Congratulations!  You’ve decided that you’d like to homeschool.   And, you’ve managed to snatch 5 minutes on the Internet to explore it.  Hopefully, your baby is happily cooing in your lap (I’m not there, so let’s pretend that’s the truth even if it isn’t).

Where do you begin?

1.  Keep up the good work!

First, if you’ve heard about homeschooling, you are most likely a conscientious and motivated parent.  Great job!  Keep asking questions.  Stay motivated.  Continue to listen to your heart for what works best for your baby and your family.

2.  Research Homeschooling

Baby days are either hectic and crazy or quiet and lazy…often both before breakfast!  Utilize the quiet moments to research homeschooling philosophies and homeschool groups.   Figure out what you need and like.  Do you believe in a classical school path?  Are you more of a an unschooler?  Now’s the perfect time to find out.  Just be prepared to change your mind as your baby becomes a child.  Even if you do change your mind later, there is much to be gained from having a well-researched background.

3.  Take it Easy

Homeschoolers with young children are notorious for wanting to jump right into school.  Been there, done that!  And yet, the number one suggestion that I find from veteran homeschool moms is to just take it easy.  Don’t worry about curriculum, workbooks and desk time.  All those things will come naturally with time.  For now, enjoy story time, sing songs, play in the sandbox.

4.  Trust

Those clever children are ready to learn!  They are hardwired for it.  Learning is a biological imperative!  Just watch any baby when they are ready to walk.  They don’t balk, pout or delay.  They just learn! And before long, they run.  They will learn.  Trust it!   This is a great time to gain confidence in your own ability to homeschool.  Watch as your baby teaches themselves so many new skills.  Are you a trained kinesiologist?  Are you using that to teach them to crawl?  Of course not.  They are learning to crawl.  You just provide support, encouragement and an environment that enables them to learn to crawl.  That is the basis of all homeschooling.  Can you teach your children?  Yes!  You can do it.  Trust yourself.

5.  Begin Homeschooling

Yep.  I said it!  Begin homeschooling.  I don’t mean putting on the Teach Your Baby to Read video or tapping out multiplication tables on those tiny feet.  I mean that life is schooling.  Start living a life filled with experiences and opportunities to learn.  At home, time spent cuddling and cooing is helping your baby develop their brain to become a lifelong learner.  Talking about your day, reading books and just exploring your home and community all give baby great lessons in what it means to be a human.  As they grow, learning opportunities will be present in almost everything you do.  Talk with them about good nutrition while eating breakfast.  Learn about math while baking and cooking.  Learn socialization skills while playing with the friends and family.

Start learning now and just allow it to grow along with your baby.  Veteran homeschool mom’s will often say they’ve been homeschooling since their baby was born. This is exactly what they are talking about.  Someday, you too will have the confidence and experience to say “We’ve been homeschooing since she was born.”