Back to School Tips for Homeschoolers

It's back to school time again throughout the country but what about those who homeschool? All homeschooling families have different schedules that work for them. Some follow the same schedule as the public school system in their area but it's not a requirement. My kids go year-round for homeschool but we take more weeks and breaks off during the year than the public school students. For example, they worked past the end of school for area public schools but they don't start back until September 1^st because we took all of late August off.

Homeschoolers need to prep for back to school just like those who go to public and private schools outside of the home. We may need to purchase new supplies, create new schedules or plan curriculum. We often need to adjust schedules and advance grade levels, too. This year my kids will be going into Kindergarten, 1^st grade, 5^th grade and 6^th grade.

Here are some back to school tips for homeschoolers that I hope you can appreciate as much as my family:

1. Do your shopping when it's back to school season for everyone else because you can get some incredible deals on all the things you need.
2. Keep plenty of storage available. We use plastic containers that you can pick up for $1-$2 apiece and label them so we can easily find pencils, crayons, glue and scissors and other supplies.
3. Use dry-erase boards (one for each student) to help save on paper and pencil use. These are affordable and incredibly useful.
4. Stock up on the file folders. These are great for keeping records, making lapbooks and other projects. You won't believe how often they will come in handy.
5. Ease into the new school routine slowly. For example, start bumping the bedtime back from summer time to school time a week or two in advance so it's not so hard for you or the kids to get up when school schedules begin.

Back to school time for homeschoolers is also a great time for you to take stock of your inventory and evaluate what you still need or what you might be able to get rid of. Are there books or learning aids you can pass on to someone else? Do you need to upgrade or replace something you use in your homeschool routine? This is as good a time as any to get those plans in order.

Here's to a fun and educational new year!