Some parents choose homeschooling.
Others have homeschooling thrust upon them.
Particularly in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in schools being closed.
Some parents have lost their jobs. Others are trying to work from home.
But it sure isn’t easy having the children home 24/7 and having to plan every single step outside of your front door if you want everyone to stay safe.
Sure, the students have been getting some lessons online, but not nearly the 9 to 3 that they were getting. In addition, there are no longer any after school programs or enrichment programs from 3 until 6.
So what is a busy parent to do? One is to ask their teachers for extra work or suggestions as to what they could do to complete their current grade, and get a head start on the new one they should be going into in the autumn. (Who knows if the schools will be open again then?)
Another is to check out homeschooling and find a range of resources for each of your children that are age- and grade-appropriate.
You may discover you actually enjoy homeschooling. So if you’re passionate about the topic and want to create an online business helping others who are homeschooling their children, creating a resource website may be a great way to accomplish that. You will be able to help people all over the world, while earning money from your own home.
Determine the Main Questions Homeschoolers Have
You resource website should spend some time answering the questions about the most pressing concerns other homeschoolers have, and what problems they often run into. Your website can have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. You will also want to assemble your valuable tips and ideas on how to resolve some of the main homeschooling issues.
For example, someone who’s just starting to homeschool their children is going to have a lot of questions about their children’s social life, how they are going to make friends, or keep up with their current friends, and how to make sure their child has a well-rounded curriculum.
Help Connect Other Mothers and Fathers
Mothers and fathers who are homeschooling while sharing notes with other parents invariably have an easier time than parents who try to go it alone. At the very least, they can pick up a few pointers from parents who have been doing it for a while, which can be invaluable in 2020 now that so many moms and dads are being forced into the breach.
Thanks to the wonders of technology, and strategic visiting with the neighbors if you are all COVID free, children can be homeschooled together in groups. You can use Google Hangouts, now being referred to as Google meet, or the really popular Zoom. It can be used for lessons, ‘play dates’ and more if you are in complete quarantine.
If your resource website can help connect mothers and fathers, that would be a huge benefit. You can do this by creating a membership forum, or a database of mothers and fathers and their city and state. Various states have different curricula, so it can be really helpful to search for other parents in your home state.
Your Resources
Your first resource will be your child’s school. They should be having online lessons, homework and project assignments. You might want to write out the instructions clearly and then film your child in the process of making their diorama of the planets for science class (and yes, Pluto is back to being a planet again!).
Chances are you might have a range of things around the house you can use to make lessons fun and interesting. Monopoly money, an old toy cash register and more can all make math more lively and practical.
You can also get your child to write book reviews and earn points for each book they read, which could lead to hours off screen so you can get your work done and get a bit of peace and quite too.
Some parents get so dazzled by the array of homeschooling materials available that they want to buy everything in sight. But wait. If you have more than one child, this could be a sound investment, because your younger child will age up into the older material. Otherwise, you could sell the kits used from your site, as long as the terms of service permit this and you can ship them out easily.
Another reason is that there are some kits that are grade specific and complete. This might be a better option (and possibly more cost-effective) than buying a whole bunch of bits and pieces just because they look fun. (Though fun is crucial to learning with younger kids!)
Do ‘unboxing’ and lesson hints and tips videos. Write reviews of the packs, the advantages and disadvantages. Show examples of your child’s work. Who knows, you could have a homeschooling video channel on YouTube too in no time. And be sure to check out homeschooling videos there yourself, for great ideas you can adapt. For the best ones, you can click SHARE and grab the Embed code, and post that content right on your own site, for the convenience of your fans.
Making Money from Your Homeschool Resource Business
Once your website becomes better known as a valuable resource for parents, more will visit your website. Once they are coming regularly, how can you turn this into a money-making business?
You can sell your own packs based on what you have created by homeschooling.
You can also sell advertising. There are many products that specifically target parents, and the homeschoolers amongst them. Online bookshops or school supply websites. are always looking for more customers. You can also place AdSense ads on your website to immediately start earning money via Google, running ads on your site using just a few lines of code, which can all add up to nice commissions.
You can also start an affiliate program. Sign up for Amazon.com’s affiliate program, Amazon Associates and start selling books and other homeschooling resources. You’ll receive about 4 to 5 percent of the selling price of everything that you sell. If you’ve created great resources for parents, sell them through a digital product marketing place like Clickbank.
Finally, you can create your own “products” to sell. You could do a consulting call for $50 to 100 an hour for parents when they’re really having trouble, or sell a membership site with videos. Write your own informational product and sell that online. Set up a course in WordPress using a Learning Management System (LMS) plugin like LearnPress, or offer courses for parents and older students on Teachable. (The students should be at least 13 years of age.)
The bottom line is this: Create a resource that others will really love and use, and then start earning some money using some of the methods described above.
To your success, and that of your children!
FURTHER READING
Homeschooling 101: Staying Sane In Tough Times
How to Encourage Your Children to Become Good Readers
Homeschooling Your Child with ADHD: Steps to Success
School Success Strategies for Children With ADHD
