One of the (many) benefits of having children spread across several years is the gift of perspective. With our first three, I felt like I had just figured something out only to find that we were now into a whole new season! There is gift in that too (of course- because only God knows the way He most wants to shape our family size), but I must say- I tremendously enjoy this second batch of babies.
For one, they are are scrumptious.
For two, I get a do-over, with that gift of perspective as a guide. :)
Our oldest three are 15, 13, and 11. Our second three are all 5 and under. One of the questions I get at least once a week is this: what would you do differently in those first years of school?
Now that I have a bit of perspective on homeschooling kindergarten and first grade and how those early years shape later learning, what would those look like if I did them again? Which curriculum would I recommend?
I wouldn’t say that I live with regret, necessarily. But I do think there are a few things that made the biggest and best impact on my children in those early years of homeschooling, and I wish I had lived in those areas more fully and realized that they were the best use of my time and energy.
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Read Aloud
I would read aloud as much as my children could stand it. We did this, in fact, but when my oldest three were in their kinder/first grade years, I felt compelled to extend the stories with activities, unit studies, and crafts that were lined up with the stories’ themes. If I could, I would tell myself to worry less (meaning: none at all) about literature-based unit studies or projects, and just enjoy good books together instead.
I would get my hands on an excellent booklist and I would read from that collection. The story is enough, I would tell myself.
(I particularly love these picture book treasuries.)
Math
I spent a lot of time and energy on not doing formal math in the early years the first time around. I acquired books telling me how to make math games (and I made them) and worked off of lists that promised a good solid base of elementary math without having to use a program. Somehow I fell into the mindset that my children would only love math if I managed not to force it in the typical way until much much later.
I think with my next set, I’ll likely start with an actual program when they are six-ish- something enjoyable and reputable, like Math-U-See, for example. I’d do a little bit most every day- 10 or 15 minutes, max. It would be low-pressure and gentle, but I’d still work through a systematic program from the get-go. Slow and steady, as they say.
Learning How to Read
This is where I most wish I could whisper (vigorously!) to myself a half a dozen years ago. If I could, I would tell myself to use All About Reading right from the start. We ended up using a wide array of materials to teach the skill of how to read- some more frustrating than others- and with varied results. I was married to a vague idea that teaching children to read should be easy. Because of that, we ended up doing it the hard and inconsistent way.
Instead, I’d tell myself to start with All About Reading, to smile a lot, take off all the pressure, and just do a little bit every single day, consistently over the days and weeks and months and years. I’m quite certain my kids would have become confident readers more easily this way, and I would have sidestepped a lot of self-imposed mama angst in the process.
Handwriting
5 minutes a day. Maybe 10. Every single day, once they were ready to really begin. I’d probably use Handwriting Without Tears (and in fact, we did use that), because I think their program is well laid out, enjoyable, and easy for mama to implement.
Focus on Building Habits
In preschool, kindergarten, and even first grade, I would take all that energy I placed into “doing school,” and I would use it to focus on helping my child develop good habits. I would teach her how to pay attention, how to sweep well, how to rinse out the sink after she brushes her teeth, and how to look in someone’s eye and say, “thank you for having me over to play today.”
I think I spent too much time making sure that the art project we were doing lined up with that day’s picture book selection, and that time could have been spent so much more profitably on being consistent with discipline and habit forming. There’s no cute cotton ball art to hang on the fridge when you’re teaching a child to leave a bathroom better than they found it, but the payoff is far more worthwhile.
I would tell myself that filling up the heart of my child with the true, the good, and the beautiful was all that mattered. Not whether the math game had m&ms to match the upcoming holiday or whether I knew a song about penguins to go with our penguin picture book and our penguin craft.
Live Well
We’d play outside, every day, if possible. We’d garden, go for walks, run errands, chat with the postman, watch slugs slither across the deck and leave trails behind. We’d play lots and lots of games. We’d follow a natural daily rhythm that wasn’t tied to the clock.
I would read more fairy tales, spend more time working alongside my child on chores around the house and yard, and create fewer lesson plans. I’d be more consistent. I’d focus on the quality of the books and songs and activities we were engaging in, would memorize poetry and other such treasures.
I would worry less about “doing kindergarten” or even “doing first grade” and focus more on parenting consistently and living as full and rhythmic of a life as I could manage. I would have art supplies available and realize that for a kindergartener, helping mom cleaning up the craft is just as pleasurable (and useful) as doing the craft in the first place.
We would sing. Dance. Go to bed early. I would foster wonder, curiosity, and the habits of being helpful in the context of family life. I would smile a lot. Laugh a lot. Be goofy, and kind, and try to remember that a peaceful, smiling mother goes an awful long way to building up fortitude and happy childhood memories.
And then we’d read aloud a little bit more, just for good measure.
Of course, we did many of these things, but I would do them with more confidence, with more rest, with more relish. If I could tell myself one thing all those years ago, I would say this:
You are right where you are supposed to be. Delight in that. Live in the beautiful. Exalt Him on an ordinary day, in your very ordinary way. And you will never, ever regret it.
P.S. This is the question you want to answer before your head hits the pillow tonight.
Such very wise words indeed.
Yes. 100% yes. My oldest is only 9, but I whole-heartedly agree that there is so much more to ‘doing’ less formal work and instead focusing on great books and quality time.
Love this post. Not sure if we will end up homeschooling or not (I have a 9 month old son), but these ideas are easy to implement in any house! Thanks for a great read.
Yes. We probably won’t be homeschooling, but helps me as I think about teaching my 2 year old daughter right now.
I love this, especially the part where you said there is no “cotton ball craft” better than teaching a child good habits.
I wish I had found “all about reading” earlier. We used “Teach your child to read in 100 lessons”. We use all about spelling, but I wish I had started with AAR.
I have used the same “100 Easy Lessons” reading method with my tutoring students, with excellent results. How does it differ from All About Reading?
I’ve heard so many good things about 100 Easy Lessons! I tried using it but we didn’t enjoy it at all and seemed to get stuck on lessons for long periods of time, so AAR was a better fit for us. But I’m an “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” kind of girl, so if it works for you– that’s awesome! :)
Such a wonderful thing, perspective! Although most of my children were fairly close together, and I didn’t homeschool, or get the opportunity to do “do-overs”, I do get that same opportunity every year as a teacher. I have learned to never think I have finally found all the best programs or all of the curriculums I am going to stick with for the remainder of my career. For me, the key word is having a “growth-mindset”. I love when I find something that really works, and when I have tried something that doesn’t make a significant difference in motivating or helping kids to become successful, I deepen my search! Thank goodness there is always new, young-blood out there, modifying and creating new curriculum and best practices that work even better ! Wether we are home-school teachers, private school teachers, public school teachers, or mom and dad teachers, we can rest in the joy that there is and will always be room for improvement, using our previous mistakes, successes, and those of others to help create an even better, more improved way of doing things throughout our lives, maintaining the things that are tried and true and continue to work well. Without mistakes, no learning or growing takes place, so Praise God for mistakes! Perspective is something that never ends. We will always have our past and present to help guide us as we make new future decisions. I am very thankful that my own children have grown from the mistakes I have made, and that now I can learn much from them!
