My son is turning 6 this year. Afrikaans is his home language but he started grade R this year in English. I would like to homeschool him either by the second half of this year or starting next year. Where do I start? What do I need? And what are the costs involved?~ Julie
Answer to Starting Homeschooling
I don’t know all your circumstances or your reasons for wanting to start homeschooling, but if possible, it would probably be better to take your son out of preschool as soon as possible so that you and he can start establishing a new routine in your home, build relationship, set up chores for him and keep working on any discipline issues that tend to pop up!
At this age, you can afford to be quite relaxed…and yet just create a stimulating environment by reading lots of good books (from the library), get out into nature if you can and enjoy life together.
Children learn like sponges all the time…and being with you in the ‘adult’ world will give him lots of opportunities to learn things he never would have been exposed to in a classroom setting.
Most importantly, you need to invest time (and perhaps some money for books etc) in YOURSELF learning all about homeschooling as this will build your confidence and equip you to make wise, informed choices for your family. You are investing in your child’s teacher!
Sign up for our free Tips for Starting Homeschooling email course as it will lead you to lots of useful links and resources. The book Homeschooling the Primary Years is a good quick read to get you started and build your confidence.
Also find out about any SA Homeschool Support Groups in your areas. Often there are field trip outings and socials where you and your child can meet other families that are also homeschooling. Talking and listening to veteran homeschooling moms can be a great support….but TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS Too. Sometimes you DO know better about what’s good for YOUR family.
As far as costs go, you can homeschool your child for the same price as it would cost to send him to school – OR you can spend more or you can spend LESS. It is really up to you, and depends what products you choose to buy for curriculum. Some families homeschool on a shoe string budget – they use libraries and free stuff on the internet and only buy a few basics. Others buy a full curriculum package..but most of us more experienced moms like the freedom of picking and choosing and piecing together our own selection of materials for the various subjects each year from various curriculum providers.
I can give you some recommendations based on my experiences later on, but for now, don’t worry about curriculum, rather spend your time learning and reading as much as you can about homeschooling and start ridding yourself of the mindset that we all start out with – that homeschooling is school-at-home. Its not that rigid and if you make it so, you may ruin the experience!
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