Homeschool Essentials No One Talks About

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When we start a new year of homeschooling it is not unusal to find ourselves browsing articles listing those homeschool essentials that will make our lives easier in the upcoming year. For some, it looks like a fully furnished homeschool room with everything color-coded for ease of use. For others, it might be a good printer and laminator. Some will insist that making your school supplies mobile in a little IKEA cart will revolutinize your year.

There is a lot of quick practical tips in these articles that can ease pain points in your day as a homeschool family. However, these essentials really aren’t essential. Let’s be honest. If they were essential, we wouldn’t have homeschooled before we had them. 🙂

As a second generation homeschooler, I can safely say, my mom didn’t have any color coded homeschool room, laminator or cute IKEA carts. We had a little table with a bookshelf next to it in our kitchen so Mom could work and teach me at the same time. It was simple and functional and definitely would not have graced anyone’s Pinterest dream board.

However, those homeschool essentials lists did make me consider about what is essential to our family’s homeschool life.

So without further ado and in no particular order, please read what we have found necessary to every homeschool year.

 

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Homeschool Essentials No One Talks About

As Christian parents, our first goal when teaching our kids should be to disciple their hearts to know and love the Lord. Everything outside of this goal is bonus material in a way. Whether we are teaching a math lesson, studying art at a local museum, or gathering nature specimens on a family hike, all these should be pointing our family towards Christ. 

But that is easier said than done.

It takes work and effort on our parts as the parent to intentionally turn our child’s focus back to Christ. Here is a list of homeschool essentials to do that:

 

1. The Bible

If we had nothing more than the Bible and prayer, we could homeschool our children well. In fact, there have been people who have throughout history trained their children spectacularly well using this as their main or only textbook. 

We desire our children to know and love the Lord. The only way that this is possible is for them (and us) to daily be reading God’s Word together and applying it to life.

When working through a math lesson, note how God is God of orderliness (1 Corinthians 14:33.) As you study a constellation chart waiting for a meteor shower, look up Psalm 19 and read it aloud under the starry night sky. Pick up the Bible and check out how pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18), then look at periods in history where pride did indeed go before the fall.

Intentionally find ways to read the Bible as a family daily. Encourage your kids to develop their own private Bible study habits while you develop your own. Pick an age-appropriate Bible that will allow all members of your family to study together.

Build your day and your life around God’s Word. No, it is not easy. Nor will it look perfect. Some days we will do well at it. Others we will not. What is important is a heart that delights in God and His Word and seeks to steadily grow in the knowledge of the Word throughout the years. 

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15

 

2. Prayer 

If reading our Bible is the way we hear from God, then it is natural that our way of talking to God is through the avenue of prayer. In fact, prayer should be our knee jerk reaction to everything life throws our way. Especially when we are teaching our kids during the homeschool years. 

As you go throughout your homeschool day with your kids, set aside times for prayer. Perhaps as you begin your morning basket reading would a good time to start your day with prayer. Or consider praying before you begin working together on the hardest subject for your child. And definitely pray with the child as they wrestle with their own character flaws and sin nature. Help them submit these areas back to God often.

Most of all, pray about your homeschool day before you begin. Spend your own few moments bringing it before God. Surrender your attitudes and actions to Him. Ask Him to help you teach with gracious words, to discipline with love and fairness, to soften your child’s heart to hear the truth presented from God’s Word and whatever else is resting heavy on your heart that day. And if it is a good day, don’t forget a time of praise and thanksgiving. Celebrate answered prayers as a family!

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

James 5:16

 

3. A Sole Reliance on God

Even if we are the perfect homeschool parents, our kids can still choose to walk away from God. This truth is heart-wrenching. We know that there is no greater joy than to see our children walking with God. Which means the reverse is also true. There is no great heartache than to see our children walking away from God.

We can do ALL the things, purchase all the best curriculum, teach all the Bible accounts, and still watch a child drift from the Lord. 

At the beginning and end of all our efforts as Christian parents, we must place our sole reliance on God. He gives us the strength to homeschool our child through the impossible days. When we mess up, He is sufficient and sovereign. We must rely solely on Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. No amount  of money or time or resources can make our kids know God. 

Thank the Lord that you are NOT in control and instead learn to daily embrace the fact that you are indeed helpless and fully reliant upon the Lord for all results. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5

 

4. God’s Love and Truth

We can help our kids learn to write a decent paragraph or to know their 12 times table for a test. However, have we been teaching them with a heart attitude of God’s love and truth? In a world that defines love and truth apart from the Bible, we have the joy of getting to train our kids up to know what God’s love looks like-sacrificial, selfless, sanctifying, and Spirit-led to name a few.

