Homeschool Coffee Break

Your kids know there was a big feast and some Pilgrims, but do they know the true stories that show God’s faithfulness in hard times? Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be one day of thanks around the table.

This episode hands you real stories for kids, plus simple ways to share them so gratitude becomes an everyday habit in your home:

✅Why a homesick girl’s story is perfect for teaching kids what “wait” really means

✅How a boy who lost his father learned to trust God and later led a nation

✅5-word prayer men prayed in a deadly storm at sea

✅3 ways to match gratitude to how your child learns best

✅Why sharing your own testimony helps your kids stand strong when life gets hard

Click the link below to visit Pilgrim Institute and grab the Thanksgiving resources and the poem mentioned in this episode.

Resources for You

30 Days of Gratitude Challenge

Grand Prize Giveaway

Thanksgiving Resources

The Pilgrim leader’s poem

The Christian History of the Constitution (includes a selection from the Pilgrims’ own history)

Jeanette Whittaker is a homeschool mom who knows what it’s like to wonder, “Can I really do this?” She and her husband homeschooled their children from K through high school. Since 2002 she has encouraged other parents on their own homeschool journeys, teaching classes and serving in co-op leadership.

Jeanette grew up with a heart for learning. Her own mom was her teacher. She now helps students explore, think, search Scripture, write, and remember; seeing every subject as an extension of our amazing God. Students come to appreciate American character and liberty, as she helps make history come alive.

She is a contributing author to The Mighty Works of God Providential history series for children and will gladly encourage you to love His Story. Follow her on YouTube and join her Facebook Community.

Show Notes:

Gratitude From a Biblical Perspective: A Conversation With Janette Whitaker of Pilgrim Institute

Meet Janette

Kerry: Well, hello everyone. This is Kerry Beck with Homeschool Coffee Break, where we help you stop the overwhelm so you can take a coffee break. I just made myself a cup of coffee because I’m not the one doing all the talking today.

I get to interview my friend Janette Whitaker of Pilgrim Institute. Y’all are in for a treat. Welcome, Janette. Thanks so much for being here.

Janette: Thank you, Kerry. I am delighted to be here.

Kerry: We’re going to be talking about gratitude. We’re in the midst of our 30-day gratitude challenge, and Pilgrim Institute is one of our sponsors. She’s the one making this challenge free, along with some of our other sponsors. Before we dive in, Janette, can you tell people a little bit about yourself?

Janette: I’m just excited to be here. As a homeschool mom, know that I am cheering you on. My love for homeschooling got started way before I was married. As a young adult, I got to go to events where homeschool families were coming to buy curriculum. I would watch these beautiful families, and it warmed my heart.

When God gave me a husband and two beautiful children, we were excited to homeschool. Then I discovered that it’s really not as pretty all the time as it looked at those conventions, when families walked through all dressed in matching outfits.

Through Pilgrim Institute, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach homeschool students who would come on occasion to learn history and literature. Over time, God has written opportunities, and I’m just blessed to be part of your homeschool experience.

Making Gratitude an Everyday Habit

Kerry: I feel like Janette is so biblically founded, and you’ll see that when you look at her resources. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and sometimes we go around the table and say thank you. How can we help moms and dads move from a one-day celebration to an everyday biblical perspective of God’s provision?

Janette: I think you’re encouraging us beautifully, Kerry. If I want to practice gratitude with my family for a whole month, not just a day, it has to be a perspective. And it has to start in my heart first, before it ever gets to my family. So think about what encourages you.

I love words of encouragement and affirmation. Do you make playlists of music or scripture to have playing in your home, maybe while you’re washing dishes? These days you could even tell AI to find scripture passages about being thankful, put them in a spreadsheet, and read one every morning.

Then think about what encourages your children. I love listening and reading, but what about your child who loves to be engaged and active? Sing songs. Make it a competition. Hand out cards so they can draw pictures of something they’re thankful for. Maybe at lunchtime you say, “Go. One word you’re grateful for.”

Growing up, I had godly teachers who poured God’s Word into me. They poured in their love for American history, liberty, and literature. I still recall a song about the pilgrims that I learned in kindergarten. You might not realize what kind of nugget you’re planting in the heart of your child. Those nuggets stay for the rest of their lives, and that’s how God brings fruit from the work you’re investing every day.

Kerry: That is awesome. When you said to make it a competition, I immediately thought of boys. If it was a competition, my son was going to win. You can still work on their heart, though, so it’s not just surface level. I like that. Make it a game.

Trusting God When the Answer Is No

Kerry: Janette also has a blog post in our series, which I think comes out later this week. In it, you talk about King David and how he stays humble and worships even when he gets the answer no. That’s hard for our kids, and for moms too.

David wanted to build the temple, and God said, “No, your son’s going to do that. You’re a man of war.” How can we teach our kids to trust God even when the answer is no?

Janette: It’s hard sometimes. I’m watching a dear, lifelong friend walk through a really hard season, trusting God in a situation no one would love. She is grounding herself in Scripture. God will bring things to your mind and heart right when you need them.

I love stories, and they stick with me. In the full version of Heidi by Johanna Spyri, Heidi is an orphan living on the mountain with her grandfather, and she loves it. Her aunt sends her to Frankfurt, Germany, to be a companion for an invalid girl, and Heidi is dreadfully homesick the whole time.

God, in the story, sends Clara’s grandmother, who notices how sad Heidi is and asks, “Have you prayed about it?” What a good question. Heidi says, “I don’t know how to pray.” The grandmother teaches her, and Heidi is encouraged for a while.

Then the sadness comes back. The grandmother asks, “Are you still praying about it?” Heidi says, “No. I waited all this time and God didn’t answer my prayer, so I stopped.” The grandmother says, “Whenever that happens, God is saying, ‘Wait, I have something better planned.’”

That is exactly what unfolded. If Heidi had gone home when she wanted to, she would not have learned to read. She couldn’t have read her grandfather the account of the prodigal son returning home and saying, “I’ve sinned against you.”

She wouldn’t have known that her grandfather would come up the little steps that night and pray right there in the moonlight, “Father, I have sinned against you.” And he would take her to church for the very first time the following Sunday.

I know that story is fiction, but haven’t you seen God do a transformation in someone’s life? He might be taking you through a difficult season to show you, “I’m here. I’m with you. You can trust me.”

Even if it isn’t the outcome we want, His presence walking with us every minute is what we’re striving to experience ourselves and convey to our children. Thanksgiving is a wonderful way to be grateful for God working in our lives.

Kerry: So good. That story has Christian things in it, like prayer and going to church. But even in other stories you read with your kids, pay attention to what’s really going on and what character-building lessons you can offer.

You also made me think about sharing our testimony. When we share these stories, we defeat the enemy. Revelation says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. So keep sharing stories. Even if you haven’t reached the end of a hard time, you can still find little things to thank God for.

George Washington and Thanksgiving in Hard Times

Kerry: Let’s go back to the founding of our country, because I know you’re all about history. I think of George Washington and the harsh winter, with soldiers who didn’t have boots and blood on the snow. Yet he observed a national day of thanksgiving even in the midst of that. Why do you think he did that, and how can giving thanks help our kids endure hard times?

Janette: A while ago a wise friend told me that a time will come when God tests her young adult daughter, and it will be hard. So what will she cling to in that season? Think about the times George Washington had to trust God from a young age.

He lost his father before he was through his teenage years. That was a hard time, and God put an older brother and a family friend in his life. Then he discovered his father’s surveying tools on the property. If you were a boy who had lost your father, wouldn’t you be attached to those?

So he taught himself surveying. He borrowed a book from the family friend, one that is still in the library at Mount Vernon today. That experience took him into the wilderness, surveying the very area he would be called to defend in the French and Indian War.

God had led him, and he experienced God’s protection over that time. So he could say to men enduring terrible conditions, “Let’s meet for prayer, because God is our only hope.”

Kerry: So true. God prepared him for that. I didn’t know he surveyed those areas. What a better general, to know the land and where the enemy could fall or come around from behind.

You also said something about clinging, and it made me think of David. When I’ve walked through hard times, the Psalms have brought me so much peace. When I couldn’t read anything else, couldn’t pray, and could barely get out of bed, the Psalms soothed my soul. I would think Washington knew them. David wrote them while walking through difficult times and still trusting God.

