Why I'm glad we started homeschooling early

We are getting ready to begin our eleventh year of homeschooling. ELEVENTH! My oldest is going into tenth grade, so if you do the math you will know that we started when she was in kindergarten. At the time, I occasionally encountered people who wondered why we were homeschooling so early, especially since we lived in a good school district. I had even taught in it, so I knew how good the elementary schools were especially. Why not use them and then homeschool later?

At the time, I didn't have a well-thought-out answer, but now, eleven years later, I do.

It's not hard.

I mean it. Teaching your own child in the little years is really not rocket science. The most important skills to learn at that age are literally the "three Rs" - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Sure, teaching them how to read might be a little intimidating, but for most children, it is a predictable process that you can lead them through with the right materials. Math is straightforward and there are so many helpful resources, and the "writing" I'm referring to is not writing essays, but learning to form letters, practicing with copywork, and exercising those finger muscles through play. In fact PLAY is a large part of teaching little ones, and experiential learning is the best way to approach the other subjects science and history - indoor and outdoor play and lots of stories. Homeschooling elementary school is FUN and the one thing I would change if I could do it again would be to take more time for the FUN.

You have less to unteach.

Even in the best of schools, there will be things you don't want your children learning. It might be content, or it might be habits and behaviors, or exposure to certain topics. Now - homeschooling will NOT prevent bad habits or behaviors, and every curriculum has its flaws. But homeschooling from the beginning at least spares you some of that and you can avoid a period of "deschooling" that many parents will take when transferring children from a school environment to a homeschool one. I'm also thankful we didn't have to deal with years of frustration with our son, especially, and some of the learning challenges he faced in his early elementary years with both speech and writing, although we didn't know it when we began homeschooling. Instead of scheduling meetings and waiting for school approval, we were able to make curriculum and learning adjustments on the fly to accommodate his needs and keep him moving forward.

You have more time to pour in the good stuff.

Along with unteaching, no school will teach all that you want your child to learn. Public schools will not teach the Bible or theology. Even character lessons will be taught from a non-religious point of view. Depending on the school, public or private, the curriculum may or may not include time-tested children's classics, or phonics, or science with an eye on the Creator who makes it possible. Homeschooling allows you to pour all of that into your child from the beginning in the most efficient way, because it's all wrapped up together. And I can't emphasize enough how important it is in those little years to spend time pouring the Scriptures into your child. Is it possible to do that while they are in public or private school? Of course. Parents have done it for years. But it is also so easy to let it go when children come home from school tired and just want to play (which they need), and to relegate it to a fifteen-minute Bible story at bedtime and church on Sundays. 

It doesn't take that long.

Homeschooling in kindergarten takes about 30-45 minutes per DAY for what I call "sit-down" learning. Space that out into ten- to fifteen-minutes segments and it is truly painless. That time goes up incrementally as your child grows older, but the average homeschool elementary student will spend no more than three hours doing school. Even in high school, homeschooling takes less time than the average public school student spends when you factor in homework assignments outside of the school day. Starting early helps you ease into those longer school days later.

You learn with your child.

Starting early also helps you as the teacher ease into teaching. The wonderful thing about children starting as babies is that parents get to ease into the whole parenting thing and grow with their children. The same is true of homeschooling. Teaching my daughter in kindergarten was not hard, and one I had that under my belt, first grade didn't seem so intimidating either. She is in tenth grade this year, and while ninth grade was a little scary (HIGH SCHOOL!), it really wasn't much more than eighth grade, and now I know tenth grade won't be so bad either. Can you jump into homeschooling at any point? YES! But it's easier, in my experience, to do so earlier and grow along the way, both in confidence and in knowing your homeschool philosophy.

Homeschooling will be normal.

My children have never been enrolled in school, except for our church's preschool. All they know is homeschooling, and the freedom that comes with it. While they have expressed curiosity about what goes on in the schools down the street from our neighborhood, they don't long to return to it, because that is not part of their experience. They have homeschool friends and participate in daytime activities (Tae Kwon Do, Community Bible Study, field trips with us, etc.) that would not be possible if we were not homeschooling. It's as normal to them as any other aspect of life. Different from others, but normal to us, and one less area of angst.

You get all of the other benefits of homeschooling for longer.

More time with family, more flexibility with your time, the ability to do more evening activities without compromising on sleep - all of this is wonderful to have from the earliest years, especially the time forging strong sibling relationships. Because of the road of infertility and pregnancy loss that we have traveled, our children are four years apart. Homeschooling has given them more time together over the years than they would have had at a crucial age. Instead of spending all day away from home when her brother was still a baby, my daughter got to spend her days seeing him learn and grow, and when he began homeschooling, she was an older elementary student able to help and encourage him.

What about you?

If you began homeschooling early, what do you see as the benefits? If you are thinking about it, I encourage you to think through these reasons! The homeschool journey is full of so many positives and beginning earlier rather than later opens your home to these for many more months and years than waiting another day!