When many kids are hearing that everyone can have their own version of truth, we can delight to introduce our kids to the Jesus-who is Truth personsonified. May our kids know that Truth is solid and unchanging. Help them to build their life and identity on who they are in Christ!

Prepare them to live for God in a loving way. Train them up to speak the Truth of God in a confused and lost generation.

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.”
Philippians 2:14-16

 

5.Forgiveness

We mess up as parents all the time. And we feel that even more when we spend all day long with our sinful little kiddos. Not only do we see how we mess up all day long, we get to witness all their struggles closely as well.

It is no surprise that we should have to ask their forgiveness when we make mistakes. We lose our temper or fail to explain what they need to know to complete a task or any number of issues.

They whine and choose disobedience.

None of this should surprise us. We live in a fallen world and have to deal with our sin nature.

What we should carry with us through each day is heart quick to forgive an offence and quick to ask forgiveness.Thank the Lord that we will be presented with many chances to demonstrate forgiveness towards each other! 🙂

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32

 

6. Humility

Humbleness is essential. We are all works in progress. God is sanctifying us. And boy do we need it! 🙂

Just when we think we finally have the right curriculum picked, along comes that one child that simply doesn’t click with that method. Perhaps this is discovered right after you spend X amount of dollars and convince your husband it is the answer to all your curriculum needs. 

It will take humility for you to admit when things that you thought would work great will fall flat instead.

Humility is also key when answering probing questions from outside family, friends or even strangers on the street. Often you may wish to rub the “rightness” of your homeschooling in their faces. Resist the urge and instead respond in love and humility while still speaking truthfully. 

Much good will has been grown in reluctant family members through humble and loving responses to their concerns.

 

7. Gracious Speech

Gracious words are healing to the bones. Learning can be difficult for both parents and kids. It is a homeschool essential to include a LOT of gracious words throughout your homeschool day.

Speaking with kind words and encouraging tones of voice are a trained skill. It is also an area that you will daily have to submit back to God. Our words tend to cause heartache when not guarded well. Ask me how I know. We can’t take back hurtful words. As a family, make it an essential to answer a harsh word with a quiet and gentle answer. 

Again, we can’t do this in our own power. Ask me how I know, again. *face palm*

Only with a full reliance on God, can we truly answer with His love and grace when we want to snap and tear down with our words.

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
Proverbs 16:24

 

8. A Desire To Learn Together

Our kids need to know that learning never stops. In fact, God has designed us to learn until our dying day. We are privileged with a lifetime of growing and exploring His world.

It is essential that not only our kids keep learning but that we also keep alive a desire to learn. Some days, that means we will follow the rabbit trails of questions that come up and enjoy studying what is currently delighting their little hearts.

Other days, that will look like hard work and discipline as they continue to master new skills and habits through practice.

Learning will come in many forms throughout each day. Let the learning keep happening!

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”
Proverbs 1:5

 

9. Good Family Discussions

Christian homeschooling is discipleship through day to day life. The best way to disciple is to talk with our kids.

All the time.

Leave room in life and your schedule to allow good family discussions to happen. Perhaps the read aloud book takes all morning because you have an amazing conversation with your kids about what you are reading. Don’t rush through that conversation. Breath and let the good conversations roll on.

I say this as someone who LOVES to follow a good schedule. At times, I find myself fighting to let the good conversation roll because I see the number on the clock ticking and my to-do list side wants to rush ahead. As hard as it is, these moments are far more important than finishing rote paperwork assignments. Those worksheets can be saved for the days when conversations don’t arise. Savor the moments when a good conversation is stirred.

Also, make sure to spend time asking good questions. Sometimes these questions will spark conversations, other times it will fall flat. That is okay. You and your kids should keep asking all the questions to each other. Enjoy those precious times of communication as a family!

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

 

10. A Healthy Snack And A Good Night’s Sleep

Finally, we are humans. I love the screen shot I received of a Joy Clarkson quote where she points out that Elijah wanted to die but God gave him food and a nap and Elijah’s attitude improved.

Sometimes our kids and us will need rest and food. If nothing is going right on a certain homeschool day, consider taking a break. Eat a healthy meal or snack. Take a nap or even a full extra long night of rest. Spend some quiet time away from each other reading books quietly. Go to a park and have a picnic before naptime. Do what is necessary to take care of your family’s basic physical needs.

Sometimes, we tend to forget that our kids and us simply are running on empty and need to be refreshed. Eat and sleep. You might be surprised how essential that will be to making your homeschool year go much smooother!

 

Final Thoughts

Homeschooling is a beautiful sacrifice that can lead to much success for kids. As Christians, however, we must remember that keeping Christ and His Word as the center of our life is the true essential to our homeschool journey.

Homeschool essentials list will change with each year but there are some homeschool essentials that will never change. Stay focused on those true essentials this coming year.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

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