God’s Hand in History and William Bradford

Kerry: I personally believe our country was founded on God’s Word, to be a light on the hill. With Pilgrim Institute, you’re working to restore the Christian version of history. How can seeing God’s hand in history lead our kids to a deeper heart of thanksgiving?

Janette: It is such a testimony. When we look back and read what leaders said in their times of crisis, turning to God and saying, “Only God can sustain us,” it changes everything. I call that a providential perspective. Ephesians 1 says He is accomplishing His purpose according to His timing. Psalm 78 says we set our hope in God by recounting His mighty works.

Our nation was founded out of hardship. Some settlers, bless their hearts, came for the adventure. I would never have crossed an ocean and lived in a wilderness for adventure, but they did. Others, like the pilgrims, William Penn, the Quakers, and the Puritans, were seeking sanctuary, a place to live according to their conscience.

Bradford gives us a firsthand account of the separatists coming to Plymouth. It is amazing that the governor of the colony, living in a wilderness, took the time to write the colony’s account by hand with a quill pen for decades. As you read it, you see they were imprisoned and persecuted for religious nonconformity.

Think about this, too. The very king who ordered the King James Bible, one of the highest standards of literary expression in our language, was persecuting these people. He said, “I will force them to conform, or I will harry them out of the land.”

In one instance, the families gathered at a secret meeting place on the shore. The men boarded the ship first, and then soldiers showed up, so the captain set sail. Just imagine being the women on shore and the men on the ship.

At sea they hit a dreadful storm, so intense the sailors thought they were going down. Bradford says the separatist men were praying aloud while water ran into their mouths: “Yet Lord, thou canst save over and over again.” God calmed that storm and eventually brought them together. Bradford wrote, “The Lord filled their afflicted minds with such comforts as everyone cannot understand.”

God will fill our minds with His Word, His faithfulness, His character, and His promises. Bradford’s account reflects their complete trust in God over and over.

At the end of his life, Bradford wrote a poem that we share on our website. It begins, “From my years young in days of youth, God did make known to me His truth.” That’s amazing, because he was an orphan and the only one in his family to convert to the separatist faith.

He goes on, “In wilderness He did me guide, and in strange lands for me provide.” Then he’s kind of saying goodbye, because he knows the end is near: “Farewell dear children whom I love, your better father is above. Fear Him in truth, walk in His ways, and He will bless you all your days.” What a rich, beautiful testimony of trusting God over a lifetime through difficult circumstances.

Kerry: I love it. Is that poem on your website?

Janette: Yes.

Kerry: We’ll put a link in the show notes. Do you have resources about Bradford, or his journal, where people can read the stories?

Janette: There’s a selection of Bradford’s history in the big, beautiful book called The Christian History of the Constitution. On pilgriminstitute.org, there’s a Resources section at the top. Under Learning Resources, we list some Thanksgiving resources and link to it.

Kerry: I’ll get the direct link, so look in the show notes or the YouTube description. The testimony of the pilgrims getting through those first terrible winters surely encouraged Washington to keep going, too.

Janette’s Closing Encouragement

Kerry: If people want to reach you, where can they go?

Janette: Pilgrim Institute is a great place, and my email is jw@pilgriminstitute.org. I would love to hear from you. Share your questions. What would encourage you? What would help you? I’d love to continue the conversation.

Kerry: History is so fascinating. I hope you’ll share some of these stories with your kids over the next few weeks. Do your kids know more than “pilgrims and Indians and a feast of peace”? Do they know William Bradford was a strong man of God? Share the stories you just heard.

Before we leave, is there anything you’d like to share to encourage our viewers?

Janette: What you do today matters. You’re running a load of laundry, getting a meal on the table, and in between teaching your child to read or teaching chemistry. You are sharing the truth and pointing your family toward God. He created these subjects, and they show His character.

Scripture is God’s gift to prepare us. It is profitable for instruction in righteousness, so that we are equipped for the good work God has called us to. Paul wrote that to Timothy, who was influenced by a mother and grandmother who poured God’s truth into his life. God will accomplish the purpose He has called you to, and He will accomplish it for your children as well.

Kerry: That’s awesome. Thank you, and He is faithful, that’s for sure. Janette, thanks so much for carving time out of your schedule to encourage our listeners.

Janette: Thank you, Kerry.

Visit Janette at https://pilgriminstitute.org/, where you’ll find the Thanksgiving resources under Resources and Learning Resources, including Bradford’s poem. You can also email her at jw@pilgriminstitute.org.

All the resources mentioned are linked in the show notes or the YouTube description. And don’t forget to join our free 30-day gratitude challenge.

You used to feel it as a kid — that breathless, magical wonder of Christmas. Now you're the one managing all the logistics, and the wonder has gone missing. These family advent ideas will help you get it back, without adding more to your plate.

In this episode, you'll get 5 simple, heart-centered family advent ideas that tie right into your homeschool — no late-night Pinterest scrolling required. It's time to trade the chaos for awe.

✅5-minute candlelight read-aloud that can transform your home atmosphere tonight

✅How to study the Star of Bethlehem and spark real curiosity in your kids

✅Christmas Around the World unit study you can do right at your kitchen table

✅How a classic Christmas book covers copywork, writing, and character — all at once

✅A surprisingly fun math activity your kids will actually ask to do again

Grab the done-for-you Christmas Celebrations Bundle — everything you need is already planned. Click the link below to get it.

Resources for You

Christmas Celebrations Bundle

Show Notes:

Bringing Back the Awe and Wonder of Christmas

I want you to think back to when you were four, five, or six years old. It’s a cold December evening. You’re sitting by the glowing light of the Christmas tree, mesmerized by all the twinkly lights and the ornaments. That deep, breathless sense of magic. Sometimes just looking at a Christmas tree with the lights off can make it so magical, and we anticipate the day of Christmas. We’re not overwhelmed, because we’re a kid.

Fast forward to today. You’re a homeschooling mom. When was the last time you had a genuine spark of childlike wonder during the Christmas season, rather than just being the manager of all the holiday logistics and craziness? What if your entire family could step off that stress treadmill and return to awe, wonder, peace, and joy? What would your family’s life be like?

Today we’re talking about bringing back the awe and the wonder to Christmas.

Why We Lose the Wonder

As adults, sometimes we’ve lost it. When you’re around a kindergartener or an elementary-age child, everything is exciting to them. My little five-year-old grandson is a perfect example. And yet we feel the pressure of life. We feel the pressure of the schedule that we made up.

The biggest way to keep Christ in Christmas is changing our focus. We need to move away from complex prep work and toward heart-centered, done-for-you family rhythms. That’s what we did with our kids growing up. We got off the treadmill.

You don’t need to spend late nights scrolling Pinterest and gathering dozens of craft supplies to build spiritual memories. One thing we did was have an Advent wreath. We would light a different candle each week and talk about what it means. Those are simple things that don’t take much time or effort. I still have the same Advent wreath I’ve had since the kids were little.

A Christmas Story From 1914

When I heard this story the first time, I was amazed. It was 1914 along the Western Front of World War I. Thousands of British and German soldiers were trapped in muddy trenches. It was terrifying, overwhelming, and dark, dark, dark.

And yet the German soldiers began placing small lit Christmas trees along the edges of their trenches and started singing Silent Night. You know how the British responded? They started singing carols back. In the no man’s land between the two trenches on that Christmas Eve, they exchanged small gifts. They shared stories with one another. They celebrated the birth of Christ together in complete peace.

I can’t even imagine that happening today. What a powerful real-life story from modern history of the truth of Jesus and how it can transform us. They were in the midst of war, but they found peace for that evening. We can go from chaos to total peace and awestruck wonder at Jesus’ birth.

A Five-Minute Candlelight Habit

Here’s a very simple thing you can do. Turn off all the overhead lights in the living room and light one candle, or just have the Christmas tree lights on. Get the kids on the floor for just five minutes and pick out a passage of the Bible to read. Maybe it’s a prophecy about Jesus. Maybe it’s the birth of Jesus in Luke 2, or the wise men in Matthew 2.

Read it out loud. Don’t add a lecture. Don’t add a complicated craft project. Just let the quiet atmosphere sink in on everyone and let there be awe about what you’re reading.

