What to Consider when Making the Decision to Homeschool

Homeschooling is a major time commitment. If you are considering homeschooling your children, understand that it will require a lot of your time. As the parent, you will be responsible for preparing lessons, planning field trips, teaching all subjects (music, languages, science, etc.) and partaking in daily physical activity with your children. Aside from actual teaching time, you should consider that you'll need a few hours a day to prepare lessons for the following day. Make sure you can work your schedule around your other household responsibilities (laundry, meals, cleaning, etc.) before you make the decision to homeschool.

You'll be giving up a lot. As a parent, you will no longer have time to yourself. This is because your children will be with you all day, 24/7. There will no longer be that personal time. And if you plan to homeschool your kids, then you are agreeing to give up your job and your career. Is this something you can commit to? Think of the financial restraints of having one parent at home.

Your children won't get as much socialization. Being at school all day allows children to interact with their peers. But when they're homeschooled, they won't get as much of this. Sure, they'll still play with the neighbor kids and go to the park from time to time.  However, they won't be spending as much time gaining the social skills that the children in regular school will have. If you are making the decision to homeschool, you also need to commit to exposing your children to many different opportunities to socialize. Think about putting them in after-school activities, team sports and so on. Your children still need friends to play with and learn from.

You need to dedicate a space in your home to homeschooling. Your kitchen table will likely be sufficient for a homeschooling space. But think of all the books, supplies and learning materials that you'll need to homeschool and you'll quickly realize that your kitchen just isn't big enough to be termed a classroom too. It's better to find a dedicated space in your home in which you can homeschool your children. Understand that the decision to homeschool requires sufficient space within your home, and it's ideally a space that you can decorate to stimulate the creative minds of your children.

Children may be against the idea. If your children have previously been to a public school, they will likely have many qualms with being homeschooled. No one wants to give up friends and the familiarity of a learning environment to step into the unknown. Even if both parents support it, you may still have to deal with a fight from your children. As good as your intentions may be, if your children don't support the idea of homeschooling, you'll be hard-pressed to make homeschooling work.

Reassess your decision each year. When you make the decision to homeschool, it doesn't have to be a permanent decision. Every year, step back and reassess your decision to keep your children at home and out of the public education system. Are they learning more? Do they benefit from having you as a teacher? Every year, ensure that you are meeting your goals as a homeschooling parent before you make the decision to homeschool your children for another school year.