Whether the reason is compromised immune systems, personal or religious beliefs, or a sense of inadequate care, more and more parents are choosing to homeschool. In fact, homeschooling enrollment has increased 30 percent¹ since the pandemic. Many military families are embracing homeschooling as a non-traditional educational approach to maintain stability amid frequent relocations, deployments, training, and other challenges they face.²

Personally, for me, the decision to homeschool came from my spouse’s unpredictable schedule during his intensive military training. Additionally, concerns about the influences our children might encounter were at the top of the list. We decided it would be more beneficial to homeschool our children to provide them with a wider range of learning opportunities that may not be accessible in a conventional school setting. It also gave us the flexibility to travel when my spouses’ schedule allowed.

As a mom to four kids, I’ve gathered some practical tips for homeschooling specifically tailored for military families who are just starting out. Here are some insights to help you on your military homeschooling journey.

1. Write It Out

Before beginning to homeschool my military kids, I registered for multiple homeschool webinars and training programs. There were, and still are, so many options for homeschooling that it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. My number one homeschool tip: Write out everything you envision for your homeschool and any information you think best fits your family’s style. Start off with your lesson plans.

Once your child is 7, it’s mandatory to register your homeschool/inform your state of your choice to homeschool. At that point, lesson planning and attendance are good to keep up with so that if you ever find yourself being audited, you have everything you need and are not scrambling to gather information. Writing out your vision is important because you will want a target to aim for as you adjust and figure out what works and what doesn’t. Writing out your lesson plans is also beneficial so you don’t find yourself trying to figure out the plan for the day, every day.

2. Work Smarter, Not Harder

As much as possible, keep the teaching side as simple as possible, or rather stay in your lane of comfort. If you have little to no patience in a subject, look for programs or other resources to expand upon what you cannot do. It is perfectly ok not to have all the answers, and thankfully some resources and curriculums are easy to use and fun for all ages.

Here’s a bonus homeschooling tip for parents: Give yourself 24-48 hours before buying that “homeschool thing” you need. I spent way too much money on all these cool gadgets, games, and memberships out of excitement, only for us not to end up using them.

3. Create an Organized Homeschool Setting

Cluttered spaces lead to cluttered minds. The best thing you can do for your homeschool is solidify homeschool organization ideas that fit your space. My favorite space-saving hack is cube shelving! Many brands allow the shelves to be stacked and the squares are universal to a degree because you can sort and separate paperwork, tools and such easily.

Our homeschool space was an extra bedroom in our home so we also used the closet for storing our classroom necessities by adding in standalone wire shelving. If you need additional homeschool organization ideas for your space, Pinterest has great options for any type of setting.

4. Connect with a Local Homeschool Community

Finding your community is imperative for your children’s social skill development. A key tip for homeschooling is joining a home-school co-op. The best thing I could have done for myself and our children was connect to multiple homeschool communities in our local area at the time. For homeschooling military families, the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) offers fun and supportive learning programs designed to fit the unique needs of military kids.

We survived on weekly get-togethers with other homeschooling/stay-at-home parents and attended local business homeschool activities. Each week we would rotate homes and we would get together for two to three hours. Some days we would focus on a specific project to do and other days we would allow our children to play freely while we discussed various topics. Our local drop-in care center would block off times for homeschooling military families for snacks and science activities, which my children thoroughly enjoyed.

Add ASYMCA to your Lesson Plans

The ASYMCA is dedicated to helping families navigate military life and strengthening military families. They provide innovative, interactive programs and services designed especially for junior-enlisted service members, spouses, and their children with a focus on resilience. Learn more about how ASMYCA can be an intricate part of your military homeschooling plans.

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¹ How homeschooling’s rise during the pandemic has impacted traditional school enrollment –  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-homeschoolings-rise-during-the-pandemic-has-impacted-traditional-school-enrollment

² Military families crave stability and more time together, survey finds – https://www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/2020/02/26/military-families-crave-stability-and-more-time-together-survey-finds/