Love this, mom. Thank you. :)
Hi Sarah, you wrote a beautiful post. Loved it and found it so true and very inspiring. I have 6 children as well, ages 13 to 3. My two youngest will ” hopefully” have the benefit of an experienced mama. Thank you and God bless you for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you for this, Sarah! I like your emphasis on reading, reading, reading, and found the bit on teaching virtue in the little things of life thought-provoking.
And I appreciate that you’ve included the books/curriculum that have worked well for you- that certainly gives us thinking-about-homeschooling moms a helping hand!
Wonderful, honest insights, Sarah! Our children are about the same age (minus baby twins), and my advice would be the same as yours, with one addition: teach reading when the child is ready, not before. This made a world of difference with my 2nd dd, when I stopped pushing in Kindergarten and waited until 1st grade. And for new homeschooling mamas, read & re-read the section on Living Well because it is SO true!!
Best post ever (and that’s saying a lot)
Oh goodness. Thank you!
I was just about to write, “best post ever” when I saw that I wrote that last year ;)
Ha! :)
Lovely, lovely post.
I have a large spread between my first & second (7-years) with a third due next month. I am looking at this next round as a do-over of sorts with perspective. My youngest is three and I remember at this age for my older I was so focused on giving him a preschool experience at home since he was the only one of his friends not heading of to school. This time my focus is so much different, and it is so much more restful for us all.
I think my personal biggest fail with my oldest is math. You described me exactly! Math games, math literature, nothing formal. Next time my plan is slow & steady with some kind of program. Same with handwriting. I think I got lost in the mindset of nothing formal, except of course my perfectly planned unit studies with matching art projects and far too many go-along books. This time I am thinking a small chunk of formal will be much better in the long run, and leave plenty of time & energy for copious amounts of reading aloud & being outside & shaping character.
I’m going to have to look at All About Reading for my youngest. My oldest was a self taught reader (awesome yes, but I wish I had done All About Spelling with him anyway because I think it would have helped him in a lot of ways).
I could go on and on, but my kiddos are reminding me that my time is up and breakfast needs to get cooking :)
Yeah you know- I think the biggest mistake in doing the free-form math thing is that it drained so much of my energy that I didn’t have enough left over to use for character formation and the like. In the end, we didn’t get very solid in math, my kids still ended up hating it, and we wasted a lot of time and energy.
(And my oldest is pretty much a self-taught speller, and though she is very good at it naturally, I wish I had used AAS to give her an extra solid knowledge base, as well.)
I absolutely love this post. I have been parenting for 30 + years (with 3 still at home) and am now a grandparent- and I agree with everything you wrote. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful! Thanks!
Could you tell us more about the My Book House collection and why you recommend them?
Yes! I wrote about them a bit here:
https://readaloudrevival.com/2013-2014-curriculum-plans/
Andrew Kern wrote about them briefly here:
http://quidditycirce.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/that-shriveled-grind-on-teaching-reading/
Basically, I recommend them because Andrew does. :) They are very well thought through collections of stories that would make for a solid foundation in the liberal arts, I think, without a lot of legwork on mama’s part in collecting stories. Simple and true.
I really love this post. Seeing the value in the every day ordinary things that we do as human beings is wise and wonderful. Gosh, I could work a whole day on just learning how to smile a lot. The goofy thing I got going pretty well. (poor kids)
I think the great thing about learning is that it’s never too late. Gaps? We all have them. Yes, it may take a bit longer to re-learn, but don’t we do this all throughout life anyway?
If it’s true that the first 3 years are the most formative, then my biggest regret is not putting the baby first. I think that is why I love looping so much. It enables me to be forever interrupted without so much guilt.
And finally, (I’ll bet your glad about that) a very wise woman once said, “Whose well done are we working for?” A heavenly perspective is the one that I want.
Smiling a lot- me too. I think I smile a lot at everyone else, but I don’t at my family! That’s something I need to work on!
Thank you for your words! I have three children, and my oldest (she’s 6) is in a wonderful Catholic school, but homeschooling has always been on my heart. I’m taking this year to discern, and so many of the things you write about are exactly how I feel learning should be.
A very timely and encouraging post. Thank you for allowing God to use you through this blog (and your book, too!) to encourage others. I have benefited greatly.
This is incredible timing. I have two batches of children and just this morning I was asking myself as to what I have learned from the first three that I could apply to the last two.
I am new to your blog but have drawn great encouragement from you, particularly the read aloud podcasts and the other audio in the “listen up” section.
There are so many things I have not done with my children but without any other real motive than to have fun we have read so much. However I have had times where I have put reading aloud on the back burner as I felt I was meant to be doing more “meaningful” work with my children. Yet reading aloud has always been a time of joy, joy that was lost when I tried look like I was more serious about educating my kids. The podcasts have given more confidence to continue with what we all enjoyed so much in the first place.
Thank you
Thank you, Ariel! I’m so glad the podcasts have blessed you!
I have four children and am in a situation where my eldest has just headed off to college and my youngest is officially starting school with what we call Gr. 1. My middle children are Gr. 3 and 7. I do typically refer to each of my children being in a particular grade but not because I cover a set curriculum of standards for each grade. More because I’ve decided what I think each child can achieve for the year and pull my resources together to match our plans and then give it the name Grade X or Y. I find this let’s me answer the question of what ‘grade is your child in’ and have no qualms about saying grade 4 or 6 or 2 even if we are covering material that would be at a different grade level for various subjects. For us it is grade 4 or 6 or 2 simply because I’ve labeled it so and there is always learning being accomplished.
Overall I agree with much of this post but do take a different angle on a few things. I too am reading aloud to all my children a ton more than I ever did in the past and we are all loving it. I totally agree with you, I didn’t do enough of it with my elder children and intend to read copious amounts to the kids with the time I have left with my others. This has become a top priority of every school day.
I have always used a math program and I do believe this keeps ME focused. I don’t always follow the lessons as the book says but I cover what I think needs covering at my childs pace. I’m more of a Singapore fan because it so closely follows the classical approach…make haste slowly, skill building, and repetition until mastery is achieved. It’s gentle and easy in the beginning years while at the same time building a solid foundation for mathematical thought processes to take hold and be internalized. I allow anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes for math each school day but usually only 15-20 is spent in lesson time. The rest is independent file folder games, card games, and computer games that reinforce skills we are learning. In short, lots of math play time. Playing games has been a wonderful way to ‘do math’ without killing the child with work pages, and in my humble opinion infinitely more effective. 15-20 minutes of math a day just wouldn’t give us enough time to cover and master basic math skills and have fun at the same time.