This five-minute habit can completely transform the atmosphere of your home during the Christmas season. You can go from chaotic to reverent.

Simplify by Tying Advent Into Your School Subjects

In our homeschool, we took a break from our traditional schedule from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. That simplified my life, because I could tie Advent into the school subjects we would normally do. Here are some things we did.

We looked at the astronomy of the Star of Bethlehem. We looked at the Scripture, the biblical history and context, and even did some scientific studies. What was that actual object in the sky? That can spark curiosity in your kids, and intellectual curiosity in your older kids as well.

We did a Christmas around the world study. When I was teaching fifth grade, we studied a different country every day for a week. You can do that at the kitchen table. We could learn how to say a few words in those languages, sing some of their songs, and see what their traditions were. I strongly recommend a Christian worldview, but it’s good to see other worldviews around the world too.

We anchored our daily rhythms in Advent. Copy work could be a Christmas carol. For a read aloud, you could read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, not A Tale of Two Cities. Read it over two or three weeks and you can build character: perseverance, good and bad attitudes, humility. You can use it for copy work and have them write about it. When a child is complaining about not getting a toy or a gift they want, you keep that routine standard and work on character.

Back when I taught fifth grade, before the internet, we used catalogs like the Sears catalog. The kids picked out a gift for each person in their family, kept a checkbook, and stayed within a budget. It was all math, and we worked on it for about a week. You could do the same thing today. Teach them how to use a debit card and how to balance a bank statement to make sure they haven’t overspent. You can even have them look at store apps to find just the right gift.

We also had our kids help write the Christmas letter, and they wrote thank-you notes as well. We were doing Christmas and Advent activities and still doing school, and it simplified everything.

To help you with this, I created my Christmas Celebrations bundle. It starts with the Star of Bethlehem Bible study. There are ideas for your homeschool for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, the 12 days after Christmas leading to the Feast of Epiphany on January 6. You’ll find a whole Christmas around the world unit study, family traditions, copy work, hymns, and more.

You can see what it’s all about at howtohomeschoolmychild.com/christ-main. It’s all done for you, so you can spend more time building relationships with your kids and less time stressing out and feeling overwhelmed.

You’ve told your kids to be thankful a hundred times. It doesn’t work. Lecturing never changed a heart. Building daily gratitude as a habit actually can change hearts. Plus, it doesn’t require a journal or an extra hour in your day.

This episode gives you 3 practical ways to replace complaining with a genuine spirit of thankfulness in your home, starting with something you already do every single day:

✅Why lecturing kids about gratitude never works and what to do instead

✅15-second gratitude habit to tie to something you already do every day

✅“Flip the Complaint Game” that stops negative attitudes without a single lecture

✅How 30 days of intentional gratitude literally rewires the brain toward blessing

✅Why gratitude is a spiritual muscle — not a seasonal Thanksgiving tradition

Click the link below to grab the free 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge and start building this habit today.

Resources for You

Free 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge (printouts, calendars, and daily encouragement):

30 days of November blog posts on gratitude at http://howtohomeschoolmychild.com/ - Delivered to your inbox here.

Show Notes:

What If the Default in Your Home Was Thankfulness Instead of Complaining?

It’s a rainy Thursday afternoon in November. Your eight-year-old is slumped over their writing assignment, whining about how hard life is. Your preschooler is screaming because their toast was cut into triangles instead of squares. And your knee-jerk reaction is — stop complaining, be thankful for what you have.

Let’s be honest. When was the last time telling a frustrated child to be thankful ever actually changed their heart? Because that’s what we want — not just words. We want a genuinely thankful, grateful heart within our family.

What if instead of trying to force gratitude through scolding, we could build a daily gratitude habit where the default was to be thankful instead of complaining?

Gratitude Is More Than a Holiday Tradition

Daily gratitude is not just a polite social skill or a seasonal Thanksgiving trick we pull out in November. It’s in Scripture. God tells us to give thanks over and over. It’s a spiritual muscle. It’s a foundational habit that can change the entire atmosphere of your home — your kids’ thinking and your own.

Scientific studies show that people who are purposeful and intentional about being grateful actually change the way they think and what’s going on around them. When we teach our kids to practice daily gratitude, we point them back to God’s goodness. But we can’t expect that of our kids if all they see from us is stress, hurrying, and a to-do list.

What Squanto’s Life Teaches Us About Gratitude

Let’s go back to the first Thanksgiving in the United States in the 1600s. Squanto had unimaginable hardships. He was kidnapped, enslaved in Spain, separated from his family for years. He returned to New England in 1619 and discovered that his entire native tribe had been wiped out.

Instead of letting bitterness and hatred consume his remaining years, he chose generosity. When the pilgrims landed in 1620, he taught the starving settlers how to plant corn, use fish fertilizer, tap maple trees, and navigate the wilderness. And then they had their first Thanksgiving feast — two vastly different groups coming together to thank God.

His life proves that true gratitude is never dependent on having a smooth, tragedy-free path. It’s an intentional choice. It’s intentional thoughts.

A Practical Way to Build Daily Gratitude Into Your Routine

How do you make gratitude a daily habit when by the time you crash into bed, you can’t even think straight?

Here’s what I suggest — 15 seconds, tied to something you already do. Every time you turn on the kitchen faucet, start the washer, or wash your hands, just say thank you to God for one thing. Take a breath. Thank you, Lord, for the hot coffee. Thank you, Lord, that you’re faithful.

When you tie daily gratitude to something you’re already doing every day, it stops being an extra thing and becomes part of the rhythm of your life. When I started doing this, I began noticing more and more things to be grateful for — even without writing anything down. I started looking for the positive instead of the negative.

Matthew Henry’s Four Reasons to Be Grateful After Being Robbed

Matthew Henry was a famous Bible commentator in 17th century England. He was mugged by a highwayman who took his wallet and all his money. When he got home, instead of wallowing in self-pity, he wrote four things in his journal.

First, I am profoundly grateful because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.

Even in a frustrating, negative situation, his heart was rooted in God. You can always find a creative, biblical way to praise Him. And we can help our kids learn to do the same thing.

The Flip the Complaint Game

When a child complains, instead of lecturing them, try something different. Say — we’re going to play the flip the complaint game. Acknowledge what they’re feeling, and then flip it.

Picking up toys is annoying — but I’m glad I have toys to play with. Math is frustrating right now — but I’m thankful my brain is growing stronger as I try.

Over time, this fun game stops the negative attitude in its tracks. It actually rewires the way your kids’ brains think. If you do it consistently for 30 days, you are literally retraining the brain to look for blessings from God instead of focusing on challenges. That is real transformation — and it starts at home, around your kitchen table.

If you want to replace complaining with peace and daily gratitude and build a lasting habit of thankfulness in your family, join us for our 30 Days of Thanks Gratitude Challenge. It’s free. You’ll get printouts for kids at different ages, calendars, and daily encouragements. We’ll also have 30 days of blog posts in November with ideas from moms and homeschoolers on how to celebrate and train your family in gratitude.

Visit hereor find the link in the show notes.

If this helped you or you know a friend whose home is full of complaining and frustration, would you share this with them? I’d love to meet them on the other side.

It's December 23rd. The kitchen's a mess, your feet are aching, and instead of feeling the peace the season promises, you're sitting on the floor in tears. Holiday stress has a way of hijacking the very joy you're trying to create. It doesn't have to be this way.

This episode gives you 3 practical shifts to protect your family's time this Christmas, so you actually experience the peace and joy the season is meant to hold:

✅Why a packed holiday calendar steals your ability to be present & intentional

✅The stop-doing list that creates immediate breathing room without losing any joy

✅How to identify 3 non-essential traditions that are draining you right now

✅Why simplifying Christmas creates the memories that last a lifetime

✅How to shift from holiday stress to spiritual awe & family connection this season

Click the link below to sign up for the free class on keeping Christ in Christmas before it fills up.

Resources for You

FREE class: 3 Clues to Keep Christ in Christmas

Show Up Early Bonus: Christmas Acts of Kindness

Show Notes:

How Did a Season Celebrating the Prince of Peace Become the Most Stressful Month of the Year?

Picture this. It’s 11:30 at night on December 23rd. Your kitchen counters are covered with half-baked cookies. There’s sticky flour, unwashed mixing bowls, mountains of unrolled wrapping paper. Your feet are aching and your head is pounding. And instead of feeling the peace of the Christmas season, you’re sitting on the kitchen floor in tears.

