It can be quite difficult knowing where to start when it comes to homeschooling and if this is your first go at homeschooling it might feel a little bit daunting but it doesn’t have to be.
I always say its best to start as simple and as uncomplicated as possible and then work your way from there.
It is worth investing in some basic homeschool supplies to get you going. You may already have a few of these things lying around the house but you may need to order in some of the others.
I homeschooled my children for 6 years and thoroughly enjoyed it but there was definitely a learning curve when it came to having homeschooling supplies on hand.
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I usually liked to purchase workbooks for the children to work from although you don’t have to do this if you prefer to teach on the go. I find that sticking to the British curriculum works for me but I know that some families prefer to freestyle as they teach.
I think that if your children are quite younger freestyling might actually be better as you can work to their strengths and weaknesses and on the things that they enjoy doing.
I Iike to use workbooks because I want to make sure that my children are at the same level of learning as their peers, although we do do some learning outside of this scope.
Another good thing about using textbooks is that you might feel more comfortable with your teaching when you have a rough guide to work against. This will help just in case anything happens and you need to send your children back into the mainstream school system.
I have found that the Letts books for homeschooling work the best as they are very easy to understand and the answers are also included, which can be a great help if you get stuck on a question.
You can order these books as sets, so for example if you purchase the Maths books you could get the Maths Revision, Maths Workbook and the Maths Practice Test Questions as well.
This is pretty great as it teaches all the way through to the test to make sure your child has a good understanding on the subject.
I also tend to use Schofield and Sims workbooks. The reason that I love using Schofield and Sims books is that the books come in many different subject matters, from mental arithmetic to spelling and phonics.
They are perfect if your child is struggling in a particular area.
Aside from these curriculum books there some other items which are great if you are just starting out with homeschooling. You will definitely need these along the way.
7 Items Needed For Homeschooling
1. Laminator
Laminators are really handy little things to have especially if you want to have keeps sakes for the children. Laminators are also great for making reward charts as your child progresses.
2. Children’s Safety Scissors
If your child is particularly young then a pair of safety scissors is ideal.
Allowing children to use scissors whilst they are young helps with motor control and not to mention the fact that it teaches them to be responsible also.
3. Children’s Ring Binder
Ring binders are really great for keeping track of your child’s progress and it allows you to set work and keep organized.
It’s probably a good idea to have one for your child and one for you as you can keep any printables and schedules to hand quite easily.
4. Glue Sticks
Glue sticks are a handy thing to keep around. I have used these countless times in the past and I’m sure you will too.
5. Base Ten Blocks
These base 10 blocks have saved me a lot of frustration when it comes to teaching maths.
They are great for demonstrating fractions, money and decimals. This is one item I highly recommend especially if your child is more of a visual learner.
6. Hole Puncher
Hole punchers are standard classroom equipment. You will at some point require one of these, even more so if you have a ring binder.
7. Stapler
A stapler is also standard equipment for a classroom. It’s worth purchasing before you find out you desperately need one.
It is definitely worth investing in these basic homeschool supplies to kick off your homeschooling journey.
I would absolutely advise you to get some workbooks to begin with especially if you are very new to homeschooling and unsure if you want to follow a curriculum.
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