As for the reading, we use IEW’s PAL instead of All About Reading. I be interested in seeing the differences. PAL has got the poetry memorization, handwriting, grammar, narration, and spelling built in with every reading lesson, and file folder games to practice playing the reading skills introduced. I’ve been immensely impressed by it, actually I kind of gush when someone asks me about it. In fact all of IEW products we’ve tried over the years have been fantastic, so I’m sure AAR is probably similar but it’s one we haven’t used so I’m not sure of the differences. I just like that all my language arts objectives are covered in one lesson but because they include so much I usually only cover 2 or 3 each week and allow time for things to sink in. Time for the ‘meditio’ to take place.
The only other thing I might differ on you with is the deliberate inclusion of crafts as frequently as I can fit in. I don’t include crafts at the exclusion of virtue formation but I do think many parents underestimate the value of creating. The very process of creating is when we can sometimes most resemble God. He is the ultimate Creator and created us out of nothing. When my child creates something out of a toilet paper roll or blank sheet of paper and sees that their creation is good they get a sense of how God felt when He created the world and looked at it and saw that it was good. There’s Godly meditation in that. A simple cotton ball craft might often give me the opportunity to talk about balance or symmetry or attributes of good art just like reading good children’s literature is easier for a child learning how to analyze literature than more advanced books because it’s simpler. Form, unity, balance, can be taught and shown more effectively because of simplicity. And, ultimately recognizing the true and beautiful in art is just another way of recognizing Truth and Beauty which of course is the whole purpose of our homeschool…..to recognize, know, and love God. He is Truth, he is Beauty, he is Love. All that starts with a frequent inclusion of arts and crafts in our house when the children are young so that we can move on to appreciate and imitate the masters better as they advance.
Sarah, thank you for starting these discussions and sharing your personal insights with us. You are doing a tremendous service to all of us mothers ‘in the trenches’ when we can reach out and banter these ideas back and forth and share some successes and some failures we’ve all had. May God bless you and reward you abundantly for all your time and efforts!
Ramona, I had some questions regarding the IEW pal that you referenced. Is there a good way to talk with you?
Thank you
Ashley
Awesome! I am so glad I have had your brain to pick the past few years because Thomas’ preschool is all that much better for it — in fact it looks much like what you describe here.
Thank you for your words of wisdom. I have three ages, 5, 2.5 & 7 weeks old (with some medical needs). I found myself over the moon in frustration and doubt. I am so unsure about homeschooling this busy 5 year old Boy (did I mention boy). But I am glad I can read your hindsight and help encourage me today. I have been following you since you gave birth to your twin boys so I have appreciated every blog, every word of encouragement.
Thank-you for your wisdom and insight. I agree, reading good literature aloud is golden! You have reminded me to stop looking at the clock and really “BE” with my children, especially emotionally available to them, not just their teacher but their mommy. Not simply half-listening “uh-huh” while I’m rushing around… but kneeling down, making eye contact with them. Each homeschool day is a blessing! :)
I love everything about this post, Sarah! For a mama with littles, this post is so encouraging! Thank you!!! Any tips on how-to (may be a silly question?) do read-alouds with a 3 and under crowd? Expectations?
Not a silly question! My under-three crowd does more eating of books than anything else. :) I tend to read aloud to them and not worry if they are looking at the pictures or “paying attention” because they are getting the lyrical prose through their ear no matter what.
Also, my 2-year-old changes pages at lightning speed, so reading a book methodically from beginning to end hardly ever happens.
I’m not sure those are tips, but they might make you feel better about your own chaos? :)
It makes me feel better about mine! ;-)
What is lyrical pose that you mention on this comment?
Any beautiful language read aloud. So if they hear me reading a well-written picture book, they’re getting lyrical prose through their ear. :) Poetry especially!
Hey! I’m not a homeschooling mom (yet-my oldest is 4 so we are still trying to decide) but we do alot of reading, and my 2 year old has gotten pretty good at sitting and listening to a story, even the chapter books I am reading with my oldest. My advice would be to just. Keep. Reading. I think she mostly sits and listens because she wants to do everything her big brother is doing. I think if you read enough it becomes a nice way to power down, and sort of a time of comfort for everyone. It’s my go to thing when things are starting to get crazy around the house. Take them to the library, pick out stacks of books and for a while don’t worry whether or not they are “quality” or not. Just pick stuff up take it home and let them have books around them and they will probably want to sit down and look and listen! Just some unsolicited advice from someone who basically has nothing figured out but whose kids love stories :)
I have 2 sets of 2 at my house,, and I can really relate to where you’re coming from here. I have many of the same thoughts on all the things you touched on.
Consistent, and organized but gentle daily lessons (short) in math, reading and handwriting, and lots of reading aloud, a focus on habits with liberal amounts of reality (outside and daily life) strewn in.
I’ve also determined this year to spend focused time with my younger set first thing after our morning time while the older two do some independent things. That way waning energy on my part and too many distractions on theirs won’t keep me from getting around to said lessons. :-)
I’m using a reputable math curriculum, Math Mammoth, as my outline, not doing all the workbook pages (because there are a ton…way too many for my 6 year old), but doing games every day and a portion of a worksheet a few times a week to keep pace and give myself a general scope and sequence. I am loving the e-book, Let’s Play Math for suggestions, but the math curriculum has lots of game ideas in it too.
I’ve been bouncing around with reading curriculum, but I finally decided to stick with mainly one, and use Brandy’s binder system to keep our lessons and review organized. Organized and consistent is the name of the game for me.
All of us get together for handwriting lessons directly after lunch. After they’ve all learned their letters (manuscript for the younger and cursive for the older), we’ll switch to copywork for practice during that time slot.
And then for things I’d like them to memorize, I have a cd of songs and ditties to listen to in the car or in spare moments here and there.
I’m also seeing that obedience is huge. Yes, children have their different learning abilities that require tenderness and sensitivity, and we should make lessons as interesting and engaging as possible, but even the brightest and best will have a hard time learning if they will not obey and be willing to approach their lessons in the first place. So parenting in the early years with meekness and authority will serve the student well later one.
Sarah,
I just LOVE this! I am in a second wave of littles as well and this post is what my soul needs right now. Now, to get it from my head to my heart and then pouring into theirs. Thank you!
I always love your thoughts. Your words help me to appreciate these busy days with my four young daughters in a deeper way, while not glossing over the fact that this mama job is HARD sometimes. Thank you!
One question: We use (and love!) All About Spelling. With a 5 year old joining the schooling crew this year, I was playing with the idea of using All About Reading for her. Is AAR redundant if we plan to use AAS as well? I know AAS connects concepts with their reading books (which we use); what else does AAR offer that we wouldn’t get using AAS & the readers? I would love your thoughts on this!
Thank you so much!
Blessings,
Stephanie
Right now, I’m actually just using AAR with my son, who is a struggling reader, and (I suspect) fairly dyslexic. We put AAS on hold, because it really bugs him that he isn’t reading fluently, and so we’re putting all of our eggs in that basket.