I don’t know that I was ever literally on the kitchen floor, but I have been there. Felt that. And if you’re looking at your decorated tree with dread instead of joy, thinking about tomorrow’s endless to-do list on Christmas Eve — you are not alone.

You’re probably listening to this in October. I know that feels early. But if you haven’t made some decisions now about what December is going to look like, it will come upon you suddenly and you will be on that floor.

The Trap Every Christian Mom Falls Into

Every Christian mom — every homeschool mom — falls into this trap. Trying to do all the things to make Christmas perfect. When my kids were young, I wanted them to miss nothing. I would stack the schedule with endless to-dos on top of baking and shopping and wrapping and church pageants and family gatherings. I wanted to create the perfect memory. I remember reading Southern Living about having a Christmas decorating evening where everything looks lovely. We never got there. Not once.

The sheer volume of tasks takes away your ability to be present in the moment. When your schedule is crammed full, there is literally no physical or mental room for stillness, quiet reflection, or the actual joy of Christmas.

What Ma Wilder Did in December 1888

Let me take you back to December 1888. The American prairie — blizzards, isolation, deep financial strain, an agricultural depression. You can read about this in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books. She tells the story of how her mother Caroline — Ma — handled all those hardships.

Ma did not have access to big stores, extravagant decorations, or endless activities. She focused entirely on warmth, simple presents, and deep gratitude for small things. Maybe a single orange. A tin cup. Homemade candy made out of snow. Expectations stripped away all the commercial clutter. And Laura remembered those Christmases. She said it gave her a profound awe and joy for the rest of her life.

That’s what simple and intentional did for Laura. And it’s what it can do for your kids too.

What We Changed in Our Family

I still remember crying in the car on Christmas day feeling overwhelmed. It was at that point that Steve and I decided things needed to change. We agreed we would only do two outside activities as a family during the Christmas season. The rest of the time we would be at home — building a fire, reading a book, spending time with just our family in quiet reflection and awe of Jesus’ birth.

That shift changed everything.

Make a Stop-Doing List

Here’s what I want you to do right now. Grab an index card or a sticky note — something you can put somewhere you’ll see it before you start your holiday planning. Write down three non-essential holiday events or traditions that currently drain your energy or create friction in your home.

Maybe it’s elaborate neighbor gifts. Maybe it’s the daily elf on the shelf antics. Complicated craft projects. Being in the Christmas pageant when it means 15 practices that take time away from your family.

Write them down. And then cross them off your calendar and your to-do list with zero guilt.

When you remove those three things, you create immediate breathing room in your family, in your home, and in your schedule — without sacrificing a single drop of Christmas joy or peace.

What happens when you let the calendar run your family? You’re not centering your days on Jesus. And your kids are absorbing your stress instead of your peace. I know that happened to me. Why was I crying in the car on Christmas day driving to my parents’ house? Because I had done way too much.

We don’t need more activities to make Christmas meaningful. We need purpose and intentional shifts to protect your family’s time together. We need our kids to grow up experiencing the peace and joy of Christmas.

I’m offering a free class at the end of October called Three Clues to Keep Christ in Christmas. You can sign up here. I’m going to share the exact shifts we made to go from holiday stress to seasons of deep faith and rest. If you show up five or ten minutes early, there’s a special bonus waiting for you — our Christmas bingo printout to help you stay focused on intentional things.

If this helped you, share it with a friend who is already dreading December. And a five-star review or a comment wherever you’re listening would mean the world to me.

Fall can be full of cozy traditions — and it can also be a chance to point our families toward Jesus instead of fear. In this episode we share simple, Christ-centered ideas you can use at home or in your homeschool as meaningful Christian alternatives to halloween.

You’ll hear practical activities — everything from Reformation Day celebrations to service opportunities for your kids — and one “ready-to-use” idea to try this month.

✅ Family Praise Night (dessert + songs + testimonies)

✅ Night bags or luminaries with Bible verses to line your walkways

✅ Heroes of the Faith costume idea and mini-presentations for kids

✅ Harvest (Thanks) Tree, scripture scavenger hunts, and Service Night ideas

✅ How we host a Reformation Day party and a ready-made Reformation unit study

Grab the Reformation Day Unit Study mentioned in the podcast.

Use coupon code REF26 for the limited-time discount.

Show Notes:

Christian Alternatives to Halloween: Faith-Filled Fall Traditions for Your Family

Hey everyone, Kerry Beck here with Homeschool Coffee Break, where we help you stop the overwhelm so you could take a coffee break. We need a coffee break every once in a while.

It is fall time. I got my fall background up here. I love fall. This morning, I went for a walk. I probably could have even put a jacket on, and I live in Texas, and it's still September. I am so excited. So, I don't know what your weather is like, but it has been getting cooler here as well.

Today, what I want to do is talk to you about a time in the fall season that Christians often struggle with, and that is Halloween. What are we doing? I want to talk to you about some alternatives to Halloween.

We are releasing this, and this Wednesday, we are going to have a Facebook party that will dive more into fall alternatives to Halloween. So I hope you will join me. It is in Facebook. There'll be some freebies in there, but there'll be some great resources as well.

Halloween Doesn't Have to Be About Darkness or Fear

Today, what I want to share with you are some Christ-centered and some family-friendly alternatives that you can use in your family, in your home, and in your home school as well. And let's talk about fall traditions.

If you are listening to this and there is a place to put a comment, leave a comment and let me know what's one of your fall traditions. We all have Christmas traditions, or Thanksgiving traditions. What are some traditions during the fall time?

You know, I love the cooler weather. We did decorate pumpkins, and we still decorate pumpkins. My kids carved a pumpkin when they were younger. I remember one time I bought these big jewel stickers and bought one of those small little pumpkins for my two oldest granddaughters. They were probably like 2 and 4, 3 and 5, and they could just put those stickers all over wherever they wanted, and they had their own little decorated pumpkin, their jeweled pumpkin, we could say.

What fall traditions do you want your kids to remember? When we lived in Idaho, we went apple picking, and then we would make apple cider right there. Some of y'all might go through those corn mazes. I've done that, not with my kids, but I've done it with Steve and with some adults as well. And then some of you might go to just a pumpkin patch. I know in Dallas, they have a beautiful arboretum completely decorated with all the fall stuff there is.

So, what are some family traditions you might have for fall?

Christ-Centered Alternatives to Halloween

Now let's move on to Christ-centered alternatives to Halloween. You know, the world, it seems like, has hijacked all Hallows' Eve. But we can take it back for holiness and for light.

It is a dark holiday now, let's be honest, but we stand for the light, the light of Jesus Christ. And so, let's talk about some alternative things you might do during October, during the last week of October, and how you could really focus on the light of the world.

Family Praise Night: Maybe just have some families over and have a family praise night, where everyone brings a dessert, and y'all sing some songs and share testimonies of God's work in your family.

Light Bags: Maybe you could do like the light bags, and everyone in your neighborhood just gets the little sandwich bags, and they can decorate it, maybe even cut holes if you want, and put a candle, or if you don't want to do a candle, you could put those little electric candles in there. Then line them up on your sidewalk, or line them up across the front of your house as well. You might decorate them with Bible verses if you want.

Heroes of the Faith Costume: Maybe everyone chooses a Bible character and dresses up as a Bible character, and you come ready to tell at least one little fact each child does about the person that they have dressed up. So, they're going to be learning, and they get to dress up as well.

Harvest of Blessings Night: I have done this, and I do not have a picture of it. We took a big piece of brown paper wrap paper, and I just drew a tree with branches, but no leaves. Then we cut out leaves out of orange, yellow, brown, those colors, and each leaf, you would write a blessing that you have. You could start it in October and continue it into November during Thanksgiving as well. Be our blessings tree, or our thanks tree. Add to it all season long. And then, at Thanksgiving, be able to sit down and read through some of the blessings that you've had in the past two months.

Scripture Scavenger Hunt: You could do a scripture scavenger hunt, where you hide verses around the house, or around the yard, and maybe tied to a little prize or a little treat. But each verse is connected to some themes, the theme of light, the theme of courage, or the theme of God's protection.

