Are You Qualified to Start Homeschooling? | Homeschooling Encouragement

Spoiler Alert: Yes, you ARE qualified, Mom or Dad! Encouragement for the Christian parent wanting to start homeschooling. Just 7 reasons why you ARE qualified! Freebie at the bottom!

Note: I’m thankful for the life my parents gave me, and that they taught me outside of school and church. They were living examples of Christ in my home. During my childhood my parents had to work. So, I understand many different circumstances and choices. This is in no way a judgement of anyone who sends their children to school. Many of these points, any parent whether homeschooling or not, can do. This is meant to be encouragement to those who are considering or want to start homeschooling; that you can do it, and just a FEW ways it will benefit your family. Also, always know your state’s requirements for homeschooling, but also know your rights.

So, you’re considering homeschooling as an option for your family. But, you aren’t sure if you’re qualified to start homeschooling your children. Maybe it’s because of the rise of wickedness in the world, or because you believe there are agendas trying to change our history. Maybe it’s because you want to educate your children centered around biblical values.

Some people live homesteading lives where the children are a vital part of the work in the home or on the farm. Maybe your child has a disability or challenge in an area that is better suited to one on one attention and education. Some people’s careers or ministry require travel, and they dream of bringing their family along. Maybe you just desire more freedom and discovery in your child’s education.

There are several reasons parents choose to homeschool their children. Whatever your reason for considering homeschooling, as long as you are meeting your state’s requirements, YOU are qualified. You CAN start homeschooling, and YOU as the parent are the BEST option for your child.

So, What Qualifies YOU?

1. YOU are their parent.

Being a licensed teacher doesn’t qualify you. Having any type of teaching experience doesn’t qualify you. Being homeschooled yourself as a child doesn’t qualify you. What qualifies you is that YOU are the parent to YOUR children. God has given you YOUR children, and part of your job as a parent is to steward their lives as best as you can to educate them and nurture them into adulthood. To raise a generation that will glorify God in all they do. So that they can become well educated, wise, self-disciplined, contributing adults someday. 

As parents, we want our children to live lives that are abundant and fulfilling. To do that, they need to not just be educated, but also learn life skills and follow their passions in life. To explore and discover what God put them on this earth to do to be a part of HIS story. We can give them an education, but also teach them life skills and so much more. For thousands of generations, children were with their parents working alongside them either at home, in fields and pastures, in gardens, in craftsmanship, etc.

You are qualified to start homeschooling your children because YOU are their parent. And all the following points support this one point…

2. YOU know your child best and can teach according to their learning style.

You, as the parent, know your child best. This means you know their strengths and weaknesses. And if you don’t know them clearly, homeschooling will enable you to see them clearer. Homeschooling will allow you to teach in the ways that your child will learn best. There are different learning styles, and working with your child at home helps you create an environment they can learn in! Knowing them best also allows you to cheer on their strengths while encouraging them in their weaker areas.

You are qualified to start homeschooling your children because YOU know your child best.

3. YOU are the BEST support for your children’s passions.

There’s no one that a child would rather have cheering them on than their own parents. Children naturally desire love, support, encouragement, and approval from their parents the most. This is especially true in younger children. If we nurture, support, encourage, and pay great attention to them, they will thrive. This includes paying attention to what they love to do and noticing the areas they are naturally gifted in.

If my parents didn’t support me in Music when that was a passion of mine, that’s not what I would’ve ended up going to college for, teaching, performing, and now, teaching my own children. Music is a way I served churches and my community as a child and through adulthood. I have been honored to serve the Lord through worship ministry for several years of my life. Through teaching and performing, I was also able to have a business that helped provide for my family while contributing to other children and families.

Now, I don’t just get to teach my children reading, writing, math, gardening, and other skills that our family values. But, I also get to pass on my area of passion (Music) to my children who have the same passion! I get to pass on my knowledge, my skills, and my experience to my children. And I get to watch them grow in their passions because we have time to explore.

Homeschooling is really beautiful, in that it gives us the time to educate our children in the things that we value and to implement life skills. But, it’s also amazing that we have the freedom and the ability to add in passions and interests. To grow the areas that God has already planted seeds in our children of the things that they are supposed to do when they grow up. We get to be a good steward of those seeds. We get to encourage and support those seeds in the ways that we educate our children at home. You are qualified to start homeschooling your children because YOU are the best support for your children’s passions.

4. YOU can help prevent unhealthy cycles in your child.

Now, it is obviously not required that parents homeschool to support their children in following their passions. I wasn’t homeschooled! But, outside of school my hours were completely taken up with homework, practicing music, going to church, and sports. Maybe you can relate. This is one reason we are so passionate about pursuing slow living as a family. Children are resilient, but there is such a thing as too much. My schedule growing up was full and often times stressful. And an unhealthy cycle of stress and overworking myself continued well into college and adulthood, leading to stress, anxiety, and eventually depression. I simply thought that overworking was the “normal” way of life that was required of me. It’s what I saw all around me in school, sports, music, and more. And combined with a desire for perfection, it was a train wreck waiting to happen. 

