with just the core subjects. Okay? Golden rule of thumb is just two in year one. Two core subjects in year one, reading, writing, language arts, math. You pick two of them. Okay? Let's say math and reading/language arts. That's it. You can add more later, okay? Use free trials whenever they're available before you commit to a month, let alone a full year. Look into your local library, your homeschool co-ops, and YouTube, because so much is genuinely free and very high quality. Don't feel pressured to use the same curriculum everyone else uses. Oof, I can name one brand right now that I cannot stop seeing online, and it really irks me because that's not the one that works for us, yet it comes up so much, and I love that people love it, but it just doesn't work for our family. And so it's like any mom can see that so many times and then start to feel that comparison game. Okay? And that really sucks because it's not fair. What works for one family might be wrong for yours, and that's okay.
Give a curriculum four to six weeks before deciding that it's not working. Sometimes you and your kid just need a little bit of time to settle into it. So a few beginner-friendly resources that a lot of families really love are Outschool. This is a marketplace filled with live online classes, and they're also asynchronous self-paced classes that are taught by real teachers, and we love this platform so much, especially for math. There's Khan Academy, which is completely free. It's really great for math and so much more. All About Reading is a strong phonics-based reading curriculum. Math-U-See is a hands-on visual math program that works really well for kinesthetic learners. And then you also have Reading Eggs, IXL, The Good and the Beautiful. There's a bunch of other curriculums out there that they may or may not be faith friendly. They offer free downloads for some programs. Some of them also offer free placement testing like Christian Light Education does, and it's great, just so you can kinda get an idea of where your child is at. But again, what works for one family might not work for yours, and it's okay if something works for you and doesn't work for someone else too. Give yourself permission to try this and drop what doesn't work, and then you find your fit. That process is part of homeschooling. You don't have to have it all figured out before you start.
All right, step seven. This is probably my favorite one. Set up a simple learning space. You do not need a dedicated homeschool room. I really need you to hear this. Your kitchen table is perfectly fine. Your living room floor is perfectly fine. A corner of your bedroom with a small shelf, or your couch, or a campsite, or a hotel. You can homeschool from any of these places. What matters is that your child has a space that signals, "Hey, this is where we learn." It doesn't have to be Instagram worthy. Don't worry, we're not gonna be taking out our white gloves and checking it, okay? It just has to be functional and feel good for your family. A few things that genuinely do help are having a dedicated shelf or a bin just to place all of your books and supplies so that things aren't scattered everywhere by Tuesday, some good lighting, natural light is a game changer if you have it. Minimal distractions during focus learning time, so turn off the TV, put your phones away.
You can have the ambiance music playing in the background or classical music. I have always loved doing this even since I started teaching. It's always really helped. But, bigger distractions, you wanna make sure that they're not in the way. A basket or a bin for each child's current materials so that they just grab and go, and maybe even like a simple visual reminder, like a routine or a schedule of your day's plan. So even a small whiteboard works. So now what don't you need? You don't need that gorgeous alphabet rug you saw on Temu. You don't need 100 educational posters that say, "Reach for the stars," or, "Reach the mountain top." You don't need every educational toy you saw on TikTok. Y- you can get some of them. You don't need them all. You don't need a custom built-in shelving system that is gorgeous on your friend's feed. Save your money, start simple, and add things only when you discover a real need for them. So we keep our learning supplies organized in one corner area, and honestly, it took us a while to land on what works, but we started with one big bookcase, like a bookshelf, and we broke it up into bins by subject, and then we narrowed down to what we actually use. So start with what you have and adjust as you learn what you need.
All right, and the last step. This is my final step, and maybe the most important piece of advice in this whole entire two-part series. Step eight: Start simple and give yourself grace. You do not need to have it all figured out on day one or week one or month one. Actually, may not even have it all figured out by year one, but you are allowed to figure this out as you go. In fact, that's how most homeschool families actually do it. Yes, even the ones who look like they have everything together on Instagram. Here's what your first week could look like. You're gonna pick two or three core subjects to focus on. Like we said, math and reading or language arts is a really solid starting place.
You're gonna aim for just one or two hours of focused learning per day maximum, especially for early elementary, okay? You're gonna build in lots of free play, creative play, outdoor time, and read-alouds. You're not gonna try to follow a strict schedule yet. You're gonna observe how your child works best, and you're gonna take notes on what is clicking and what isn't. That's literally it. That's a successful first week. Woo-hoo. And I'd love for you to come and tell me, so I can celebrate with you 'cause we love celebrating all the things. And what does success actually look like in homeschooling? It is not finishing a curriculum. It is not perfect attendance to a desk schedule. It is not having a Pinterest-worthy photo to post. Sorry, not sorry. Here we get honest and real. Success is your child being curious, engaged, connected to you, slowly building skills at the pace that works for them. It's you feeling more present and less rushed. It's a family rhythm that actually fits your life. You have to remember that homeschooling is a marathon. It is not a sprint, okay? The families who thrive long term are not the ones who have had the most elaborate setup at the beginning. They're the ones who stayed consistent, they stayed flexible, and were kind to themselves along the entire way. You've got this!
So let me give you the full big picture roadmap, including last week's steps and this week's, okay? This is a recap of all eight steps to how to get started with homeschooling. Step one, know your state's laws. Step two, deschool and give yourself time. Step three, get clear on your why. Step four, understand your child's learning style or styles. Step five, explore homeschool approaches. Step six, choose your curriculum without overspending. Step seven, set up a simple learning space. And step eight, you're gonna start even simpler, and you're gonna give yourself grace, baby. That is your full roadmap to starting homeschool.
And speaking of getting started simple, if everything in this two-part series feels like a lot, the free Homeschool Command Center is the easiest first step you can take. It's a digital planner that helps you map out your whole week, track your subjects, and keep everything in one place so you actually can start simple. You can grab it for free at chantymacias.com/commandcenter, or you can just click on the link in the show notes. I put it there for you. And that, my friends, is your full step-by-step guide to starting homeschool. I genuinely hope this two-part series gave you the clarity, the confidence, and the roadmap you needed. I know they were bulky, but if you save these episodes, you can listen to them again when you hit that overwhelmed moment or when you're actually ready to begin. And you will hit one, because pretty much every homeschool family does. And that's not a sign you can't do it. That's just a normal part of building something new and great.
Now, next episode, we're keeping the practical momentum going with episode seven, which is how to create a simple homeschool schedule or routine. So if you're sitting there wondering, "Okay, but what does an actual day look like? And how do I structure it? 'Cause I have no idea what to do." That episode is gonna give you a flexible framework that works for real families. So make sure you're following so you don't miss it. And if this two-part series helped you, would you please share it with a mama friend who's just starting out or curious about it? Your sharing this could be the thing that makes homeschool feel so possible for someone else. It really does mean the world. So come find me on Instagram @chanty.macias or on TikTok @chantymacias, and I'd love to hear which step felt like the biggest aha moment for you or what's still feeling unclear. See you next week!