Service Night: I love this idea, it's called Service Night. Be a light in your community. Maybe you bake some cookies, and you are the light to maybe our first responders that are around there. You could put little verses tied onto some little Ziplocs, like you could put some cookies in there, and put some verses in there that go along with Jesus being the light. So, this teaches our kids the joy of giving instead of always getting.

Celebrating Reformation Day: Our Family Tradition

I want to share a story of something that we did personally, and that was Reformation Day. We did, I guess most of the ones we did were lunches. We did it at lunchtime, and we celebrated Reformation Day, October 31st, All Hallows' Eve. It's the eve of All Hallows Day on November 1st.

And where did this all come about? Now, let me just say, whether you are Catholic, or Protestant, I don't really care. You still need to know what history has to say. I am... we grew up... we lean... we are Protestant, and we taught our kids the Protestant faith. But they still learned the Catholic faith. They learned about it. I wanted them to be able to think through any of those situations, anything like that. So, regardless of what your perspective and your theology is, I think it's important that we share this with our kids.

The Story of Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

We begin with Martin Luther, because on October 31st in the 1500s, he was a German monk and a teacher. He loved God, and he wanted everyone to understand the Bible. But the church at that time was asking people to pay for their forgiveness, like, give money. They are called indulgences. And many people were very confused about it, and actually some were upset. The poor people felt like they got wrangled around.

And so, Martin Luther wrote these statements, 95 statements, and we call them 95 Theses. And explain what he thought the church should fix, and how it should work, and how we needed to rethink some of the things that the church was doing. I'm going to read a few of these. These are not complaints, they are just questions and ideas.

Salvation is a gift from God, not bought with money. Repentance means changing your heart, not just giving money. The Pope cannot forgive sins with money. Christ followers should focus on faith and good works, not paying for forgiveness. Preachers should teach God's Word. Money cannot cleanse the soul, only God can. The church should help the poor, not profit from their guilt. Christians should study the Bible for themselves.

That was a new concept. We have Bibles everywhere. And yet, they didn't even have it in their own language. That was William Tyndale, was one of the first people that starts translating the Latin Bible, the Vulgate, into English. Eventually, they started translating from the Greek and the Hebrew. He was on the run and ended up dying, but he was one of the first men trying to translate the actual Bible into the English language. The authority of the Bible is higher than the authority of the Pope.

On October 31st, 1517, he took this paper and he went and nailed it to the door of the Wittenberg church. The church door, in that time, acted like a bulletin board. So when there were any announcements or notices, people could just go nail them up there, and that's what Martin Luther did. And people began to read these theses, and they shared them widely. This started a movement called the Reformation.

Why Reformation Day Matters Today

Now, there's a lot more that goes over. That is just a simple view. You can teach it to your kids at different levels, but I think it's important. Why is this important? Because we need to sometimes question our church leaders, even today. You should always go back to the Bible and use the Bible. I mean, if they're doing something that goes against the Bible, then that is something you need to consider. Maybe that's not the place that you need to be attending church.

This also eventually helped people read and understand the Bible for themselves in their own language, and it changed church history forever. No matter where you are, and I sort of see the church in Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodox, and then the Protestant movement. I want to say it was protesting, and that's how we get the word Protestant, protesting Catholics and Roman Catholics, if I remember correctly.

You see, the big picture is God used this reformation to bring truth, encourage and revival to that society. It actually makes me think a little bit about today. God is using something evil to bring about truth and courage and revival here in the United States. And hopefully around the world.

I mentioned that last week, but you know, you could go and look. There are martyrs that died for their faith. You could go through and study some of them. I think I have the book here. There is Book of Martyrs, but this is a kid's version of Trial and Triumph, and this is stories from church history. This would be a great place for you to get started in sharing stories, and some of them are martyrs, and some of them are people that were just strong and courageous in their faith, and so that would be something that could tie in. That would be an alternative to Halloween, if you want to dive deep into this.

How to Host Your Own Reformation Day Party

Another thing, and this is what we did, we studied this time period, and then we had a Reformation Day party. We invited families, every family was responsible for bringing one food dish and hosting a booth. That booth could be a game, it could be a craft.

We had some stairs up at the front of my house, and so, one of them had them, like, climbing, because at that time in the cathedral, they had to crawl up these stairs when they would go to Rome. We had people making candles at that time, because you needed candles for life. There are all different things you could do. We would always sing some songs, we might even act out a play based on one of our reformers, depending on who we were choosing, whether I think we... I know we did Martin Luther, John Calvin, Martin Bucer, any of those, and then we would always fellowship over a meal.

And so that's really cool. How about you weave Reformation history into your home school, even with just one activity? You know, I think it's really important. You could host a party. It's not that hard. You don't have to do all of it. Spread the love and let other people come and bring activities for your kids. Our first one, my kids even dressed up. They made costumes, and they dressed up like a woman back in that time period, or a man.

So, enjoy your family fall traditions that creates memories, look for alternatives to Halloween that point your family to Christ, and then celebrate Reformation Day to root your kids in church history. And I would encourage you to plan right now, this week, first week of October, what is one thing that you will do in October that's an alternative to Halloween, if that's something you want to do?

Ready-to-Go Reformation Day Resources

If you'd like something that's a ready-to-go activities, I have something called a Reformation Day unit study. I pulled it together. You're going to get a book list, you're going to get stories about it, you get a slide presentation on different reformers. We have videos as well. There are recipes in there, and you know, a unit study takes the topic, and then we provide all the different subjects, history, and science, and art, and cooking, and Bible, and character, and literature. You get a little bit of all of that, and then you can pick and choose what it is you want for your family.

If you happen to be listening to this, the week that this episode is published, this unit study is on sale, and so you can use the link below to be able to save some money on that Reformation Unit Study. You can get it at any time. People have bought it at all times of the year. But, right now, if you'd like to save a little money, just use the link in the coupon code CODE REF26, and you'll be able to save a little bit money as well.

Hey, if you have a comment or question, reach out to me, you know, email me, DM me. If you have gotten just one little tip out of here, would you please share this with another Christian mom or another homeschool mom to help them, that would mean the world to me. Or, leave a 5-star review, because that means we can get this out to more and more people. Moms don't have the time to pull all this together, and they just need some creative ideas.

Hey, thanks for spending time with me. I am Kerry Beck with Homeschool Coffee Break. We'll talk to you next time.

Your 3rd grader is finally focused. Your toddler has just dumped dry beans on the floor, found a permanent marker, and is wearing a colander as a hat.

You're not failing. You're just in a specific season — and homeschool preschool activities are about to make it so much more manageable.

This episode gives you 4 practical strategies to keep your little ones engaged while you actually teach your older kids:

✅The special work box trick that creates instant focus in toddlers without buying expensive gear

✅Why Montessori-style real tasks work better than any busy work for preschoolers

✅Simple outdoor missions that burn energy and buy you 15 uninterrupted minutes

✅How to use novelty to keep little ones engaged during high-focus subjects

✅Why this season is shorter than it feels

✅How to stop letting today derail your whole day

Click the link below to grab the free resource with 25 homeschool preschool activities to use right now.

Resources for You

• Free resource: 25 Activities to Keep Your Preschooler Engaged While You Homeschool Older Siblings

Does your homeschool day feel scattered despite buying every new curriculum and printable? Adding more programs to a chaotic schedule fails when your foundation needs work. You can transform your home right now by anchoring your existing daily routines around Christ.

Discover how to stop adding extra chores while building strong character and leadership qualities in your kids. These simple shifts will turn everyday micro-moments into powerful teaching opportunities that keep everyone connected.

✅Easy 5-minute pre-meal reset that lowers stress instantly

✅1 simple word convo tweak that forces your kids to think and take ownership

✅Why adding new programs fails to fix a disjointed homeschool schedule

✅Simple ways to turn everyday micro-moments into spiritual growth opportunities

Grab the resource mentioned in the podcast by clicking the link below.

Resources for You

• Free Masterclass - 3 Tips to Lead Your Family with Peace & Confidence (From Schedule Manager to Spiritual Mentor)

Show Notes:

Your Homeschool Isn't Struggling Because You're Lacking Materials

You're lying in bed on a Sunday night, looking at your planner, and you have that familiar feeling in your stomach. You bought the new Bible curriculum. You downloaded the morning basket printables. You reorganized your school room. And your day still feels scattered and disjointed. You wonder why your kids don't even care during devotions, or why you feel like you're pulling teeth just to get through daily habits.

