Your first week: what to print, what to skip

What should I print before the first week?

1. Your state's checklist. Every state with a guide on this site has one (49 so far); it prints this year's dates. Texas's checklist is an example.
2. The notice, if your state asks for one. The letter maker writes it for 13 states where the law accepts a letter you write; elsewhere the state's own form is linked from your state's page.
3. One month of the attendance record, or the hours log if your state counts hours. Put it on the fridge.
4. A loop card or the week from the planner: the subjects in order, no times.

What do I have to file before day one?

It depends on your state. 5 states ask for nothing on the main route; 10 ask for a notice once; 23 every year. Some deadlines fall before you start and some after. The What-to-file table has every state's rule in one place.

If you are taking a child out of school, the order matters: see leaving school mid-year.

What can I skip in the first week?

• A full boxed curriculum for every subject. Start with reading, math and a read-aloud; add the rest when you see how the days go.
• A year-long plan. Plan one week, then the next.
• A classroom. A kitchen table and a shelf are enough.
• A test. 29 of 49 states' records name no testing rule; where one is asked, your state's checklist gives the grade and the date.
• Long days. Two or three short lessons and an early finish make a good first week.

Which records do I start on day one?

Attendance or hours, a reading log, and one or two work samples a week. Your state's page says what its law asks you to keep; even where it asks for nothing, these three help if you move, go back to school or apply to college later.

Write a line a day, even "read two chapters, math page 4". Date every sample. It takes two minutes at the end of the day and saves a weekend of reconstruction in the spring.

What should the first days look like?

Small and the same: a start time, a finish time, two or three short lessons, something your child enjoys, and time outside. Plan your first week walks through it.

If your child has just left school, a few slower weeks first can help; see deschooling.

What should I buy?

• A library card for everyone in the house.
• A notebook per child for daily work you can date and keep as samples.
• A folder or box per child for the year's papers.
• Pencils and a printer, or a nearby place to print.

Print and start

Print your state's checklist (open your state from the laws page to get its own), write your letter of intent if your state takes one (here is Florida's), and open the attendance record on day one.