How do I start home schooling?

Question

My daughter is 4 and I would like to start homeschooling her in the next couple of weeks. How do I go about doing this? Does every state have different guidelines? And would it even matter at this point since, she is not old enough for school? Thank you for any help you can provide.

Answer 1

Yes, every state has different guidlines (check out http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/default.as... ). However, since your daughter is younger than legally mandated schooling, you do not need to inform anyone until the reaches that age (and the age is dependent on your state).

Answer 2

Each state has their own guidelines concerning homeschooling.  To check the guidelines for your state, go to http://www.hslda.org and click on your state.  This site will tell you the requirements for your state as well as provide a link to local homeschool support groups in your state.  Homeschool support groups can provide you the support and guidance to start and many groups sell or swap curriculum.

Answer 3

I use ACE ( Accelerated Christian Education). It is fantastic because it starts at preschool age and goes through to high qualifications. Its great cause you never have to worry about what to do next. The books are not expensive ($2.70 and book). They can work at there own pace which is also a plus. I have been doing it my whole life and love it. The address is www.aceministries.com. I hope this helps.

Hannah

Answer 4

Your daughter is too young to worry about the legalities at this point. My recommendation would be to connect with at least one homeschool group--either purely online or a group you can actually meet up with, make friends (for both you and your dd!). You'll get more information about how it works in your state (yes, each state is different), find out about activities, learn about approaches and resources...

Answer 5

It's not too early to read up on learning styles, think about your HS'ing goals, decide on what type of HS'ing you want to do, and research curricula.

I did all of that when my son was four.  It took me about six months of research (I'm a datahead!) and we started right after he turned 5 in March of his 4 y.o. preschool year.  (We were both very excited!)

You should, at this age, do lots of play and hands-on activites and lots and lots of reading.  Make sure to take her to the library weekly if you aren't already.  :-)

Have fun!

Answer 6

Your dd is too young to be under compulsory attendance laws, but you may want to check out your state's laws to see what will be reqired in the future.

Here's some information on homeschooling preschool:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

There is general info about homeschooling here:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

If you want to use a formal curriculum, I really like the following:

http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com

http://www.fiarhq.com

http://www.winterpromise.com

http://www.sonlight.com

Homeschooling preschool and kindergarten is a lot of fun.  Good luck to you!