10 Essential Tips for a Successful First Day of Homeschool
Whether you are preparing for your first day of homeschool ever or the start of the new academic year, the pressure to get things right can be high.
You may be feeling a mix of both nerves and excitement. Keen for high-quality learning to take place while keeping it fun and interesting.
There is no right or wrong to approach the day. Whatever you do will be a thousand times more exciting than the kids returning to school.
Some years, we make a point of marking the first day of homeschool for the year, and others, we let it pass without an event.
Whatever you decide to do, here are some essential tips for enjoying your day. Let’s set you up for a successful term ahead.
Table of Contents
1. Keep The First Day of Homeschool Simple
Keep your first day of homeschool really simple and flexible. The more complicated it is, the less fun it will be for everyone.
That can be difficult to achieve a fun day with a rigid structure and piles of worksheets.
Remember that children in public schools only spend part of the day learning. They have classroom registers, breaks, and time waiting for everyone to settle down. The teacher may have to explain things multiple times.
Avoid replicating the exact school day if going for a structured approach. Kids learn quickly with one-to-one support and immediate feedback. Six hours of structured learning can be too much.
For a stress-free and enjoyable day, keep your plans simple and flexible. You may find everyone has too much energy and needs to move first. Or that an activity you planned 30 minutes for turns out to be a big hit and they want longer.
2. Set Up a Morning Activity
One of my favourite things is to set up a morning activity that the kids can get stuck into when they wake up.
It can be as simple as some colouring pages that you know they will love. There are loads of free printables available online. Or leave out some tubs of playdough or random objects to see what they will do.
Making a structure out of marshmallows and spaghetti is sure to a hit and gets the mind working. Or making a bridge out of paper and tape and test loading it.
A morning activity they can do by themselves also buys you time for a coffee or to prep breakfast.
3. Keep Tummies Happy
Nothing ruins the first day of homeschool quicker than hungry children. Or any other day for that matter.
It is so easy to forget how much children can eat. Keeping up with their appetites can feel neverending.
Get the kids involved as early as possible in helping with their meals. Breakfast and lunch are the easiest as they can be adapted depending on the age of the kids and their abilities.
Cutting up food or cooking can give children a sense of responsibility that they will love. Or for older children, have them plan a meal they can cook later in the week.
Keep healthy snacks on the side you and the kids can help yourselves to.
4. Homeschooling Field Trips
There is nothing to say that the first day of homeschool has to be at home.
Sometimes it is better if it isn’t! If it is the beginning of the academic year, have a look for a not back to school picnic in your area.
Think about what your child’s favourite things are and how you can tie that into a field trip.
Take advantage of the quiet museums and attractions. Go to a theme park and discuss the engineering of roller coasters and their safety features.
Consider ditching the textbooks for your first day of homeschool. Learning is about living and real life experiences. So get out and make learning interactive where possible.
5. Start New Traditions
Your child may not be going to school but that doesn’t mean you can’t do a first day of homeschool photo.
Make them up a sign that says ‘Not Back to School’ and have them hold it for a cherished photo. Keep adding a new photo each year.
If your child gives their permission, you can share it on social media or in a local home education group. It’s fun seeing other people’s children start their new school year at home.
You can start other traditions, like a special breakfast or going out for ice cream. Or create a vision board together of you want to achieve over the next year.
It’s your homeschooling journey, so do something you will enjoy repeating each year as a family.
6. Limit Messy Activities
I love messy activities (unless it involves glitter!!). But for the first day of homeschool, sometimes it can be too much to get everything out.
So think about how much mess you can handle in advance. If you are feeling lots of pressure to get things right or to ‘learn’ something, then forego the mess. There will be plenty of opportunities another day.
A great alternative to a messy activity is a scavenger hunt. It’s a fun, interactive way to excite the kids about learning at home and moving. You can tailor it to any subject, whether hunting for maths objects around the house, finding words in a book, or exploring nature for a science lesson.
Turning the first day into an adventure sets a positive tone for the rest of the homeschool experience.
7. Establish Expectations
Kids thrive on knowing what to expect. Particularly, if your child has recently been to school, they will be used to the structure of it.
They may feel strange adjusting to the flexibility of being homeschooled.
Consider what expectations you have around homeschooling. Do you need to set some basic rules around tidying up after themselves? Ideas around how much structured lesson happens each day? Or that you want to limit screen time?
There may be times for example, when you need to complete your own work.
A homeschooling relationship with your children is a two way street. There are lots of perks to being homeschooled but it has to come with respect both ways.
Talk to your kids about what you and they want from this opportunity. Be open to listening to their thoughts.
8. Introduce Fun Games
Grab out the board games and help your child put their analytical skills to the test.
Board games take a lot of planning and critical thinking. It might not be textbook learning, but it is great fun.
Just say away from Monopoly and games known to cause a fight. Or if you do want to go down that route, look at the original meaning of the game.
There are lots of educational games to help with numeracy and literacy skills to help make lessons more interesting.
Sometimes things can get a little tense. Need a quick game to reset the mood and energy? Check out 10 Minute to Win It Ping Pong Games for laughs.
9. Set Realistic Expectations
On the first day of homeschool, it’s important to set realistic goals and expectations.
That’s mainly directed at you as a parent or educational facilitator of another nature. You may have the first week super organised, but it is equally ok if you don’t.
It is easy to get carried away on plans for the year. To have grand visions of what you want to achieve both for yourself and your child.
But lots of learning that will take place won’t neccessarily be obvious. Or what you set out to achieve.
Start a learning journal to jot down the random conversations you have or places you visit. You’ll appreciate being able to look back at it later on.
For now, keep the focus on achieving small milestones and celebrating them.
10. Reflect and Adjust
At the end of the first homeschooling day, reflect on what went well and what could be improved.
If this isn’t your first year homeschooling, look back over the last year. What went well, and what didn’t you enjoy? This is the perfect time to think about the new year ahead.
If necessary, tweak tomorrow’s plan to better suit you and your child’s needs. There is plenty of time to cover everything you have planned. Or just to see where the path takes you take.
Remember, the first day is just the beginning of a rewarding journey ahead.
Being able to reflect and adjust regularly will help you and your child when homeschooling.
What’s Next?
The first day may have its hiccups, but with patience and creativity, it can also have many rewarding moments.
Keep things light and engaging. Be ready for change if things aren’t going as planned.
Still not sure what direction you want to take with your homeschooling? Then check out the comprehensive guide to homeschooling methods for ideas.
Let us know in the comments section what went well on your first day of homeschool.
Not sure how to get started in your homeschooling journey?
No problem! Homeschooling Bingo has you covered.