And how to avoid every single one of them - so your first year is smoother, less stressful, and legally compliant from day one.
Here is a truth that no one tells you when you start homeschooling: everyone struggles in the first year. Every single person who has ever pulled their kid out of traditional school and started teaching them at home has felt overwhelmed, underprepared, and at least a little terrified that they are doing it wrong.
The good news? The mistakes are predictable. After working with hundreds of first-year homeschool families, we have seen the same seven problems come up over and over. They are not signs that you are failing - they are just part of the learning curve.
The even better news? Every one of these mistakes is fixable. And if you know what to watch for before you start, you can skip most of them entirely.
If you have already made some of these mistakes, that is completely fine. Most experienced homeschoolers made all seven during their first year and still went on to have a great homeschooling experience. The goal is not perfection - it is awareness.
This is the most consequential mistake on the list, and unfortunately it is one of the most common. Many new homeschool families assume they can simply start teaching and figure out the paperwork later. That approach can put your homeschool in a legally vulnerable position.
Every state has some form of notification or registration requirement. In some states it is as simple as filing a one-page Notice of Intent with your school district. In others, it involves submitting detailed education plans, getting approval, or registering with the state Department of Education.
Before you start teaching, look up your state's specific requirements. File whatever paperwork is needed and keep a copy of everything you submit. Most filings take less than 30 minutes.
Some states have specific filing deadlines. New York requires an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) by July 1. North Carolina requires filing a Notice of Intent within 30 days of starting. Pennsylvania requires an affidavit by August 1. Missing these deadlines can create complications even if you are doing everything else right.
Our free Compliance Checker tells you exactly what to file, when, and where to send it.
Check Your StateThis one catches almost every first-year family. You have spent years in the traditional school system, so when you start homeschooling, you naturally try to recreate that environment at home. You set up a rigid schedule from 8 AM to 3 PM. You assign homework. You try to cover seven subjects every day. You sit your child at a desk for hours.
And then, about three weeks in, everyone is miserable.
The entire point of homeschooling is that you are not in a traditional school. You do not need 30 minutes of transition time between classes. You do not need to wait for 25 other students to catch up. You do not need 45 minutes on a worksheet that your child could finish in 10.
A traditional school day is about 6.5 hours, but studies show that only 2-3 hours of that time is actual instruction. The rest is transitions, lunch, recess, administrative time, and managing a classroom of 25+ students. One-on-one homeschool instruction is dramatically more efficient.
You know you need to track attendance. You plan to start next week. And then next week becomes next month, and suddenly it is December and you have no idea how many school days you have actually completed.
This mistake feels harmless in the moment, but it creates real problems. Most states require a specific number of school days or instructional hours per year. If you cannot prove you met that requirement, you may have a compliance issue.
Start tracking on your first day of instruction. It takes less than 30 seconds per day. Use a simple calendar, a spreadsheet, or a dedicated app like Blue Folder that tracks days and hours automatically.
Build in a buffer. If your state requires 180 days, plan for 185-190. Sick days, family emergencies, and "we just need a break" days happen to everyone. A buffer means you never have to stress about falling short. Use our School Day Calculator to plan your year.
The homeschool curriculum market is a $2 billion industry, and it knows exactly how to make first-year parents feel like they need to spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars before they can start teaching. Boxed curricula, online subscriptions, manipulatives, workbooks, lap books, unit studies - the options are endless and the marketing is persuasive.
Here is the truth: you do not need most of it. At least not in year one.
A reasonable first-year curriculum budget is $200-400 per child, covering a core math program, a core language arts program, and supplemental materials. Many families spend less than $100 by leaning heavily on free resources and the library. You can always add more later once you know what your family needs.
Blue Folder handles attendance, records, and compliance in one place - so you can focus on teaching.
Get Started Free"I'll organize everything at the end of the year." This is the lie that every first-year homeschooler tells themselves, and it almost never works out well.
