Homeschooling in Minnesota
Tend Wonder makes it easy to start homeschooling in Minnesota. This guide explains who can homeschool, how to give notice, what to plan and record, and how testing works. Tend Wonder then follows your child’s curiosity and helps you find hands-on ideas, books, resources and nearby experiences around Minnesota. Document your learning together in a Learning Journey, and use Education Coverage to see how your child’s activities connect to learning areas in Minnesota. Below, you’ll also find an example of curiosity-led learning.
Requirements
How to start homeschooling in Minnesota
Ages and exceptions
You must ensure your child attends a public or nonpublic school, including a homeschool, at ages 7 to 17.
If your child is from an Amish community, they may discontinue education, reporting and testing after eighth grade.
Register or give notice
You must submit initial registration to your resident school superintendent by October 1 or within 15 days of withdrawing your child from public school.
You must submit a letter of intent to continue instruction by October 1 each year after your initial registration with the same district.
Plan instruction
You must teach reading, writing, literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, history, geography, economics, government, citizenship, health and physical education.
You qualify as an instructor as your child's parent, guardian or legal custodian if your child is assessed under the specified statutory procedures.
Assessments and testing
Your child aged 7 to 17 must take a nationally normed achievement test each year unless your homeschool is accredited.
Other requirements
You may create a private school at home for your children.
Official resources
- Home School Education - MDE
Minnesota Department of Education
- [PDF] Home Schooling Questions and Answers - MDE
Minnesota Department of Education
Sources checked November 4, 2026
General information, not legal advice. Requirements can change. Check the official resources for your family's circumstances.
Financial support
Homeschool funding in Minnesota
Programs open to homeschoolers
You may qualify for Minnesota’s education tax subtraction and credit if you homeschool your children.
Good to know
Your qualifying expenses must be required for a normal school day in subjects usually taught in public school.
Official sources
Last checked November 4, 2026. Eligibility rules change, so confirm with the program before applying.
A look inside Tend Wonder for the curiosity Minnesota
See how a 9-year-old could explore their curiosity for Minnesota in Tend Wonder. Every family gets suggestions based on their own children’s interests, ages and location.
Your child’s Current Curiosity
Minnesota
Every suggestion below weaves around this curiosity. As your child’s interests evolve, it becomes part of the Learning Journey.
Ideas to Explore
- 01
Prepare wild rice with squash
Invite your child to prepare a Minnesota-style grain bowl using wild rice and fall produce. - You cook the wild rice and any hot ingredients. - Invite your child to slice the squash into small cubes, tear kale or spinach, and measure the ingredients. You roast the squash and cook the rice. - Set out two small topping options and let your child taste both bowls to decide which combination fits the nutty taste of the wild rice better. - Use the word pair "wild rice / arroz salvaje" while serving if you speak Spanish at home. - 02
Sketch Grand Portage from historic images
Use the approved history page to look at one historic image or map of Grand Portage, then invite your child to make their own labeled sketch of what people had to move and where. - Open the Grand Portage National Monument history page and choose one image or map that clearly shows the route, shoreline, or trading area. - Let your child copy only the big features they notice: water, shore, buildings, trail, or canoes. - Invite them to add 3 to 5 labels in English or Spanish, such as 'lake / lago,' 'trail / sendero,' or 'cargo / carga,' based on what is actually visible. - Ask them to circle the part that looks hardest to cross and say what in the image made them choose it. - 03
Visit the Mississippi at a Saint Paul landing
Invite your child to stand where the river is visible in Saint Paul and make a quick field sketch of what the Mississippi looks like here. - Choose a public river overlook, park edge, or landing where you can safely see the water. - Let your child sketch the river's width, shore shape, bridges, boats, birds, or floating leaves. - Ask your child to point out what shows this is a working river in Minnesota today, such as traffic on a bridge, barges, paths, or the built shoreline. - If the water is not easy to see from your first stop, move to a clearer public viewpoint and continue there. - 04
Walk a Minnesota portage route
Use a rope, scarf, or chalk line to mark a short carry path across your yard or a park, then invite your child to move a light 'cargo' bundle from one end to the other as if crossing a Minnesota portage. - Mark a path about 5 to 8 paces long between two spots called 'water.' A rolled towel or cloth bag works for the cargo. - Let your child choose how to carry it on the first trip: in both hands, on one shoulder, or in a small basket. - On the second trip, invite them to change just one thing: either carry the same cargo a different way on the same path, or keep the same carrying method and add one small extra cloth to the load. Compare which trip felt steadier or quicker. - End by asking them why short land carries mattered in a state full of lakes and rivers. - 05
Write a Minnesota observation postcard
Invite your child to make a postcard-sized note to someone about one Minnesota place or object they have actually seen or handled this week, such as the Mississippi River or wild rice. If they have not seen one this week, let them choose a Minnesota object at home, such as wild rice, a map, or a postcard, and write about what they can really observe. - Fold a sheet into a postcard size or cut one from scrap card. - On one side, let your child draw the Minnesota place or object they chose. - On the other side, invite them to write 3 short lines: where it is, one thing they noticed, and one question they still have. - If they want, they can add one Spanish word beside an English one, such as 'river / río' or 'wild rice / arroz salvaje.'
Books
V is for Viking
Kathy-jo Wargin
V is for Viking is an alphabet book that explores the state of Minnesota, covering its natural landmarks like Itasca State Park, its major cities, famous residents, and local inventions.
M is for Minnesota
Dori Hillestad Butler
M is for Minnesota uses alphabet-themed entries to explore the history, geography, natural resources, and notable landmarks across the state.
Antler, Bear, Canoe
Betsy Bowen
Using colorful woodcuts and prose, Betsy Bowen illustrates the seasonal rhythms of the northern woods, from winter canoe storage and hibernating bears to springtime kayaking and fishing.
Keep Exploring
This overview introduces the physical geography and state symbols of Minnesota. You can look at the map to find the state's borders and locate the Twin Cities within the Upper Midwest region. It also includes facts about the state's climate and key natural resources.
Compare satellite images of Minnesota from two different years to see how late-spring ice looks from space and read about how record-breaking cold seasons are tracked by climatologists.
This resource explains the ancient rock formations found in northern Minnesota, some of which are among the oldest in the world. You can examine the descriptions of volcanic and sedimentary rocks to see how plate tectonics shaped the local landscape. It covers the specific transition from ancient mountains to the lake-filled terrain seen today.
Explore Nearby
Your child can explore Minnesota’s changing history through See & Be Seen, a collection of portraits spanning nearly 170 years.
Your child can explore Minnesota history through Many Voices, Many Stories, One Place, an immersive exhibit presenting Fort Snelling at Bdote through real people’s perspectives.
Your homeschool journey starts with their curiosity.
Discover activities, books, and nearby experiences around your child’s interests. Record their learning and see the learning areas they explore along the way.