As the years roll by, homeschooling continues to become more and more of an attractive option for Christian parents. The benefits are obvious: the ability to set your own hours, expand the curriculum beyond what’s taught in a public school and, most importantly, protect your children from damaging worldviews.

If you plan on opting for Christian homeschool, though, some preparation is a good idea. Below, we’ll provide some tips to help you on your journey. In future parts of this article series, we will also cover specific curriculum options.

Decide on a Curriculum

The first step is to decide on a curriculum, which is more complicated than it may sound. There are many Christian homeschool programs available. Do your research.

If you like, you can choose bits and pieces of different programs and combine them – maybe one’s history curriculum is superior to another’s, for example. Naturally, you have to meet your state’s subject requirements.

Set aside Time and Space

It’s a good idea to do homeschooling around the same time every day. Schedules are important as they give children a sense of routine and instill good habits.

Set aside a space that you’ll use every day. This will help your child understand that while they’re there, it’s time to get down to business. It’ll also help you – think of it as an office.

Take Advantage of Flexibility

Homeschooling provides a great opportunity to put more educational emphasis on your child’s passions. Maybe they’re interested in languages – you could try teaching them the Hebrew or Greek alphabets so they can read the Bible one day.

You can also schedule field trips at will. Take your child or children to museums or local historical sites – seeing things up close is bound to get them more interested in the subject matter.

Join a Homeschooling Group

One thing parents worry about when considering homeschool is that their kids will be lonely. There are ways to avoid this: one of them is by joining a local homeschooling group. These can help you find local extracurricular activities that your child can get involved in and meet people through, and some even host group classes.

Use Technology

Technology has made learning much easier. Depending on what curriculum your child uses, they may be online already, but feel free to spice up their education with the occasional YouTube video or interactive website. If you join a homeschooling group, ask around for ideas

Understand that it won’t always be easy.

Homeschooling may not always be a walk in the park – we’re willing to bet you’ll have a lot more respect for your child’s former teachers after you get started. That’s ok and, just like your child, you’ll be learning as you go.

Remember that you’re doing all of this for good reason and prepare for ups and downs. The ups, however, will way outweigh the downs as you bond with your child and wonder why you didn’t give this a shot before.

Homeschool is an adventure – you’ll get to know your child better and probably learn a lot more than you expected along the way. Overall, it’s well worth it so that you can have firsthand involvement in your child’s education, teach them Christian values, and prepare them for the world ahead.

Any homeschooling parent will tell you to treasure these years, as you’ll never forget them. Good luck, and remember – you can do it.