Here's the reality. Your homeschool isn't struggling because you're lacking materials. You have plenty of materials and plenty of resources. It feels scattered because it's missing a central anchor.

Adding New Programs to a Chaotic Day Doesn't Work

When our homeschool feels off, our immediate reaction is to add something new. A new curriculum, a new Bible study, a new chart, a new rule. But adding new programs to a chaotic day is like building a third story on a house that doesn't have a good foundation.

The goal is not to create more work for your already busy schedule. It is to tighten up the things you are already doing so that every part of your routine points back to Jesus and builds leadership qualities within your children.

Stop trying to invent or add new blocks to your schedule. Use the micro moments you already own — car rides, doing the dishes together, bath times for littles. Those are the micro moments that make a difference. They take a little time, a little purpose, and a little intention. But that is what you need.

Katharine Luther and the Power of Mealtime

Throughout history, mothers who raised strong, self-directed leaders didn't have complex schedules. They were purposeful and intentional and had a tight, unshakable anchor.

Katharine Luther was the wife of Martin Luther. She managed a bustling household with borders, refugees escaping the law, and intense pressure. She did not add elaborate academic requirements to her day. She anchored her home in one daily simple habit — mealtime dialogue.

Their mealtime discussions were such an important part of that household that Martin Luther wrote a book called Table Talk — all about the discussions they had at the table. Katharine Luther's home became the training ground for many European leaders.

Hopefully, you are already eating some meals together. You just need to tighten up your daily meal routines and make them rich biblical discussions and character building. That is family discipleship happening at the table — not in a separate program, not in an extra curriculum block, but in the time you already have.

Two Simple Things to Do Starting Today

Number one — the five-minute preset. When it's time to eat dinner, call a five-minute pause. Everyone in the family stops what they're doing five minutes before mealtime. Stop the schoolwork. Put the screens away. Help with the final prep — set the table, get the dishes out. This simple five-minute shift can mentally clear the room, lower the stress, and transition your kids from school mode into heart-connecting time.

You are not adding anything new. You are already eating a meal together. You just need to tighten it up from chaos to intention.

And modeling matters more than most of us realize. I still remember coming downstairs as a child — maybe 50 or 60 years ago — and my mom would be doing one of three things if I got up before breakfast: reading her Bible, praying, or exercising. I can still see her prayer notebook next to her chair where she would keep notes about what she was praying. That had a huge influence on me to this day. That is how I start my day. What do your kids see you doing?

Teach your children to listen to God. We do this with our grandkids — setting aside a minute of silence once or twice a week to just be still and listen. That is family discipleship in its simplest form.

Number two — turn one daily order into a question. Take one command you give repeatedly — put your shoes away, clean your plate — and turn it into a question. Instead of saying go set the table right now, say dinner is at 6:00, what needs to happen so our family is ready to eat together? They have to think, then they have to act. They have to think about people outside of themselves. About their family.

You take an existing habit, tighten it up, and teach your kids thinking skills, action skills, and leadership — without raising your voice or adding a new chore chart.

A Monthly Rhythm Is All You Need

A monthly rhythm like this anchors your home. You don't need to sift through endless online ideas or Pinterest boards to find ways to add Bible and leadership to your routine. Take one Bible-based theme and work on it for a month. Look at ways you can implement it in the things you're already doing.

That is how we move from chaos to deep roots — deep relationship roots with our children. That is what I loved most about homeschooling.

I'm hosting a free masterclass where I'll be sharing some very simple anchors you can have in your family — not just to teach the Bible, but to show your kids how to live biblical truths. I'd love for you to join me. The link is in the show notes or the description. You're going to learn how to move your kids from knowledge to action so they are actually growing in God and growing in their family relationships.

You joined the Facebook group & went to the meet-up hoping for real answers. You left with 15 curriculum recommendations, 5 co-ops to research, and more overwhelm than you started with.

A noisy homeschool support group isn't what you need. Purposeful, Bible-based community is.

This episode shows you how to filter out the noise and find the kind of support that actually builds your homeschool from the inside out — with 3 practical steps you can take starting today:

✅Why most homeschool support groups create analysis paralysis instead of peace

✅How to audit your current sources of advice and cut what's draining you

✅The power of ONE monthly Bible-based focus, instead of constantly switching direction

✅Why a simple, daily routine matters more than a packed schedule or a perfect curriculum

✅2 questions to ask any homeschool mom that instantly deepen the conversation

Click the link below to join the Insider FastPass and get the targeted, Bible-based support your homeschool actually needs.

Resources for You

• Insider FastPass (free live workshop, exclusive bonuses, dinnertime conversation starters)
• Free Masterclass - 3 Tips to Lead Your Family with Peace & Confidence (From Schedule Manager to Spiritual Mentor)

Show Notes:

Why You Leave Feeling More Overwhelmed Than When You Walked In

You join a local Facebook group or head to a park meetup hoping to find encouragement, connection, and real answers for your homeschool. But within ten minutes you're sitting in a circle listening to complaints. Or worse — you leave with a list of 15 new curricula to check out, five co-ops to consider, and 10 blogs you must read. You drive home feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and more isolated than before you even walked in.

The truth is most traditional homeschool support groups give you noisy advice — venting sessions instead of targeted, biblical direction.

A Room Full of Opinions Is Not the Same as Real Support

A room full of opinions does not equal a community of support. Support groups that focus on venting about kids or sharing endless online ideas create analysis paralysis instead of peace. And all you're really looking for is peace — peace within yourself so you'll know what direction to go, peace in your home, peace in your family.

You don't have extra hours to sift through Pinterest or wander through internet forums and Facebook groups to find simple, battle-tested ways to add the Bible to your routine and bring purpose and intention to your homeschool. If you're getting real support, you would not leave feeling guilty. You would find ways to simplify your day and focus your kids' hearts on Jesus.

What Abigail Adams Did Instead

During the Revolutionary War, Abigail Adams was homeschooling her kids on a farm in Quincy — surrounded by chaos and war. John Adams wrote to her: the education of our children is never out of my mind. He told her to train them in virtue, habituate them in industry, activity, and spirit.

She didn't look for a bunch of social groups to get to with all her kids. She didn't need to vent. Instead, she intentionally built a network of targeted correspondents — women who wrote letters to one another and focused their conversations on virtue, on biblical duty, and on practical family and home management. They sharpened each other so they could raise their kids up to be leaders.

Abigail's son, John Quincy Adams, eventually became president — just like his father. She was very purposeful in who she spent time with. And I think that's something you really need to consider. Where are you getting your support and who are you spending your time with?

Sarah Edwards and the Power of Intentional Community

Sarah Edwards was the wife of Jonathan Edwards and raised 11 kids who all became influential in the community. Visitors from around the colonies would come to her home just to watch what she was doing and learn from her methods of teaching her children.

She replaced chaotic advice with clear, peaceful routines in her house. She met regularly with other moms for direct, Bible-focused encouragement. And her intentional mentorship produced lasting results.

Someone did a study on the Jonathan Edwards family around 1900 — about 200 years after they lived. Here's what that family produced: 13 college presidents, 65 professors, 100 lawyers, a dean of a law school, 30 judges, 80 holders of public office, three US senators, mayors of three large cities, governors of three states, a vice president of the United States, and members of their family wrote 135 books, edited 18 journals and periodicals, and sent out 100 missionaries overseas.

That is what intentional, faith-focused family leadership looks like across generations.

Filter Your Input — A Quick Audit

You cannot add extra hours to your day. So you need to look honestly at where you're spending your time and getting your ideas. Take inventory. Where are you getting your homeschool community and advice right now? If those sources are making you feel like you aren't doing enough — cut them off. If they leave you feeling drained and overwhelmed — mute them. That is not where you need to get support.

Replace the endless scrolling with one Bible-based focus for the month. We're not adding anything. Most of you probably eat a meal together anyway — so just be more intentional and purposeful around that time. That's a very simple place to start.

Real growth happens when you focus on executing one thing each month. Not adding a bunch of busy work. Not adding more curriculum. One focused action with one or two people who can support you and give you ideas. That is how real growth happens.

