For instance, talk with your child’s teacher about ways to make sure that your son or daughter gets the most out of his or her education. Try to help your child with homework and extracurricular activities as much as possible, so that you what your child’s strengths and weaknesses are. Home schooling should be a well-thought out decision that you honestly feel will be in your child’s best interest, and not a seemingly easy fix for behavioral or academic problems.

Many parents decide to home school because their children have learning needs that a teacher with a classroom of other students may not be able to meet. If this is the case, take home schooling one day at a time. If your child suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD (which is the most common learning disability in children) or any other complications that will prevent them from effectively learning in a traditional classroom, home schooling could be extremely effective.

However, it’s up to you to exercise the amount of patience and careful planning that it will take to make home schooling a success. You may not be able to keep a ‘normal’ schedule for school; for instance, your child may learn best in the afternoon, so plan to begin school late morning. Or, you may need to take several breaks before resuming a lesson. Don’t let this discourage you—or your child.

The ultimate goal is to make sure that your child learns what he or she needs in order to excel, no matter which methods need to be used, or how many schedule adjustments need to be made during the day.