5 Things to Consider Before Homeschooling: A Christian Parent’s Guide

Are you considering homeschooling? If so, I love to hear it! Below are 5 key things to consider before homeschooling, from a Christian perspective.

Here at Rejoice About, we are dedicated to inspiring and encouraging you on your family’s home education journey.

If you are interested in homeschooling, I have listed out a Christian Parents’ Guide with 5 key questions to consider before making the leap towards homeschool!

I know it’s a big choice to make when considering your child’s education. It can feel overwhelming and daunting, but homeschooling is amazing! We are in our 4th year of home education and have been so blessed by our decision.

Let’s jump right into the 5 things to consider before homeschooling, for Christian parents.

1. State and Local Laws

State and local laws are important to consider before you make the decision to homeschool. Especially in the older years.

It is important to keep track of your students’ progress to meet your state’s requirements. This will set your student up for success as they continue into higher education or join the job force. 

When we were in Missouri, we were required to complete 1,000 hours of instruction annually, with at least 600 hours in the core subjects of reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science. 

Cooking (Math), music lessons, Bible study, and nature walks can be a part of those hours. 

Some states require certain hours, enrollments, or testing to be compliant. Be sure to check yours. HSLDA is a great resource to find them!

This matters as the student gets older, for transcript purposes and to ensure compliance for college applications and job placements! 

2. Learning/Teaching Styles

I highly recommend researching styles of learning methods before deciding on a certain homeschool curriculum.

Deciding your learning style is flexible and personal to you and your family’s needs and interests! Spend some time researching the types of education/learning styles there are. 

Some popular styles include: Classical, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, unschooling, and unit studies. 

These all have their pros and cons, but the beauty is that homeschooling is flexible, meaning you can actually pick and choose which aspects you like from each style. 

We personally do a combination of Classical mixed with spiral learning methods. 

3. Community and Support

Another question to ask when considering homeschooling is where will we find community and support?

I highly encourage seeking out a local Co-Op in your area. This can provide not only your kids, but also you with friendships in like-minded seasons of life!

You can gain insight from seasoned homeschool families and make playdates with those who are in the trenches with littles. 

Pros of a homeschool Co-Op:

• Community
• Social relationships for kids
• Exposure to learning styles
• Comraderie for parents
• Family friendships

When we were in Missouri, we were a part of Classical Conversations, a Christian Classical community. We loved the community aspect, the emphasis on making God known, and the learning opportunities.

Here in Hawaii, we actually don’t have any homeschool community near us, so we are navigating a new journey. I wrote more about our new season of life and some tips on how to build a homeschool life with no community here.

4. Time Commitment & Daily Rhythm

This is another flexible aspect of homeschooling! But I still encourage setting some expectations for yourself and your students’ schedules. 

Having loose guardrails will set you up for success, even on the hard days.

Do you plan on 4 days of schooling? Great, set a realistic schedule to meet those goals using that schedule!

Need a certain number of hours to complete a curriculum? Add that set time into your schedule to achieve that completion. 

Setting yourself up for success in this way helps to keep your homeschool running smoothly. 

This does not mean you have to be at the school table by 9 am on the dot and can’t get up until lunch. No. Flexibility is why I love homeschooling. 

An example of loose guardrails can look like this: after breakfast, we will begin schooling, and we will begin with reading aloud and Bible time first. 

It’s a simple “schedule” if you will, but these guardrails will help to keep you on task and your kids in a reasonable routine to help you all thrive!

If you want a glimpse into a day in our life of Kindergarten with toddlers, check this post out here.

Homeschool for us currently takes about 10-12 hours a week of actual “book work.” We are now in second grade and PreK, so our schedule has shifted a bit, but here is a snapshot of what our school week looks like now.

We school Monday-Thursday:

• (Mom) Up at 5:30 – coffee, bible, exercise
• Kids up by 6-6:30 – spend time with dad before work
• Breakfast around 8
• School from around 8:30-10:30 – Read aloud, Bible, tracing/writing practice, Language Arts, Math
• On Tuesday, we add History, and on Wednesday, we add Science, which adds about another 30 minutes.
• Dedicated reading of 15 minutes for my son
• Friday – we don’t do actual lessons, but read aloud and sometimes do a review of the week.

Don’t forget learning happens all through the day with character building, cooking with mom, nature outside, Bible lessons, and Christian podcasts for kids. 

5. Know Your Why!

This one is actually the most important! Knowing your why will help you stay motivated on your challenging days. 

Just like marriage vows or a business mission statement, having a why keeps you focused, centered, and driven to keep going. 

Some of our whys are family time, faith, and freedom! I actually wrote a post all about our choice to homeschool here.

Homeschooling aligns with our family values in a number of ways. When I focus on those, I am motivated to keep going. 

The alternative is not on the table for us. So we keep pushing forward, adjust where needed, and then praise God for His grace when the going gets tough!

If you don’t have a why, it’s easy to assume that when times get hard (and they will), you will “give up.”

If you need help discovering your “why”, I created this free homeschool vision statement workbook.

Homeschool Vision Statement Workbook FREE

$0.00

Every homeschool journey begins with a “why.” Having a clear vision helps you stay focused on what matters most, especially on the hard days. This worksheet will guide you through prayerful reflection so you can create your own Homeschool Vision Statement.

Homeschool Vision Statement Workbook FREE quantity

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Financial Flexibility

This is an honorable mention, but I do understand the weight of finances when it comes to homeschooling.

For most homeschool families, one parent (typically the mother) stays home with the kids and takes on the primary role of teacher.

This means a potential loss of income if she were working previously.

Can this financial decision feel impossible? Absolutely.

However, I have learned, through real-life experience, that what money can buy will never replace this precious and formative time with my children.

This is a sacrifice. The life of a mother is inherently sacrificial. We are no longer the main character; the children & family are. It takes time and hard lessons to arrive at this point, but it is so, so worth it.

Not only are my children given a one-on-one loving education, but I, too, am being educated and sanctified.

This is the call of the Christian life.

If the call to homeschool is on your heart, please pray about this and discuss with your spouse.

Many families decide to downsize, switch to used cars, cook from scratch, forgo vacations, and buy secondhand, among other measures.

There are practical ways to live frugally. If this desire is right for your family, you can make a way. If you need some inspiration, I put together 23 money-saving tips in this post here!

In short, these are some things to consider before you decide on homeschooling:

• Do I have a strong why for homeschooling?
• Can our family adjust to new rhythms?
• Do we have the financial flexibility to homeschool?
• Where will we find encouragement/community?
• Do we feel led by God to take the path of homeschooling?
• What learning style best suits our family?
• Is homeschooling right for my family?

If you are looking for Bible-focused homeschool resources, then this is your place!

Home Sweet Homeschool!

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”

– 1 Corinthians 10:31

In the journey with you,