Record-keeping feels optional when you are deep in the daily work of teaching. But when evaluation season arrives - or worse, when someone from your school district asks to see your records - having nothing organized creates a panic that is entirely preventable.
The fix is simple: spend 15 minutes at the end of each month organizing your records. That is it. Count your school days, pick a few work samples, update your curriculum list, and file any paperwork. Ten months of 15-minute sessions equals 2.5 hours for the entire school year.
Compare that to the 8-12 hours most families spend trying to reconstruct records at year-end. The choice is obvious.
For a complete breakdown of what to keep and how to organize it, read our full guide: How to Keep Homeschool Records.
Filing your initial paperwork is step one. But many states also require an annual evaluation of your child's educational progress. This catches first-year families off guard because the evaluation deadline often arrives months after you started homeschooling - right when you have forgotten about the administrative side of things.
In high-regulation states like New York, annual assessment results must be submitted to your school district by June 30. If your child does not score at least the 33rd percentile on a standardized test (or show adequate progress on an alternative assessment), the district may place your homeschool on probation. Know the rules before evaluation season arrives.
Homeschooling can be isolating, especially in the first year. You are making big decisions about your child's education, navigating unfamiliar legal requirements, and doing it all without the institutional support that comes with a traditional school. It is a lot.
Many first-year families try to figure everything out independently, either because they do not know where to find support or because they feel embarrassed to admit they need help. This is a mistake. Homeschooling does not have to be a solo endeavor.
It is not just about finding resources for your kids. You need emotional support too. Homeschooling is rewarding but it is also exhausting, and first-year doubt is real. Find at least one other homeschool parent you can talk to honestly about the hard days. It makes an enormous difference.
Search "[your state] homeschool association" or "[your city] homeschool co-op" to find groups near you. Most state associations have a website with local chapter listings. If you are just getting started, check out our record-keeping guide and attendance requirements guide for practical first steps.
If you look at all seven mistakes, a clear pattern emerges. Most first-year problems are not about teaching ability. They are not about curriculum choice. They are not even about knowing your state's laws (though that helps). They are about organization.
The single most impactful thing you can do as a first-year homeschooler is set up a simple system to keep yourself organized. It does not need to be complicated. It just needs to exist.
This is exactly what Blue Folder was built to do. It gives you a state-specific compliance checklist, tracks your attendance automatically, stores your work samples and documents, and exports a polished compliance binder when you need one. It takes the organizational burden off your plate so you can focus on what matters: teaching your kids.
Blue Folder's onboarding asks for your state and your children's ages, then generates a personalized compliance checklist with every deadline and requirement. You will know exactly what to do and when. Start for free.
The biggest mistake is not filing required paperwork with your state or school district. Every state has some form of notification or registration requirement, and missing it can put your homeschool in a legally questionable position. File your Notice of Intent (or equivalent) before you start teaching. Use our Compliance Checker to find out exactly what your state requires.
Stop trying to replicate a traditional school day at home. You do not need 6-7 hours of desk work. Most homeschool families find that 2-4 hours of focused instruction covers more material than a full school day. Build in breaks, follow your child's interests, and give yourself permission to have slow days. The flexibility is the whole point.
Less than you think. Start with core subjects - math and language arts - and add from there. Use free resources like Khan Academy, your local library, and educational YouTube channels before spending money on boxed curriculum. A reasonable first-year budget is $200-400 per child, but many families spend under $100.
Yes. Most states require a specific number of school days or hours per year. If you do not start tracking from your first day of instruction, you will have to guess or reconstruct your count later. It takes 30 seconds per day. Use a calendar, a spreadsheet, or a tool like Blue Folder to make it automatic.
At minimum, keep attendance logs, a list of curriculum and materials used, and work samples (2-3 per subject per month). Most states also require copies of any paperwork you filed. Even if your state has minimal requirements, keeping these basics protects you if laws change or you move. Read our complete record-keeping guide for the full breakdown.