Visit your state's Department of Education website to find its first-grade academic standards. These will tell you what your child should be able to do by the end of first grade. Your local school district should also be able to provide you with its standards for first-graders so that you will know what your child's peers will be learning.
Get a library card. Reading is a major component of any first-grade curriculum, so it's important to make sure you and your child always have access to books. Also, your local library may have resources for home schoolers, such as curricula that you can check out, activities and lists of books by theme.
Find a great first-grade curriculum. Unless you have teaching experience (and old lesson plans) or the time and inclination to create lessons every week, you will need to buy a curriculum for your child. Ideally the curriculum will align with your state's standards. See Resources for several curriculum options.
Plan your daily schedule. Read through your curriculum and consider the times of day when your child is alert and ready to learn. Create a general outline of the school year to help you plan field trips, classes and other complementary activities.
Develop a backup plan. You know your child's strengths and weaknesses best. Since first grade is more intense than kindergarten, make sure you have a plan in place for days when he doesn't want to have school or is struggling with a topic.