I do think they are created to be used with one another, so I’m betting it wouldn’t be overkill- just reinforcement.
My plan right now is to get through AAR and then, once he’s reading comfortably (and he’s getting there so fast now!), we’ll start back with AAS.
Is that helpful at all?
This is just beautiful. My oldest is 3 1/2 and I’m glad I stumbled upon this when I did. I’ve never heard of My Book House books, what ages are they for?
Andrew Kern says they are especially wonderful to read aloud to kids from kindergarten through sixth grade. My middle schooler loves them, too. :)
I printed this out and included it as the first page in my planning binder.
Thank you so much for sharing these words of wisdom! I know them in my heart to be true, but I really need the reminder because so often I get distracted with “making sure that the art project we were doing lined up with that day’s picture book selection,” like you said.
Sarah,
I love what you have to say here. I am homeschooling our 3 children ages 6, 4, and 18 months. There are already so many things I have done differently from child #1 to #2. I will have to check out All About Reading. Our first child was a breeze to teach to read, I think our second will be more of a challenge. So happy I stumbled across your blog and podcast thanks to your interview on InspiredtoAction.com. I recommended Read Aloud Revival in my blog post on podcasts today :) Thanks so much for the encouragement and happy homeschooling!
Sarah, this and all of your posts are so inspiring and helpful! Further to the possibility of beginning to homeschool little ones (in a year or two when they are old enough), do you have any posts on how to handle skepticism or other possibly negative family/friend reactions to a decision to homeschool? I hope this isn’t too far afield of other questions you get; I tried searching in your archives and didn’t find anything addressing this issue. I am just anticipating lots of comments if and when we decide to homeschool (no one else in our family does it), and I’m not looking forward to the questions if we operate along the lines of what you suggested above, with less formality in some areas and a bit more structure in others (all of which sounds great and interests me as a path/direction for starting out). Thanks in advance!! :)
Thank you, Kristi.
I don’t have any posts up specifically about that- but I can understand your position because it’s often one I find myself in too. I think Ruth Beechick briefly addressed this in one of her books (I mention it briefly in this post: https://readaloudrevival.com/ruth-beechick-101).
I’ll try to work on something on this topic soon- because I think there are many of us who are dealing with this same kind of thing!
Thanks so much, Sarah! I appreciate it and will check out your suggestions. It’s good (in a way) to know I’m not alone, but too bad it has to be an issue at all. If you do decide to write more about this, I’d also mention that I’m worried less about how to handle comments when the kids aren’t around, but more concerned with how to respond (with charity!) if and when comments are made *in front* of them, if we decide to homeschool. And perhaps about such things I’ve heard on other blogs like people trying to “test” homeschooled kids on their knowledge, or making comments that they won’t be socialized or learn the proper skills. I would love to be prepared before it comes up, if it ever does! :) Thanks again.
Great Post. I just met with a mom wanting advice on starting to homeschool with three little ones. I came across this post and thought it was ideal to pass along to her.
Thanks…. I just stumbled across your blog from somewhere on pinterest…. and this post speaks to me! I am newly homeschooling my 4th, 2nd and kindergartner…. I’ve been a Kindergarten teacher for the past 12 years in public school and pulled them out of school bc its too focused on testing and academic knowledge for the tests and less about the whole child. No play, no social, nothing but academics…. I’ve seen play leave the classroom for more paper pencil, show what you know on the test even in Kindergarten and it was super frustrating but yet I find myself doing the same thing with my Kinder kid at home…. and its making me angry with myself… however he is ready and likes to do school work and is doing amazingly well with all of it…. but I do feel that he (along with all my kids) have forgotten how to play… and have lost their imagination and I’m angry with myself for ‘allowing’ this to happen…One thing you said really really hit home and that’s to parent consistently….I have finally realized that I have somewhere let the ball drop on that part and I’m not being consistent for my kids. I’m lacking routines, and my kids just are going along with life but we are struggling… I like this post a lot and I’m going to try to do more of these things with more routine….. Thanks
I recently saw you in Greenville, SC (twice!) and so enjoyed your practical applications for seeking what is true, good & beautiful with our children. I am exactly the perfect audience for this post!! This is our first year homeschooling with a 6.5, 5, 3 & 18mo. old. Thank-you , THANK-you for your insight into these years. It is such a struggle to keep this perspective, so I am truly blessed by your wisdom through experience!
Thanks for this marvellous post.
Thank you for this post! I remember reading it when you first published it, but I was browsing your site today (boys are both napping…Mommy break!) and rediscovered it. It was just what I needed right now. I was recently at the Greenville homeschool convention (awkward bathroom encounter girl with short hair :)). But I left the convention feeling fairly anxious. My oldest will be 4 before the next “school” year, and I left feeling like I should be doing more with him by that time. This post reminds me of what I know in my heart is right for him and for me — lots of time reading aloud, forming habits, focusing on the basics of reading and writing at the appropriate time (which won’t be next year!), cultivating relationships and a sense of wonder for the world around him. So, thanks :). And I love what you said about leaving the bathroom cleaner being better than a cotton ball craft. Yeah, we gotta work on that…actually, at this point I would LOVE it if he would wash his hands every time! Baby steps, right?
Whenever you say “awkward bathroom encounter girl” I remember who you are right away, lol. :) It totally helps to have the visual of your darling haircut!
Baby steps. Yes. Quite. My 9yo STILL needs to work on washing his hands every time… ahem…
Oh how these words you wrote feed my soul! Preparing to begin homeschooling my firstborn this fall, and very much needing to remember all the wonderful things you just reassured me of. God bless you, keep writing, keep doing the good you know! Thank you for blessing me with your encouraging, wise words today. They will be well thought on and striven toward.
Thank you for this post! You are very refreshing and encouraging to read. I am stepping into my first time with homeschooling- 1st grade and pre-school. I am very thankful for your perspective and concise recommendations.
I really enjoyed reading your blog! I’ve been homeschooling for 12 years and am sluggish and was just putting together a MONSTER curriculum overload because I’m due any day now with our ninth child, hating the literature choices offered by the “new” integrated history program I thought I’d like and, well, what I read here was just about the perfect message for me today. Back to basics. My FAVORITE part of homeschooling in the early years was reading out loud; now, even the books that I am choosing I am repulsed by because they are so integrated into history that it sucks the life out of what I’m SURE is a very good book! Anyway, thanks. Scratch all that planning and start over, clean slate and rethink what we get to read this year together:) God bless you and your beautiful family!
I just found your blog and am loving your homeschool planning series. I am the mom to boys ages 5, 2.5 and another due in about 7-ish weeks. This is will be our first “official” year homeschooling and I have been driving myself crazy trying to figure out a perfect rhythm and curriculum, when I know in my heart I am planning to do too much, especially with a new baby. Thank you for confirming what my heart already knows and giving me the grace to trust my instincts.
