Before you even start homeschooling – or researching homeschooling, for that matter – there are some questions you need to ask yourself and possibly your children:

What do you want your child to know?

What are your children interested in? Understanding and nurturing their interests is a key part of homeschooling. It shows that you care about their individuality and it can make the learning process more engaging and enjoyable for them.

What will your scheduling look like?
What will a day of homeschool look like?
How often will you schedule?
Are you stationed homeschooling or traveling?
Do you also have to work?

​You need to have a basic idea of what you want out of this experience for your child and for yourself. Asking these questions will help you start without too many hiccups. Remember to consider how long your school day will be and how many days a week you will homeschool—this will depend on your own responsibilities and the needs of your child.

Most find homeschooling overwhelming right from the start. There are a lot of curriculums available online, and who knows what we can or can't trust. Some companies make claims, and after purchase, you are left feeling 'jibbed' for lack of a better word. This is no good – and this isn't even half the confusion. But remember, homeschooling is not just about academics, it's about personal growth and development. We want our children to have a love of learning. There are so many ways to homeschool, each offering a unique approach and a chance for personal growth. Let's take a look at them…

Waldorf and Steiner: founded by Australian Rudolf Steiner, philosopher, and teacher, in the late 1800's1800s, this method takes a holistic approach, developing a child's mind, character, compassion, and creativity. Art and storytelling are woven into every subject, including science and mathematics. This approach has children playing mainly open ended toys made of natural materials.

Charlotte Mason: Charlotte Mason developed this method in the late 1800's1800s in Britain. While it is literature-based, it excludes textbooks believing that 'children familiar with great thought take naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing; and we must bear in mind that growth -- physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual -- is the sole end of education," she says in her book The Original Homeschooling Series.

Classical: This is based on the trivium, which has three distinct stages of learning. Young children: grammar stage – memorizing of facts and figures. Fifth grade: logic stage – learning about relationships, cause, and effect. Teen years: final stage/Rhetoric stage – focuses on expressing their original thoughts through speech and writing about their studies.

Traditional: this method involves textbooks, workbooks, sheets, and tests in the classroom at home.

Interest-led Learning, also called Unschooling: John Holt, an experienced schoolteacher, started the movement in the 1970's. In his book How Children Fail, Holt wrote, "children do not need to be made to learn to be better, told what to do or shown how. If they are given access to enough of the world, they will see clearly enough what things are truly important to themselves and to others, and they will make for themselves a better path into that world than anyone else could make for them."

Leadership Education Method or Thomas Jefferson Education: This method leads students through three distinct phases of learning: Core (until age 8), Love of Learning (until age 12), and Scholar. Classic books, mentors, and inspiration from the parent-teacher also play key roles in the curriculum.

Unit Study Method: This method focuses on a particular topic or subject. For example, a child who eats, sleeps, and breathes trains would read books about trains, delve into their history, and use miniature trains as manipulatives when learning math concepts. Arts and crafts and handwriting assignments can also be integrated into the unit's topic.

Montessori Method: Maria Montessori developed this method in the early 1900s. The method focuses on hands-on experience, freedom and choices for the student, and order within the learning environment. Montessori parent-teacher observes what the child is developmentally ready to learn and then provides gentle guidance and direction. According to Montessori, "The instructions of the teacher consist then merely in a hint, a touch -- enough to give a start to the child. The rest develops of itself."

The Heart-Centered Method: This is a newly discovered method by me, Ella Rose. It teaches different subjects or topics with a focus on character traits. It's a biblical-character-trait-based approach to teaching that focuses on guiding, mentoring, and teaching a child's heart, not just their head. The focus is less on memorization and more on the resulting graduate's character. Students will be equipped with biblical knowledge, vocabulary, and wisdom to be the missionaries they were born to be. The method includes stories, activities, unit-study-styled topics, and projects and prompts that get kids thinking for themselves while writing, making, and creating something out of the information they have learned. It encompasses all of the areas of learning: science, history, social studies, mathematics, english all through the lens of missionaries, purpose and character traits. The aim of this style of education is to fuel a passion of learning, cultivate critical thinking and nurture a child's sense of place and purpose.

1 Timothy 4:13

"Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."

Once you have chosen a style, then it's time to find yourself a curriculum – there are many around, so this can prove difficult.

You can go:

With an organization like Classical Conversations.
Search teachers and pay them for specific resources like on TPT
Find small, dedicated teams of curriculum designers like Gather Round or Educational Heart.

​There is a lot to explore out there, but once you know your method, it'll make it easier to find the right curriculum material for your family.

Money: how much does the curriculum costs and how often do you have to pay out for it?

Accessibility: is it online or via textbook, are you on the road with access to Wi-Fi or are you stationary at home?

Usability: is this something you can use for each child or something you have to pay out for again?

Extra resources: what extra resources will you need to purchase on-top of the curriculum?

2 Timothy 2:23- 26

​"But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And thatthey may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

Getting started on homeschooling can be overwhelming but it's made easier by following those who came before you. Research for yourself and decide how you would like to begin and know that if something doesn't work, you can change and pivot. I know many homeschoolers who try all different types of styles and some even use different styles for different children. You're not locked into using only one.