Two Questions to Ask Instead

The next time you connect with a fellow homeschool mom or even talk to your spouse, skip the generic how is school going. Ask these two questions instead.

What is one small area of character that God is helping your family work on this week? Maybe it's work ethic. Maybe it's kindness. Maybe it's telling the truth. Just one small area.

And what is one thing you can simplify or completely take off your plate today? When you do these two things — focus on character and remove one thing — it shifts your environment from all the overwhelming noise to targeted, peaceful action.

You don't need another 50 blogs or podcasts to follow. You need someone who can walk alongside you with proven, simple steps. Someone just a little further along than you — like my friend Susan, who was one stage ahead of me with her kids. I watched what she was doing in high school, in college, as they got married, as a grandma. That's what you need.

Imagine starting each month with a clear Bible-based teaching, a simple guide to grasp onto, and monthly office hours where you can ask your exact questions face to face. That's how you stop feeling isolated and start building roots into your kids.

I'm launching something new and I'd love to invite you to our FastPass Insider Circle. Members will get a free live workshop with me where you can ask your questions about being purposeful, intentional, and character-building in your homeschool. You'll also get exclusive bonuses, including dinnertime conversation starters for your kids. I'm also hosting a free masterclassnext week where we'll talk about getting the Bible into your children — not just teaching it, but showing them how to live it. Links are in the show notes.

You're checking every box, adding every curriculum, and running every errand — but something still feels missing. Real family connection doesn't come from doing more. It comes from being more intentional with what you're already doing every single day.

This episode gives you 3 practical shifts to build deeper family connection without adding a single thing to your schedule:

✅Why your kids will remember the atmosphere of your home far more than any worksheet

✅How to turn meal prep, car rides, and bedtime into powerful discipleship opportunities

✅Why one monthly family theme simplifies your home and deepens your roots

✅The dinner question method that builds family connection in 10 to 15 minutes

✅How to shift from manager mom to environment director and STOP burning yourself out

Click the link below to grab the Insider FastPass and get the step-by-step support to make this happen in your home.

Resources for You

• Insider FastPass (opening mid-September - get exclusive bonuses)
• Gratitude Prompts for dinnertime discussion (Bonus for Insider FastPass members, so sign up for the Insider FastPass)

Show Notes:

You Don't Need to Add One More Thing to Your Schedule

It's a typical Tuesday morning. The kitchen table is buried with open math workbooks, scattered craft supplies, and half-eaten snacks. You're running on empty trying to teach fractions while mentally thinking about what to fix for dinner. And then you ask yourself the question every dedicated homeschool mom asks — am I doing enough? Do I need a new curriculum? A new Bible study? A new chore chart?

Here's the hard truth. You don't need to add a single thing to your packed schedule. You need to shift your mindset.

Moving from daily chaos to deep family connection isn't about adding more. It's about shifting your focus to one intentional rhythm at a time.

The Lie Homeschool Moms Believe

Homeschool moms are bombarded with a lie that a peaceful, purposeful home comes from doing more subjects, more co-ops, more structured programs. We constantly add tasks to our day and end up acting like managers running an event schedule rather than moms discipling hearts in their home.

The reality is your kids are not going to remember 50 worksheets that you checked off. They don't really care about them. And to be honest, I don't think worksheets really educate children that much. They remember the culture and the atmosphere of your home.

I was sitting at our kitchen table a while ago — the same table we've had since the early 90s — and my kids still remember having breakfast together and me going over a little flip chart devotional. Do they remember their spelling list? No. Do they remember their math workbook? No. But they do remember the connections we made at mealtime, after mealtime, and throughout the day.

Stop asking yourself what else do I need to do to make this homeschool successful. Start asking — how can I tighten up what I'm already doing and bring purpose to every single day?

Use What You Already Have

You already have built-in daily touch points — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Morning wakeup routines. Morning school routines. Car rides to and from activities. Bedtimes. Every single one of these is a touch point where you can build deep family connection with your kids.

Discipleship doesn't require an extra 45-minute block of time on your schedule. It happens in micro moments. My son Hunter couldn't get a word in edgewise at the dinner table because he had two older sisters. But if it was just Hunter and me in the car, he could talk a storm. Car rides are golden. I learned to close my mouth and listen to whatever he had to say — and I started to learn what was inside his heart and what was going on in his life.

Take walks with your kids. I just got back from a few weeks with one of our families and I took those kids on a walk three or four mornings a week. You learn a lot when you're walking together.

Chores Are Not Interruptions — They Are Your Homeschool

Stop viewing meal prep, cleanup, and errands as interruptions. They are not interruptions to your homeschooling. They are your homeschooling.

When you invite a child into the kitchen or hand off a complete responsibility, you are training them in leadership and ownership skills without opening a single book or adding another lesson plan. One of our moms, Tasha, shared that her eight-year-old made practically the whole spaghetti dinner on his own — he wanted to, he asked her, he cooked the meat, fixed the bread, put together the sauce. She helped with the boiling water. That's an eight-year-old.

When Gentry was seven or eight, she asked if she could make chocolate chip cookies and she did it on her own. Don't be a helicopter mom. Let your kids participate. When they do, they take ownership, they take leadership, they learn life skills — and those things can't be taught by a book or a worksheet.

Move From Manager Mom to Environment Director

A management mom is focused on checking off boxes — usually someone else's boxes. An environment director mom focuses on the spiritual and emotional climate of their home. She uses ordinary routines to cultivate character, self-direction, heart connections, leadership skills, and life skills.

Thomas Edison was basically kicked out of school because they said he was too dull to learn. His mother Nancy didn't panic. She didn't buy ten different textbooks. She shifted her home to focus on one core rhythm — relentless curiosity and practical exploration right in their basement. She didn't add overwhelming academic hours. She allowed Thomas Edison to explore and sharpen his skills. And she built a deep relationship with him that anchored him his entire life. He invented the light bulb after what he called 10,000 ways to not make a light bulb.

George Washington's mother, Mary Ball Washington, lost her husband and didn't have money for elite private tutoring. She anchored her home in daily practical life skills, strong discipline, and copying simple moral principles. She narrowed her focus to character and practical teamwork. She raised a young man capable of leading a new nation.

One Monthly Family Theme

Pick one thing to work on for 30 days. That is your family theme for the month. When the whole household focuses on one biblical concept for 30 days, you're not adding more curriculum. You're adding purpose and intention in one direction.

In our Homeschool Encouragement Circle this month, we're working on family dinners and building deep roots. Last month we worked on our family is a team. It wasn't adding more — it was being purposeful and intentional from a biblical perspective. Everyone from your preschooler to your teenager can participate.

Stop trying to overhaul every room, every schedule, every book, and every habit all at once. Pick one. Work on it for 30 days. Anchor your entire month on that one simple faith-based goal — and everyone in the house knows about it.

Turn Dinner Into a Heart-Connecting Moment

You don't need two hours to build family connection. You need 10 or 15 minutes a day, and dinner time is one of the best places.

Turn the phones off, sit around a simple meal — leftovers and sandwiches are just fine — and ask an open-ended question. Try the High-Low-Buffalo. High — what was the best part of your day? Low — what was the hardest part? Buffalo — what was something unexpected? Let everyone go around. You immediately turn a standard family dinner into a heart-connecting leadership moment without adding a single minute to your calendar.

And even outside dinner, instead of telling your kids go clean your room, ask — look around, what needs to happen before we walk out the door? I was doing this with our five and seven-year-olds last week. It turns mundane chores into thinking moments.

You don't need another massive parenting book or a new course. What changes a home is simple monthly themes, a clear guide to follow, a community walking the same path, and continuous encouragement. You're going to have highs, lows, and some buffaloes of your own too.

If you're looking for step-by-step support, month after month, we have an Insider Fast Pass opening in mid-September. Sign up at the link in the show notes. If you get on the Fast Pass, you'll get a special workshop with strategies you can implement right away, plus our gratitude prompts to encourage dinnertime discussion as a bonus.

Your kids aren't going to remember those 50 worksheets. They will remember the time you spent together.

If you’ve ever started your day trusting God — and ended it trying to control everything — this episode is for you. Negative thoughts don’t just affect your mood. They shape your homeschool, your relationships, and the way you mother. In this episode, you’ll learn 2 practical steps to take back your mind with truth.