So if I enjoy those crafty matching M&M and penguin craft to penguin book stuff I shouldn’t homeschool? Am I missing the point?
Thank you for writing this. I haveca 3 yr old and also homeschool my 6 & 8 yr olds. Last year the 3 yr old wanted to “do school” and I was having him use allinonehomeschool.com but it would turn into him doing a little worksheet/activity and then he’d watch a little video or game and then in order to keep him busy he’d keep doing that for an extended amount of time. So I was basically teaching him to have a computer habit at a young age! So this summer I have been trying to put together a plan for him based on the Charlotte Mason method but I found myself trying to coordinate themes and crafts and resources. But this article was a very good reminder to just allow learning to be more organic while still utilizing structured programs.
My oldest is 4. I just have been spending the last few weeks on lesson plans for preschool next year. I REALLY needed to hear this. Thank you so much. There is so much wisdom here. I am going to look at my lesson plans again and do some reconsidering!
How would you suggest making poetry memorization appealing and fun to a 4-year-old?
Pam has some good ideas in this post!
http://edsnapshots.com/help-kids-memorize-anything/
Thank you so much for this. Truly, I feel like your words are such a breath of fresh air. I have always struggled feeling like I should do more planned crafts and have more of a scheduled preschool time. In my heart of hearts, I knew that simply doing our daily life together with plenty of books and free art time was enough. But it is so good to hear it from someone with more perspective. I’m going to pin this (and share it) and reread it often.
How do you do it? Honestly, with a 6, 4, 3, and 1 year old at home, I’m ready to quit. Kindergarten was hard enough, and it’s Kindergarten. She has such a hard time concentrating while the others are busy doing other things. We are struggling with reading and I was looking at All About Reading, so I’ll definitely be purchasing that. I just don’t know what to do. I struggle with whether God really did call me to homeschool or whether I’m doing it because it was expected of me somehow. But I also can not imagine sending my oldest away to learn things from someone else that I can teach her at home. I’m just overwhelmed. Completely. With everything. Thank you for this!
We are homeschooling a 6.5, 4 and 2.5 year old. The 6 yr old is in “first grade”. We are going through just what you described. Exactly. Although she is reading. Whenever we sit down to do school, she often has a bad attitude or can’t/won’t concentrate b/c she says that it is just hard b/c the other two are doing something that looks so fun and she has to do school. It leaves me questioning what I am doing and if I should be doing this at all. But like you, the thought of sending her to school and all that entails makes me feel ill. I want them here with me. I want to do a good job. There are good things too. They are learning Early American History through Beautiful Feet Books and other good books I have found and the 6.5 and 4 year old love it and are learning! They love science projects. And dinner is a thing of the past. Just wanted you to know that you are not the only one going through this. Sometimes just knowing that helps.
Beautiful family! Love reading your blogs! You’re an inspiration.
homeschool curriculum
I just found your blog. This is the first post I read. I loved it. We have just started homeschooling our 4 year old, in preK this year. My heart just resonated with this, and I felt the Lord say, “Yes, this is what you need to do. Relax about all those others worries and anxieties.” Thank you!
So nice to meet you, Ande!
I was just thinking about my 4-year-old and how I feel like I should do more with him. As I sat at my computer getting overwhelmed by the options I remembered this post and came straight over to read. Ahhh, much better. You’d think given my own perspective of time (my oldest is 11, then I’ve got a 4 & 1) I’d remember all this already. But sometimes it is good to be reminded.
My only plan is to be more aware of the books I pull off the shelf. So I am now armed with a couple excellent book lists, my home library, and Amazon.com to put together a stack of books to enjoy together!
Hi Sarah,
I had the pleasure of meeting you when you spoke with Andrew Kern in Aurora, CO at Our Lady of Loreto. I love this post and need to implement this state of mind. My schoolers are just-turned 4 and 3. We also have a busy 8 mo old! My 4 year old is reading cvc words and writing them. My 3 year old is not really into schoolwork yet. So trying to school them together gets me stressed due to the gap between them in desire and ability. They are a year apart in age so I had imagined them being closer together in school. I’d like to incorporate more discovery, love of reading, and creating good habits like you wrote about. We chose a gentle parenting style that focuses on affirming the children but do struggle to discipline when we are met with bad attitudes, particularly with our “three-nager” who is like a chihuahua who thinks he’s a Doberman. Do you know any resources that specifically address how to guide your kids in chores and discipline that is good for preschool age and yet effective? My husband and I weren’t raised in homes where anything like you describe really happened so it’s a learning curve for us to implement some of these ideas. I appreciate any suggestions!
I so needed this today. Thank you for the perspective.
I’m a second generation homeschooler and I know that you speak is truth. And as much as I have been there and know it to be true I still find it necessary to constantly remind my self to keep things simple and live in the moment with my three littles. Thanks for the affirmation and repeating what I need to hear daily!
Thank you for this post! I just read it and now I’m trying not to regret the “lost time” with my kids. I’m a Filipino homeschooling mom of 4 kids ages 9, 6, 2 yrs and 8 months, and one due next month and I have been too lax lately with homeschooling — at least the formal part. My eldest prefers Life of Fred for Math though we started with Singapore — I’ve always wanted to try Math U See! But it’s not that easy to get here in the Philippines I think… Though I will have to look into it more thoroughly! My 6 year old turns 7 in July and I feel the most guilt over the lack of “formal” lessons I’ve been doing with her, especially with reading, writing and math. I’m a work at home mom juggling different jobs and I’m ashamed to say that many days, work (or fatigue) becomes my reason for not doing formal lessons. This post will help me to re-assess what we’ve been doing, especially since I need to prepare for when the baby is born! Please do pray for us! God bless you and your family! :)
Great post! I absolutely agree!
Thank you for such a lovely and beautiful post. I, too, am a mama of two groups of kids (only I have 2 olders and 3 youngers ;), and the perspective made a large difference.
I really LOVE this approach. My son is 5 years old and we will be homeschooling him for K next year. However, I just read the characteristics for gifted children on the National Association for Gifted Children and my son is most (if not all) of those characteristics. I think forcing a curriculum on him would bore him to death or create busy work for him (he hates busy work). However, I’m concerned that I will forget to teach him things, like “The Pledge of Allegence, (he actually already knows it and learned it at 27 months old)….or other things I should be teaching him that he should know….Is there some sort of check sheet that I should look at so that I don’t forget to teach him certain things for K?
Good gravy navy!!!! AMEN sister friend! yes! me too!!!
Beautiful. How did you know what I was thinking?!
Yes. Thank you. Our eldest is 6, currently doing grade one at home. But he has four younger siblings (youngest one still in utero), and while we homeschool, most days look very little like formal education and a lot like learning life skills, reading out loud, building Lego, and playing outside. Thank you for the reassurance that this is okay. Phew. :)
As the mother of a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old, THANK YOU. I will take these ideas to heart. I will also go buy All About Reading as soon as possible. This feels like valuable guidance and is a blessing to me.
So good!!
