| Statistics show that more families than ever | | | | each child does well and things that each one |
| before are choosing to homeschool their children. | | | | could do better. One of the biggest advantages of |
| Homeschooling offers the advantages of flexibility | | | | homeschooling is the ability to spend significant |
| and increased attention for each child. After all, a | | | | amounts of time directly teaching each child. |
| parent gets to spend a great deal of time with | | | | Taking some time to review where your child is |
| each child. A teacher has to divide his or her | | | | and what he or she needs to learn in the next |
| attention between twenty or thirty children who | | | | year will help to give direction to your |
| all have different needs. | | | | homeschooling venture. |
| Homeschooling takes different forms in different | | | | In addition to considering the specific needs of |
| families, but most focus on learning as a lifestyle | | | | each child, spend some time coming up with a |
| rather than as something that only happens at a | | | | learning plan for the school year. Take the state |
| desk during school hours. Because of this many | | | | or national standards for each child's grade level |
| homeschooling families look for unique ways to | | | | into account. You do not need to follow them |
| kick off their school year since they often lack | | | | exactly, but they will give you a baseline for what |
| the fanfare of "back to school" time that public | | | | each child should be learning in a given year. Your |
| schoolers have. If this sounds like your family, | | | | plan may or may not include a formalized |
| here are some ideas that will help you to start | | | | curriculum. It should be a flexible document, but |
| your homeschooling year off right. | | | | having some goals or things to accomplish during |
| First of all, try having some sort of back to | | | | the school year will help to give you a basic |
| school party or ceremony for your children. | | | | framework for learning. |
| Children in public school have several rites of | | | | Lastly, don't forget to ask your children for input. |
| passage. The first trip on the school bus. The | | | | One of the advantages of homeschooling is the |
| special outfit to start off the year. Meeting the | | | | ability to tailor the education to fit your children's |
| new teacher. While your children will obviously | | | | interests. Have them generate a list of things that |
| already have met their teacher, starting off the | | | | they would like to do or study during the year. |
| year with a special ceremony can help to add | | | | You do not have to do all of them, but this list |
| meaning and fun to a new school year. It will also | | | | can help to add variety and interest to your |
| help to get everyone back into learning mode | | | | learning plan. Taking all of these things into account |
| after a more relaxed summer. | | | | will help you to get your homeschooling year |
| Secondly, try to review your goals for each child | | | | started off on the right foot. |
| and for each subject area. Think about things that | | | | |