Homeschooling & Faith: How to Make Christ the Center of Learning
Courtesy of Laura Rivera (@laurar1vera) | Unsplash Photo Community
Are you battling intrusive thoughts that whisper, “You’re failing your kids”? Discouragement often points to a missing piece in your homeschooling approach—faith. I know how that is, but let me tell you, when I began thinking of Christ as the foundation for my children’s learning, my thoughts behind their education and our approach to learning changed for the better. Here’s how.
Think About Your Model
How are you modeling your structure? Be honest with yourself. Have you given yourself too many liberties just because homeschooling in your state allows you that level of “freedom”? If something feels off, it’s okay—take action, Mama. Revisit your resources and prayerfully explore new ones. Look into your resources and tap into them. If you need help with better planning, I saw a beautiful planner that may fit your needs. Also, you might need to consider looking into faith-based curricula to help you better structure your day. One that I will try for my children is the ACE School of Tomorrow, a Christ-centered curriculum that takes the guesswork out of things.
I also want to remind you of the reason you decided to homeschool in the first place: You wanted their education to be different, possibly more pleasing, than whatever your district has to offer. If you need a more free-spirited approach, do not model the typical school day. Most importantly, talk to the Father. He knows you and your children and is wise enough to help you arrange how schooling should flow.
Christ-Centered
Courtesy of Ben White (@benwhitephotography). | Unsplash Photo Community
When we understand that the Lord loves being involved with our daily tasks, we’ll do a better job of including Him. Here are two simple ways to naturally weave faith into your homeschool routine.
The Holy Bible. God’s Word is so versatile. Of course, it’s our foundation; however, we can also use it to help teach history, ELA, science, religion, and philosophy.
Worship tunes. As we know, music helps us better learn and retain concepts. Teach worship songs for music theory class, making sure you go beyond just learning the song, but the actual meaning behind it.
By now, our children should know that the reason for our lives is to glorify God. If your children don’t quite understand this, meet them on their level with gentle, probing questions that spark their interest, like “Did you know that Jesus loves when children learn and grow?” That simple question, I’m sure, will arouse curiosity, leading you to tell them about when Jesus told the people to permit the children access to Him.
Here’s a simple, daily schedule designed to integrate faith and learning for your children.
9:30 AM devotional time—let this be scripture that includes verse memorization and reading comprehension.
11:00 AM music therapy and theory—teach a history lesson from the bible and integrate it with themes found in hymns. Then, upon completion of lessons for the day, incorporate a music therapy session to encourage relaxation and recalibration.
I hope this gives you a glimmer of hope and encouragement to make Christ-centered learning possible for your little ones.
Take a few minutes today to reflect: How have I invited Jesus into our homeschool rhythm lately? What’s one small change I can make this week to center our learning around Christ?
In Him,
Candace
Hey, girl, hey! Just so you know, some of the links on this blog are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase something I’ve lovingly shared (especially on Amazon), I may receive a small thank-you in return, at no extra cost to you!