Thank you from this Mama of a 2-Year Old.
Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing Sarah! My littles are 3yrs old and 10 months, this is so encouraging.
I just found you! You are so right! I have homeschooled my 6 and have the graduated the first set of three children -23, 20, 18. I am now in the midst of homeschooloing our second set – 6, 9, and 12. Such perspective looking back! Living in God’s rest for all these entrusted to me. Thank you for your inspiration today!
Gosh I love this post! It makes me feel so much more relaxed!
I enjoyed this article! Here’s a little of my own experience…
At four, my daughter wanted to learn to read and enjoyed “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons”…By age 6, she was reading fluently at a third-grade level, and from that point on her “reading age” matched her “interest age” — which is to say, she could read any book that caught her interest. This opens a huge world of learning for a child!
Of course reading aloud was BIG at our house from about age 15 months up! BTW, my girl’s 13 now and still enjoys mom reading aloud to her. I read her challenging books that build her vocabulary and comprehension and broaden her horizons, and she works on an art or sewing project while I read, and we stop often to discuss what we’re reading.
For beginning math, I recommend RightStart Math, a very very hands-on, playful program with a good balance of discovery and direct instruction.
For handwriting, I like Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting…partly because when it comes time for cursive, all the child has to learn to do is connect the letters. There are almost no letters that change shape for cursive.
I whole-heartedly agree that using a skillfully designed curriculum appropriate for a homeschooling parent is the best way to go for the “tool skills” of reading, writing, and math. These skills are BRAIN-BUILDERS when taught well, and most kids love learning with a good program. I recommend that moms look for programs that they will enjoy teaching with — it’s best if teaching materials are a good fit for mom as well as child! A relaxed pace with a really good program that both mom and child like — doesn’t get any better than that!
Aside from those tool skills, yes, art supplies and crafts but with as much “play around” time as “let’s do this project” time…science is poking around in the backyard and going on nature walks here, there, and everywhere…singing, dancing, seeing how many musical instruments you can invent with stuff around the house…and yes, yes, yes to the important daily lessons like “Let’s leave the bathroom nice and neat and clean for the next person!”
This rings so true for me. I have an 11 year old son and a one year old with no one in between….talk about having some time for perspective. We’ve homeschooled my oldest since kindergarten and I have to say this says it all beautifully.
As a side note, thanks so much to you and your team for the read aloud revival. We’ve always read a ton of books but the resources in membership just takes it to a whole new level and our family has greatly benefited from it. :)
Such good thinking!!!!!! Thank u!
I’m reading this with tears in my eyes. Thank you for reminding me what it’s really all about. The prayer of my heart in your words: “…a peaceful, smiling mother goes an awful long way to building up fortitude and happy childhood memories.”
Every post I read or video I watch or print-out I print I thank God for your work and wish I could hug you through my computer! THANK YOU!!! (((hugs)))
Hi Sarah, this was such perfect timing for me to find this post. We have four littles ages almost 6 and under. I often find myself as a newbie homeschooling mommy to compare and maybe even more often than not wonder often if I am doing enough. We read a lot during our days and do some math u see primer, handwriting and some phonics work every other day. That is it. Your post was so encouraging even to think about next year for first grade that less is best. :) I love your book lists! You did a great job encouraging us to enjoy the little years and just relax and read. Thank you!! I am wondering….do you have any good resources for learning, reading poetry? Blessings on your ministry!
Have you seen the poetryteatime.com website by Julie Bogart? That’s where I’d go for good ideas and a delightful dip into poetry. :)
This is beautiful and timely. Thank you so much for continuing to combine goodness and real life in your recommendations.
Thank you so much for all your advice and encouragement. I just bought your Busy Book for Toddlers, and my daughter is loving the activities and I feel so smart because of you! :)
I haven’t quite made a schedule yet, mainly because I never know how long certain things are going to take, (like Breakfast and clean up) but I’m starting to pay attention to times and I can tell already that my daughter will definitely thrive with a schedule instead of just “winging it.”
Your advice has been so helpful and I read as much of your posts and emails that I can get my hands on!
Wow, I am just in awe at every single thing you say here. This line grabbed me the most:
“I felt compelled to extend the stories with activities, unit studies, and crafts that were lined up with the stories’ themes.”
I have had an eBay page open for days and have been going back and forth about purchasing a book to help me do all those things! It was just something I felt like I “needed” to do with my 3 1/2-year-old! But, yes, just reading is enough.
I’ve been listening to your podcast for a few weeks now, have your book in my Amazon cart for purchase soon, and am just absorbing everything you have to say. I realize this post is somewhat old now, but know that it is still touching people. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Welcome, LeAnn! It’s wonderful to “meet” you. :)
I needed this right now! Thank you. I have been feeling just this in my heart for my youngest.
Well said! Great article!
This was completely beautiful. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me. Your children are very blessed to have such a wonderful mother!!
I have to agree. I have two teens and a 7 year old. I feel slightly sorry for the guinea pigs my older two were. I was always off chasing the next ‘best thing’! I think we tried every homeschool method there is. But my little one gets to benefit, and I feel so much more relaxed this time round.
I love this. Thank you so much!! Couldn’t have come at a more perfect time either. Starting to think through how I will do kinder for my son. Are the My book house books similar to childcraft books? Tia
Hello, new to homeschooling and was wondering why you chose to mention handwriting. Or why is it important to you?
Thanks
Hi Serenity! Clear, fast handwriting is important in those early elementary years because if they can write quickly, then the harder act of actually writing well is so much easier. It’s kind of like learning to read- if you have to decode as you go, it’s always a slow struggle. If you aren’t wrestling with the act of decoding, you can focus on the content. With handwriting, a child who forms their letters properly actually writes much more quickly than a child who does not– so it just makes the road ahead smoother. Hope that helps! :)
Thanks for the reply! What age do you prefer to start handwriting? I like the look of HWT , however it seems like a bit “too much ” as in, I’m worried it’ll be overwhelming for my son and I…..
Thanks again!
Also, why do you feel it’s best to start a math program at 6ish? And what would you do prior to 6ish (that deals with math)?
I wouldn’t do anything before 6-ish, outside of the normal kind of casual conversations that come up with kids around numbers and math (setting a table, dividing the treats evenly, etc).
I think developmentally speaking, six is a pretty good age to start doing some very short and basic math work. But I’d keep it super short and basic at that age! :)
I think I’ll wait to start Singapore Math with my son when he turns 6. He’s good with numbers but doesn’t like to “do” math.
This is exactly what I needed to read today! Thank you.
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You almost make me cry with this. Your words just verbalize my state now. I have three children in this stage 5,3 and 1 … I am so worry about the curriculum that I spend all my energy this days researching, preparing and buying stuff. I have to change that to all of you said here.
As I’ve begun my ‘research’ into homeschooling vs. sending my babes to school (we’re still in toddler years) I very much appreciate this gentle approach to homeschooling! I just became a RAR member and I’m soaking it all in! Thank you for trusting in the Lord as you teach your children and for encouraging us to do likewise.
