The idea of starting your first-ever year of homeschool …whew! Where to begin? It’s intimidating. It’d be nice if there was some sort of checklist. Fortunately for you, experienced homeschool moms and dads in our Abeka community were willing to share their insider tips and personal checklists. Now, you can have everything buttoned up and ready for the big first day — starting with this list:

• Whiteboard, markers, and erasers 
• Independent desk for each child 
• Textbooks + materials 
• Lesson plans 
• A Cubby for each child 
• Organizational bins 
• Folders 
• Binders 
• A planner 
• Calendar 
• Highlighters 
• Lots of pencils 
• Pens in several colors for grading 
• Lots of coffee 
• A Bible 
• Good Wi-Fi 
• School supplies 
• Earphones (for video school)

When we asked veteran homeschool moms and dads what items they can’t live without at the start of a new homeschool year, we got a wide mix of answers. Whether the answer was a strong cup of coffee, a great devotional, or lesson plans, their advice is invaluable. Here’s what they had to say:

My Bible and quiet time with God. I must allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen me before I even think about teaching. When I surrender my day to the Lord, everything else falls into place, and I am able to prioritize much better. – Deborah 

A clean and quiet space. Without that, neither the kids or I are able to focus. We’ll pick up after every lesson and I like to diffuse some essential oils in the classroom for a calming smell. – Jennifer 

A Simple Plan planner (from Mardel) for me, and one for each of my kids. – Meagan 

We always have that “one day” where we ready the schoolroom. Books get put in their cubbies, pencils sharpened, workspaces organized, planner/calendar filled out, stuff like that. That day gets everyone excited for the new school year and prepares our hearts and minds for the school days ahead. In the beginning, I just did it all, but after a handful of years, I realized the kids need the prep of it all as much as I do. Now we do it together. This year I have a recent high school grad who will be doing her college classes remotely from home, so she still gets to help prepare the schoolroom. All the kids (five of them!) are still looking forward to our school-year prep day! – Emily 

Bible, prayer, and morning coffee date with my Heavenly Father. – Wendi 

A lesson planner (The Well Planned Day Homeschool Planner), a good pencil sharpener (X-ACTO school pro classroom), laminator, lots of pencils, different colored pens (to color-code kids assignments), erasers (Pentel hi-polymer block eraser), well-organized space to put all of your daily needed items! Prayer, patience, and fellow homeschool families! – Cori 

A computer that works well and a really good internet connection. We also invested in a portable Wi-Fi hotspot for those times when the internet goes out unexpectedly and your child is in the middle of an online test. – Natasha Cash 

Starting homeschool for the first time doesn’t have to be scary. You can do this! Take it one lesson at a time, and remember, the Abeka community is here to support you in every way possible. Reach out and tag us anytime with questions or updates on how your homeschool year is going on Facebook or Instagram!