Last year's pandemic forced children to learn at home instead of attending school. Educators and parents scrambled to organize and integrate new learning methods and environments for children. There was an increased strain on parents, as they were tasked with closely managing their child(ren)'s academic careers, daily work loads and use of new educational technology. There were some who found it too much.

The point is, it’s been incredibly difficult for months. Even though many parents are thrilled with the reopening of schools, others are seeking virtual options (which are more rare now) or are continuing to homeschool their children – especially with the COVID Delta variant on the rise and the worry around unvaccinated elementary school children. There are many considerations that go into homeschooling, if this is the route you’re taking for your family. Homeschooling parents are entrusted with a great deal of responsibility, which makes preparation and organization for home instruction essential.

For parents who want to continue (or start) homeschooling, these six tips will help to prepare you and your kids for the new school year.

Having a room large enough to accommodate the daily demands of homeschooling can ease a child's transition to homeschooling. Parents may be able to allocate an entire room for home instruction, whereas others may have less space available.

Take a look at your living space and think about what you may be able to repurpose. The separate learning space allows parents-instructors to organize and store materials without them being strewn throughout the house. Furthermore, it helps establish a mindset for learning. Children will learn that it's time to roll up their sleeves, open their minds and soak up some knowledge. They will be able to set their minds to educational expectations when they have an assigned homeschool room.

By having a central meeting space, homeschooling parents can focus on their teaching, and having the necessary materials close at hand will make teaching sessions much more effective. You won’t have to search the entire home for tools or supplies.

Here are five essentials to a homeschool classroom:

Some people won't be able to reserve an entire room, but there still can be options. I taught our children from a wall of cabinets in my living room for many years. The cabinets being open meant that school was in session. After the learning day was over, we cleaned up and closed them.

If you have multiple children of varying ages and grades, try to have a central location for homeschooling materials and then spread out from there. A child will not remain in one location for the entire day, even in a home classroom. Older kids will go to their rooms to complete their work. The younger ones will have time to play, etc. An ideal homeschool space will enable parents and their children to conveniently organize their supplies and concentrate on staying on track with learning at the appropriate time.

Every year school districts and teachers send out a list of supplies. Now, you will be the one drafting your homeschooling year's list. Isn't that exciting? You'll see that teachers are not overstating the disappearance of writing instruments, notebooks and textbooks. You'll wonder how they lost all of those items without leaving the house!

Essential supplies include:

In addition to some essentials, you'll need specific materials and tools to deliver lessons and track each child's progress. See if other homeschoolers have materials they no longer use. After my youngest child finished preschool and K-3, I gave necessary (and expensive) early-childhood education materials to my fellow homeschoolers so they would not have to spend a lot of money. I assure you, it all adds up.

In the beginning, newbies can expect to spend an impressive amount of money setting up and running their homeschool environment. Use your common sense and don't buy every flashy thing that promises to make your child a genius. It will not.

Choosing or developing a curriculum is probably the most frustrating aspect of homeschooling. You know, curricula and getting your friends and family to understand the time constraints you're working under to teach your child[ren] … but I digress. It is up to the parents to decide if they will use virtual learning, a homeschool program, or create their own. You will burn some brain cells on this one.

The next step after developing a curriculum is to create a scope and sequence and lesson plans. It can be time-consuming, but it is doable for parents who are committed to building curricula that will potentially optimize their child[ren]'s educational experience.

Whichever you choose, become familiar with their state’s homeschooling laws and be prepared to be the primary manager of your child’s education

During homeschooling days, time will be limited. It's crucial to understand the difference between creating a daily routine (repeated actions) and scheduling (agenda of activities). It has been my experience and knowledge that a stationary schedule (like those in public and private schools) is rarely, if ever, conducive to the needs of a homeschooling family. It is essential for parents to provide structure and flexibility in the face of life's mundane intrusions on the learning process.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to homeschooling. Parents will have to go through a process of trial and error for themselves, their children collectively and individually before they find a schedule that suits them.

Below are some tips on creating a homeschool routine.

Homeschooling parents face so many challenges every day. Keeping track of as much as you can remains crucial to teaching children and keeping your momentum. Create a system for monitoring tasks and setting reminders. Some people will have no trouble managing their tasks and projects, while others may require a mix of high-tech and low-tech approaches.

Even though pen and paper will always be a favorite for homeschoolers, there are plenty of task and project management apps out there that will help you stay organized.

One of my personal favorite task managers is Google Keep, where I can keep multiple lists and project goals. I set notifications across all of my devices.

Digital notebooks like Evernote and Microsoft OneNote are a convenient way to keep track of important information in addition to tasks. They have a free version and a paid version, and can be a bit intense, but they are great options for organizing digitally.

Make it your habit to use a method or combination of methods you find works for managing tasks and projects. Keep coming back to it (or them).

This should be the top priority. Parenting can be stressful, producing mounds of tension. Homeschooling will increase emotional and physical demands leading to all sorts of breakdowns and burnout. Taking care of oneself is essential to coping and recovering from the inevitable times of strain and having joy sucked out of you by ungrateful children, partners, family and communities.

Yes, you read that right. It is a thankless pursuit to homeschool your children. Your kids will whine and try to break your sanity. Partners will complain about lack of attention and interrupt learning time because, hey, it's all about them. Families and communities will never miss a chance to question your capabilities or approach you with requests for your time and energy. You're already home, aren't you?

They may not intend to cause emotional and psychological distress, but that doesn't prevent you from balling in a corner, clutching your pint of ice cream to survive.

In a previous article, I discussed the importance of self-love (taking a proactive approach to safeguarding physical, mental and emotional health), as well as setting boundaries on relationships that leave me drained. Once you learn to love yourself and set boundaries, it will be easier to focus on your self-care as self-salvation.

Decompress and take care of your body, mind, and mood. One Haute Hijab article poses a great question for self-care:

Consider actions that will fortify your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Listed below are a few suggestions.

There is no one who can love you more than you can love yourself. Thus, it is important to realize that we must take care of ourselves, love ourselves, set boundaries and engage in productive self-care to rebuild our strength and get back into the trenches of homeschooling.

Bismillah and good luck on your homeschooling life, or whatever type of learning your child(ren) will be engaging in each year. We pray that Allah (S) protects our children and ourselves and helps facilitate healthy learning.