These things would be exactly my suggestions also and what I’m doing with my little #2! …except I don’t use Hamdwriting Without Tears…but I may bc my younger hates learning handwriting. Not sweating it myself but if I don’t have a program yet bc I was thinking of just going with the flow…but maybe I should look at HWT.
A.MAY.ZIIIING POST. THANK YOU.
This brings me to tears. It is so simple and so beautiful! Thank you for putting this into perspective so easily. (sigh) Rest…
We had used all about reading and enjoyed it! I was trying learning language.arts through literature this year and wondered if you knew of it and had an opinion.
Love all of your input!!!!!
Thank you for this! It was such a lovely read and really warmed my heart. My kids right now are 8 and 5 years old, but we would really like to have more children. While we wait for that great blessing to come in the Lord’s time, I go back and forth between thinking it would be so much easier to not have to be back in the baby stage again- a 6 year gap is a long time, and feeling like I really want to start the journey over and apply what I’ve learned with the first two! Your words really hit home! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insight.
Thanks sarah for your great thoughts! Its hard to remember the big picture in the daily grind and flow of things. BUT what you have highlighted make such a bigger impact!
Thanks for the reminder. Trying to spend the fun easy time with my littles too!
This is just what I needed to read tonight!! I feel like God just sent me a great big hug!! Thank you so much for your guidance, encouragement and insight on being a real homeschooling mother. I am new to homeschooling this year (kindergarten) and I have read almost everything you have written (I think) and researched just as much. And you summed it all up in this article I stumbled across that I haven’t read yet. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!
Xoxo
Tonya
Oh I just love this! Thank you so much!! I am somewhat in your boat (with less passengers…;)). We have boys who are 9, 9 and 8 and now a 2yo girl. I have grown and changed SO much about our homeschool (I’ll give you a hint…I was trying to teach our 9yos continents when they were 3…) and absolutely love what Charlotte Mason has to say about the early years – your post was so aligned to that but also gave me some good specifics. It also helps that we use every curriculum you mentioned and love it! I had wondered about when to start Little Miss with MUS and HWT – do I forego the preK stuff? Any thoughts? Thanks for the great post!
Thanks so much for the great advice. As I begin my own homeschooling journey, I am learning how important it is to remember the “why” of homeschooling and for my taking time from my job as a middle school teacher to be home with my own kids!
Thanks for this. It’s exactly what I needed tonight.
We’re doing all about reading and Singapore math and handwriting without tears. Our day is almost exactly as you said you will do yours. I was worrying that what we are doing isn’t enough or isn’t right. I realized from this post that I don’t need more lessons or programs. I have the right ones. I need more reading and more play. This post is literally an answer to my prayers and calms my nerves. Thank you for writing it.
I love this post. I’ve read and re-read it. Thanks for sharing your heart.
Hi!
First time homeschooling mom here. At what age would you start “All About Reading”?
Thanks!
Depends on the child, but I lean toward starting late, so I would say 6ish. You could start with a 5 who was ready and showing signs of interest, though.
You nailed it!
Wow, this is such a beautiful and inspirational piece! My husband and I have a 2.5 year old boy and a 4 month old boy. We have/are considering homeschooling, but haven’t the first clue about how to do it. Thank you for sharing!
Love love love. Oh how I wish I could go back (my kids are now 17, 15, and 12) and tell my former homeschooling self to do less ‘curriculum’ and more living, learning in nature, and reading stories ALL DAY LONG.
You just described our Kindergarten! Curriculum and all. Looking into the books but we LOVE RAR!! Opened my mind to my idea of first grade though ;) Thank you!
Beautifully said! As a former early childhood teacher and now stay at home mom to two little ones, this is what I’m arriving to do. Thanks for this encouragement!
I love this! Thanks for sharing. My next question would be how to marry the two ideas when you have older kids that probably require more than your kitties? Do you find that a struggle at all?
Ha! It should say littles!
Thanks, I found this helpful!
Thank you so much! This post made me cry. I am very grateful for your wisdom. Thank you for sharing it with the world!!!!
Sarah, what she would you recommend starting to teach kids to read? My son is 3, and we read aloud a lot every day. He recently started pointing out words to me any time he sees them on walls or boxes, and telling me what they say (things like “it says on the box that I’m supposed to pour my own cereal”) so I’m wondering if that means he’s ready to start learning to read. But I also don’t want to push him too soon and lose the magic of picture books and being read to.
What age would you recommend*
Hi, I agree 100% with reading aloud and making the most of the day! But what about the older children? Should their work load be simplified, too? I have 12 and 9 year old boys and a 2 year old and a 6 month old. It’s difficult for me to find a balance. I’ve always loved to read aloud and still try as often as I can. Thanks for any suggestions.
Natalie
Balance can seem like an elusive goal sometimes, Natalie. Mystie Winckler uses the illustration of riding a bike–you’ve got to stay balanced if you’re going to ride. But there’s a lot of wobbling in that balance. It’s not a static achievement. Here are Sarah’s other homeschooling articles: https://readaloudrevival.com/homeschooling/ You might want to read How to Simplify the Curriculum and the article about loop scheduling.
I love this. I have 5 children ranging in ages from 2 to almost 8 and this is what I want i aim for. Great words of advise! Thank you.
I have 6 kids almost the same ages as yours, Sarah, and I have the same thoughts on all this. Thank you for writing it out so eloquently!
still striving for something like this 17 years into teaching k-1. The wisdom you are able distill from life is remarkable. so good.
I love everything in this post so much. Thank you especially for the specific recommendations as I have been getting overwhelmed with the options out there.
You say you would start formal math around 6ish. Do you have advice on when to start the reading and handwriting lessons? I know it wouldn’t be a specific age necessarily, but are there things to look for that your child might be ready?
Finally, do you have any resources you would recommend on habit building?
Thank you, thank you!
That (especially towards the end) was so encouraging for me. I have 3 now all 5 and under. Thank you for that awesome message.
I love your insight. I agree.
LOVE this post! Its so encouraging as I’m trying to plan our first year homeschooling my oldest and freaking out about all the different choices out there for how to do it. Your way sounds so much more fun and relaxed than what I had planned, so thank you! I really want to enjoy homeschooling and not worry about cramming too much in. :)
Thank you Sarah! This is a real encouragement to me as a mama. :) God bless!
Elizabeth
I too have sets. This is exactly what I needed to hear for my younger set. Thank you! I’d also add that making sure to take time for myself is something I plan on doing with my younger 3.
Thank you for these words of wisdom. We are just beginning the process of homeschooling our little brood (5, 3, and 9 months). I haven’t bought any real “curriculum” yet and intend to spend the year just playing and reading with my girls. Thank you for the “permission” to just relax and enjoy our time together.