As an adult, I had to unlearn so much about balance, hard work, commitment, etc. I had to learn grace and boundaries for my work life, and I had to get healthy in mind, body, and spirit. Being still before the Lord was another thing I had to learn. Being still wasn’t normal for me. Even in my homeschooling adventure, I had to learn how to create a healthy balance in which my children would not stress and feel overworked, and could have plenty of time to just be children. This is what I felt I had most missed out on in my childhood. I wanted to do too much and be perfect at it all. I missed out on enough time to just be a child. Time to breathe, time to play, time to explore, time to just be.

Again, you know your child best. So, you can look for unhealthy habits and patterns, or signs of stress. Being with your children through their education, and life, allows you to support them any way they need you. Homeschooling allows us to create a healthy balance between learning curriculum and state requirements, with exploring and growing our passions and interests. This supports less stress and anxiety in children, which supports a healthy and abundant life. You are qualified to start homeschooling because YOU know your child best and can help prevent unhealthy cycles in your child’s life.

5. YOU can show them that education is all around us.

Along with creating a healthy balance of work and play for my children, I wanted to ensure my children would have time to be children and enjoy their lives. To live life abundantly, while still realizing the importance of education and learning. But I also want them to realize that so much of life is living, active, education ALL around us ALL of the time.

Curriculum is not the only way to homeschool. It can be super helpful, especially when meeting state requirements for homeschooling. But, a full and beautiful education is not just cirriculum. Children are learning whether they are sitting quietly doing math or language, or they are observing bees in their beehive! We prefer to learn and memorize the seed cycle by planting seeds together in the gardens and watching them grow. One of the most enjoyable ways my children have been learning fractions and measurements is through baking food for our family to enjoy. Our children learn life skills and safety while simultaneously cooking alongside me in the kitchen. Think about how many skills you have that you can bring your children alongside you to learn. You are qualified to start homeschooling your children because YOU can show them that educations is all around us! For a FREE resource to help you get started in your planning, fill out the form at the bottom of this page!

6. YOU (and your spouse) can teach your family values better than anyone else.

God has also given you your spouse. And you and your spouse are responsible for deciding what values you hold as a family. As a married couple and family, what does God want your family to focus on? What values and character traits do you want to instill in your children so that they become healthy adults? What life skills or other skills do you want to be able to pass on to your children? Are there any skills you want to learn together?! You can take the answers to those questions and make them a part of your school days!

No one else can teach your children your values and your skills the way that you can. It’s not to say that you can’t have others teach your kids lessons, or teach skills or classes. That is, in fact, an incredible opportunity that you have when homeschooling, especially with community. It’s amazing to go beyond what you know to invite others to help teach your children or take them to places to learn, grow their skills, and grow their passions. But, they are your children. You are their parent. You can start homeschooling your children because YOU can teach your family values better than anyone else.

7. YOU can positively impact generations when you start homeschooling.

The values, habits, skills, and knowledge that we teach has a great chance of being passed down from generation to generation. That is a big responsibility! We should steward that with utmost care and wisdom. Whether we homeschool or not, we should take everything we do and say seriously knowing that our children will most likely repeat and reflect us. If we are living like Christ, then what a greater chance our children have of reflecting Christ! You can start homeschooling and positively impact generations to come with your love for Christ, your family, and all the values you instill in your children.

In conclusion, you ARE qualified to start homeschooling your children!

Again, being any kind of teacher or having teaching experience is not what qualifies you to homeschool your children. You are qualified because they are your children that God has given you to steward for His glory. No one else can teach your children your values and your skills the way that you can.

God has entrusted you with your children to educate, nurture, raise, and train up. So, understand that you are qualified no matter what the school system may tell you, what others may tell you, or what you may tell yourself. But, because you are the best option for your child, will it always be easy? Absolutely not.

It WILL, in fact, take time to create a peaceful homeschool that will work for everyone, and will support each and every child in thriving. It will take time, discipline, patience, endurance, and more. You may even realize how much you need JESUS! But, that’s a good thing! It can keep your whole family more connected to Him as you develop your homeschool together. It can unite your whole family together and to Christ. All the time together, and beauty experienced and created, will be worth it.

You ARE qualified to homeschool your children because they are the the children that God has entrusted to you.

Don’t forget to fill out the form below for your FREE Homeschool Plan Pack to help get you started! If you enjoy the FREE version of our Homeschool Plan Pack, you will LOVE our FULL version with everything in the free version plus 12 months of yearly, monthly, and weekly planning pages, attendance records, idea starters, and more! Find it in our shop here.

Build a life you love by building up your home, and live abundantly!