How To Get Ready For Back To Homeschool: 11 Helpful Ideas You Need To Try

If you decide to take a little break from homeschool to give your children (and yourself) a little summer vacation, you’re probably already looking at your calendar and wondering where the time has gone! It’s already back to school time, and you are probably feeling the arrival of the new school year and the pressure to start getting ready for the madness of the homeschool year! 

Although homeschooling may seem like an easy option to many, us working and homeschooling moms know it is a lot harder than it looks!

So let’s talk about how to get ready for back to homeschool. 

And to make it a little easier for you I’ve created this back to homeschool checklist designed for working moms. It includes tips specifically for working outside the home and at home. Sign up below!

Okay! Now that you have your checklist, let’s dig into how to get ready for back to homeschool.

11 Ideas On How To Get Ready For Back To Homeschool

How to get ready for back to homeschool? On the first day of homeschooling, you want to be ready! You know your kids are gonna try all they can to avoid work. I mean, they just enjoyed two full months of summer fun.

Who wants to sit down and learn sight words or practice their math facts now? Being prepared will make everything easier, and if you are a working mom like me, making life easier is in your blood! 

New Homeschool Paperwork

There are a lot of homeschool requirements.  Most states require you to complete paperwork discussing your intention to homeschool your children. They may ask for a homeschool curriculum you will use or require you to record how many hours of homeschooling you do per week and the activities. Each state is different, so before the new homeschool year, check in with your county’s homeschool coordinator a figure out what you need. 

Order Homeschool Curriculum and Programs 

This is one of the first decisions you need to make when determining how to get ready for back to homeschool. Will you be using a specific curriculum or program?

If you plan to use specific homeschool curriculums or programs that require physical workbooks or textbooks. It’s important to order them before you start. A lot of curriculums offer public school programs and homeschool programs. You want to make sure you order in a timely manner. You do not want to be competing with large workbook orders from public schools.

 If this is going to be your first year homeschooling, or your first year using a specific curriculum, check out the curriculum reviews. Homeschool parents are always honest, and reviews from working moms or dads who also homeschool can help you figure out if the program is the right fit for your learning plan. 

Purchase School Supplies 

As a working mom who also homeschools, you will need some homeschool supplies that may be a little different than others. Your children may need backpacks to bring homeschool materials to their babysitters. Planners are definitely helpful for the caretaker so they know what each child should work on and tablets. Obviously, you’ll always want to pick up crayons, markers, pencils, etc. But think outside the box as well! 

There are tons of great sales on school supplies at places like Target, Walmart, and Staples. You can get folders for 50 cents each and sometimes even boxes of crayons for 25 cents. These sales normally run most of July and August.

Plus, if you don’t care about the color of the folders/binders or the type of pencils, you can get supplies even cheaper as September gets closer. When figuring out how to get ready for back to homeschool, don’t forget the supplies.

Clothing

Although you may think homeschooling means pajamas all day, it is often quite the opposite. When I sat down to really look at how to get ready for back to homeschool, I realized my children needed to get dressed because…

1. Homeschooling kids doesn’t mean they aren’t “going to school.” Getting dressed prepares them for the day and makes them a little more serious about their work.
2. Since I am a working mom, my kids needed to go somewhere else during the day. You don’t want them showing up like they just rolled out of bed.

Kids outgrow clothing so quickly. Consider donating your children’s old clothes or passing them down to a younger sibling. It’s also a great time to declutter your home. I always make sure to have a couple of outfits available for special occasions.

Plan Out Homeschool 

When figuring out how to get ready for back to homeschool, having a homeschool plan is pretty important when you are a working mom. You need to know your children are on task and completing the work they need to do while you’re at the office or in a meeting. Having a homeschool planner to put all the lesson plans and activities your students need to do will make your hectic life a little easier. 

When you get home, you’ll look into the planner and know what your children completed and what else needs to be done tomorrow. 

Schedules for School, Clubs, And Friends 

Many people believe homeschool kids have no friends, which is not the case. Being a working mom makes the social aspect of homeschooling a little more complicated. Storytime and other activities often fall during the hours of 9-5.

If you are at work, your children may miss out on those opportunities. But, there are plenty of other opportunities for your children to make friends. Many sports like soccer, gymnastics, and dance offer classes and practices after 5 pm.

There are also many places like trampoline parks that are also open on the weekend. Your children need to make friends and having some options of places is a good idea.

Do a quick Google search and schedule some activities around your conference calls or after you are home. Plus, if your children go to a daily babysitter while homeschooling. They may also have other children to play with during the day!

Find Childcare Solutions

Being a working mom and deciding to homeschool is no easy decision. It’s already difficult to find childcare for young children who do not attend public school yet—finding a person to watch your children, whether young or middle school, while they are also homeschooled can seem impossible. But it’s not! There are a lot of different child care solutions out there. Sometimes you just need to be creative.  

Meal Plans

This is probably one of the most important parts when discussing how to get ready for back to homeschool because hello!? FOOD!

Whether you’re at home or working, meals are often a challenge. Trying to figure out what to cook for dinner or pack for your child’s lunch can become pretty annoying. You may be required to provide lunch if you drop your children off at a childcare center or babysitter, even if you have a nanny coming to your house. It’s always best to have a meal plan. 

This way, you know exactly what your children eat and what to get at the grocery store. Keep lunches simple and easy. No need to go over the top with a gourmet lunch!

Organize Your Homeschool

Organization is the key to keeping everything out of the hectic zone as a working and homeschooling mom. When your children are out of the house while homeschooling, most of the supplies will have to fit into a backpack, so you want to make sure you have labeled folders, pencil pouches, their tablet/laptop, and whatever will be needed while they are not home.

Disclosure: I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

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If you can homeschool in your own house while working, set up a homeschool area with some drawer organizers for each and supplies caddies. Being organized will make things much easier and help keep your life and home a little cleaner. 

Homeschool Morning Routine

If you homeschooled last year, you might have noticed getting kids going after summer vacation is miserable. It may be easier for you and your children to ease into the morning routine of getting up a little earlier, getting dressed, packing a lunch, etc. Start on a weekend, get your children up a little earlier, and have them help you pack lunches for a trip to the park or museum.

Get them into the rhythm. If you use child care, as I did for my kids, they will thank you!

 If your children have been getting up earlier to go to camps or a childcare center. This may be a little easier for you! But, it’s always best to get them used to a new routine if it will change when the school year.

Early Bedtime 

Homeschooling children is no joke. Your kids will be just as tired as students who attend public school! During summer break, there are often a lot of late nights, vacations, and no bedtimes.

When you get back into the homeschool routine, it is best to get back to early bedtimes too! You want happy children when you wake them up to get ready for the day. 

How To Get Ready For Back To Homeschool

Homeschooling children is not an overnight process—homeschooling children and WORKING even harder. But if you get organized and figure out exactly how to get ready for homeschooling. You are going to have a very successful year.

Remember, you can be a working mom and still do what you think is best for your children by homeschooling. You got this!!

More Back To Homeschool Ideas:

If you want to make your first day back to homeschooling special, check out our gift ideas and celebration ideas.

• Back To Homeschool Organization Ideas
• Back To Homeschool Self-Care Tips
• Must Have Homeschool Supplies

And don’t forget your Back To Homeschool Checklist!

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