So much good stuff here to mine. I’m so very glad to have been directed to your blog. What a breath of fresh air for this over-it HS-ing Aussie Mum, who’s on her second batch of children and into her 21st year of HS-ing. Thanks so much for your raw honesty and very tangible encouragement.
You have breathed some life into these tired brain cells! ;)
Sarah, thank you for taking the time to post this! I heard you speak in Wimberly, Tx and your enthusiasm is contagious! Thank you for spending time encouraging other moms – homeschooling or not. We are about to start with our first year and I took your recommendations very seriously ;) We are taking it slow, but I know that, with my personality, I am going to need some structure in math and a little in reading too. I also skipped around in the comments to get your recommendations for poetry and memory work! Thank you again for all your time pouring into others :)
Wow, thank you for this. I think I really needed to hear it.
This is just wanted I needed to hear! Thank you!!!
I’ve been reading your whole blog tonight and I am SO grateful.
Thank you Sarah for all your efforts and posts. I am so so glad that I have found your momma wisdom. <3
Thank you so much for writing this! I shared it with some of my friends. Could you tell me how All About Reading compares to Hooked on Phonics? I’m about to purchase a set for my daughter and hooked on phonics looks so fun and that’s how my husband learned how to read. Thank you.
So beautifully written, Sarah!! This is wonderful advice! My daughter is in 1st grade, but even after 2 years of preschool and Kindergarten at home, I can see the benefit of have some structure, but not being so rigid about a curriculum with a checklist.
This year I started a phonics program with my daughter in addition to the daily read alouds and I am questioning whether I chose the best curriculum for that. I guess I feel “iffy” about it because this is the first year we have tried learning to read, so I have very little experience with it. What do you love about All About Reading? Do you recommend it?
Thank you!
Tamara
Sarah does recommend All About Reading…you can hear from the creator of AAR in Episode 13: https://readaloudrevival.com/13/ Our family has had great success using Bob Books: https://afterthoughtsblog.net/product-category/printable-phonics-curriculum
This has me in tears this morning. I so needed to hear this! I “knew” most of this but haven’t really put it into practice. Thank you! I have 4 kids: 6, 4 and twin boys age 9 months! I know you know what my days are like! 😊 Thank you for writing this and for the encouragement it has brought my heart!
I’ve read and re-read this post about a dozen times. I have six kiddos, my oldest is 8, and I feel like we’re doing all we can just to do the minimum. I’m so grateful for this reminder of how valuable these basic things are.
I struggle with worrying that it I’m short-changing my oldest two who are 2nd and 3rd grade by keeping it so simple. When you find your days consumed by the little people, how do you make sure your big kids get what they need?
Thank you for being such an encouraging voice in the homeschool community!
8 is still young! What about really maximizing the time when littles are asleep–naptime or bedtime. Not typical school times, but perhaps some work could happen then?
Thank you so much for sharing the wisdom you have gained. I have two Little ones, and this is very encouraging and timely for me! Thanks for taking the time and effort to share.
I LOVE this! Thank you for sharing your veteran homeschool mom wisdom!
I have tried reading aloud, but I am later to the game. They older 3… 12,14 and 16 act like it’s torture. I am reading books on the living book lists, but I feel like it’s too late. I am trying more with my 8 and 10 year olds. I wish I found this sooner! Thank you!
I have had this post open in my browser for months and months and months. 😊 It reminds me to stop comparing our school to others and stop looking for the next best thing. 😆
I would love to know, though – WHAT NEXT? My oldest turns 7 this summer and will start 1st grade this fall. I have wholeheartedly loved using your suggestions for him this year, but would love to know what things you add in next? History, geography, science… 🤷🏻♀️ (Subjects AND suggestions for curriculum would be GREATLY appreciated!!)
Here are links to all of Sarah’s posts on homeschooling: https://readaloudrevival.com/homeschooling/
Thank you for sharing your insight … I am in the process of going more “minimalist” with our homeschool and I found this post very helpful. This may seem like a silly question, but what would you consider “early years”? (For example: would you include spelling, grammar and writing for an 8 year old?)
We have been extremely happy with Math U See and Handwriting Without Tears. After reading this post I am tempted to try AAR and/or AAS with my 6 year old – I could see it benefiting him. I am slightly confused about the program, though. Would you suggest using both AAR and AAS? Or just AAR?
Investing in the early years is one of the smartest investments a country can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality, and boost productivity later in life.
I so needed to read this… we haven’t “done school” for a few weeks and i was feeling guilty even though looking back my kids have still learned so much!! My almost 7 year old son WANTED to learn to do laundry, my daughter found a salamander while playing outside and we looked up into, weve gone to the library, visited grandparents and read books together!! I don’t feel so guilty now… 💕
This! Sarah, this is exactly what I needed to read tonight! Thank you. Trying to start our first homeschool year. 30 weeks pregnant and four boys ages 2-6, living in Africa and our lives and ministry are in a major state of change the next few months. Thank you so much for sharing and giving me permission for what my heart was longing for. I have been so blessed by both your books. I feel like I’m having hot chocolate with a friend when I read or listen. ❤️
I am a former public school teacher who is still laying down that baggage one sack at a time as I begin my homeschool journey with my boys (ages 6 1/2, 4, 2 1/2, and girl due in sept). The best thing about RAR posts are the encouragement to follow my mama gut and keep this early years Rich & Flexible. Love love love your encouraging voice! Thank you❤️
I sometimes feel reading time, a manageable pace and outdoor reflection came so much easier with my first children (when everyone was closer in “school age” and kinda consolidated). How do you handle the gap and how do you close it while still helping the older children with 7&9th grade work and attending to the youngers in 3rd or 4th? I hope I’ve paused and read and kept a sweet pace for my youngers, but I am not sure if I did as much as I could have. I have also always wondered (this may be for another post BUT) how your family handles out of the home activities- like sports, volunteer or other interests? I know these things can tip the scale and leave families out of the house and struggling to find reading time. Any insight? Thank you!
Thank you for this…..
Just reread this again today. SO good, so helpful! We have a 4 & 2 year old with another child on the way. I may just need to rereread this again in a few months. :)
Thank you for sharing this. We are sitting out on our first year of homeschooling at ages 7, 4, and 2. Your blog and books have resonated with me from the beginning and gave me the courage to embark on this new schooling Adventure. Thank you for encouraging simplicity and valuing the time we have with our children.
We’ve had all 4 of our kids in rapid fire succession (LOL – 4 in 5 years) and are just beginning to homeschool. This is super helpful. Thank you! Quick question – any tips for grammar/ spelling after they’re reading well. My oldest is an early reader and we’re easing into spelling & grammar and I would love to just pick something and move on! There are so many options.
This is really good to think through. My “2nd batch” is starting school now (ages 5 & 6), and I know there are things I want to do differently than my “1st batch” (now 11 & 13), but I hadn’t really thought through it as succinctly as this post puts it. Thanks for narrowing it down. This will help me focus on what I need to prioritize for my own 2nd batch. :)