Most life’s battles are won or lost in the mind — and homeschool moms are fighting on more fronts than most. This episode walks you through exactly how to identify the negative thought patterns that keep pulling you back, replace them with truth from God’s Word, and finally stop the spiral before it takes your whole day.

✅Why negative thoughts are actually easier to think the more you think them (and how to break the cycle)

✅The 2-step process to demolish mental strongholds — straight from Scripture

✅What to do when you compare yourself to other moms and feel like you’re not enough

✅Real examples of the lies homeschool moms believe — and the specific truths that demolish them

✅Why waiting on God renews your strength — even when waiting feels impossible

Ready to stop letting your thoughts run your day? Click the link below to join the waitlist for the Raising Leaders community and get early access.

Resources for You

Win the War in Your MInd, by Craig Groeschel

Homeschool Encouragement Circle

Show Notes:

Winning the Battle of the Mind

Most of life's battles are won or lost in the mind. And I decided to talk about this topic today partly because once I made the decision to tackle it, the enemy has been having a field day in mine.

Yesterday I came home from church and wrote in my journal — I will wait on you, God. I will trust you, God. You are my joy, my strength, my deliverer. By evening I was trying to take control of all of my life and everyone else's life, fixing everyone's problems. I was not trusting. I was not waiting. It was all going on up here. And today I had to apologize. I had to confess my sin of trying to control someone. I wrote in a text — I'm sorry for not being patient. I'm sorry for not being kind. I'm sorry for being proud. Will you forgive me?

Waiting on God is really hard. It requires patience, self-control, and trust and faith in God.

What Scripture Says About the Mind

Psalm 25:3 says no one who waits on the Lord will be put to shame. That word wait also means trust and hope. No one who trusts in the Lord, no one who hopes in the Lord, will ever be disgraced. When we take it off of us and give it to God and put our trust and faith in Him — that is when we can move forward.

Isaiah 40:31 says but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint. That word wait again — those who wait on the Lord, who hope in the Lord, who trust in the Lord.

Craig Groeschel and Winning the War of the Mind

During the Texas blizzard in February, I went online to watch church. I came across Craig Groeschel beginning a four-part series on winning the war of the mind. I want to share a few things he shared that Sunday and show how I've been applying them as a mom, a grandma, and in helping kids with their education.

He makes this statement — most of life's battles are won or lost in the mind. So are we waiting on God or are we taking things into our own hands? Taking things into our own hands means saying — I can control my life. I can do better. It's all on me. That's wrong.

Are you having a worried attitude or a peaceful attitude? If we're worried, we have fear. If we have peace, we're casting all our cares on God — casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Do we have a negative mindset or a positive mindset? A negative mindset means we're critical and complaining. A positive mindset means we have faith in Jesus, we are thankful.

And here's the key thought — what comes into your mind comes out in your life. In your words. In your actions. What are you filling your mind with? That's what's going to come out in your life.

Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. Let me repeat that. Your life is moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. What are those strong thoughts pushing you toward?

Renewing Your Mind With Truth

Romans 12:2 says do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — His good, perfect, and pleasing will.

Ephesians 4:23 says let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy. I pray this verse almost every day. I say — Holy Spirit, renew my thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. Renew our families.

And 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us how we fight these battles in our mind. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.

We don't fight with the world's weapons. We fight with God's weapons — the Holy Spirit, prayer, and truth.

Two Steps for Overcoming Negative Thoughts

Step one — identify the biggest stronghold. What is holding you down? What is churning in your head? Name it. When we think a negative thought, there is a chemical release in the brain — a dopamine release — that gives a temporary high and then pulls us back down. And every time we think that negative thought, it becomes easier to think it again. Dr. Caroline Leaf is an expert in neuroplasticity and talks about this very idea — taking our thoughts and rewiring our minds so we think positively.

So first, name the stronghold. What is it for you? Maybe you feel like a failure as a mom. Maybe you feel like your marriage isn't good enough. Maybe you compare yourself to other moms, other bloggers, other speakers.

I'll be really honest — I struggle with comparing myself to other bloggers and authors and speakers. I see bloggers get book deals and I think — I guess I'm not as important. That is a stronghold. I am comparing myself and saying I'm not enough.

I once spoke at a conference in a workshop at 5 p.m. — not a great time — and they had doubled up everything that evening. Zero people showed up to my session. I'm admitting this to you because it was humiliating. But I had to say — God, you took each person at that conference to the workshop where they needed to be, and this is just not the one they needed to hear. I had to humble myself.

Step two — name the truth to demolish that stronghold. God says He has given us weapons to demolish strongholds, and one of those weapons is truth. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

So instead of — I'm comparing myself to other bloggers and I'm not enough — speak the truth. I have been given everything I need for life and godliness. I don't need more. God gives me all I need. God is using me in a special way with moms and wives. He uses me when I trust Him. I walk by faith, not by sight.

Say that truth every morning when you get up. Speak truth to yourself. That is godly self-care.

Tim Tebow said it this way — when I wish I were like someone else, I'm really being mad at God. He didn't make me like that person. He made me. And when I compare myself and wish I were different, I'm not accepting who God made me. He has given us gifts and callings, and we need to walk in those.

The truth is Jesus Christ. Name the stronghold. Name the truth. And the truth will set you free.

I'll put a link in the comments to Craig Groeschel's book on the mind, as well as Dr. Caroline Leaf's book — both deal with retraining our minds and getting our thoughts focused in the right direction. It takes some work, but it is absolutely possible.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts, your questions, or your favorite springtime activity.

What if your homeschool needs to change because life has changed? Flexible homeschooling gives you permission to adjust your lessons, priorities, and expectations without feeling like you are failing your children.

In this episode, you’ll discover how to keep learning meaningful when life gets hard, even if your normal homeschool schedule is impossible right now. You’ll learn how everyday life, books, nature, conversations, and relationships can still provide rich educational experiences.

✅3 priorities to preserve when life feels overwhelming

✅Why a minimum viable homeschool may be exactly what you need

✅How everyday life can become meaningful education

✅Why your relationship with your children is not an interruption

✅How 2–3 minutes of quiet prayer can help you find direction

Want help simplifying your homeschool during a difficult season? Grab the resources below by clicking the links.

Resources for You

• Don’t Worry Prayers
• Homeschool Encouragement Circle
• Read Aloud Magic Pack
• Jim Hodges Audio Books

Show Notes:

What If Homeschool Doesn't Look Like Homeschool for a While?

Sometimes we sit down with our carefully planned homeschool planner and schedule — and then life happens. Someone gets sick. A parent needs care. You move. A child isn't sleeping. You have appointments every week, sometimes every single day. And you can't make homeschool look like what you're picturing in your mind.

What if the most faithful thing you can do in this season isn't to figure out how to get your old homeschool back — but to figure out what homeschool needs to look like for now?

You Are Not a Failure

When life falls apart and you're trying to homeschool, the guilt pressure is real. I'm not doing enough. I'm not doing it right. My kids are not going to be prepared for adult life. I'm a failure.

That is not true. Let me just say it again. You are not a failure. You are doing exactly what God has called you to do. You just need to press into the season of life you're actually in right now. Give yourself permission to acknowledge this — this is a hard season. You don't have to pretend everything is normal when it isn't.

Hard seasons may require fewer subjects, shorter lessons, more read-alouds, more audiobooks, more independent work, and more learning through everyday life. That is not quitting. That is adjusting.

What Are Two or Three Things You Want to Preserve?

If life is falling apart, I want to encourage you — what are two or three things you want to preserve in your homeschool right now? Not five subjects, not ten activities. Two or three things. Let those become your priorities. Everything else is secondary.

For me, personally, thinking back to when we were homeschooling, I know what I would choose. The first would be Bible. The second would be reading — reading aloud to my children, and my kids reading on their own if they knew how. Because I believe with reading you can cover almost anything. If those were the only two things I got done every day for an entire month because I was in a hard season of life, I would say — okay. It'd be hard, because I'm a Type A person. But that's where I would be.

Think minimum viable homeschool instead of perfect homeschool. Keep the basics moving without trying to maintain your ideal schedule. Reading plus one meaningful thing might be all you get done during a difficult day. And that's enough.

Maria Montessori Started Without the Perfect Anything

Maria Montessori's first children's house opened in 1907 in a very poor neighborhood in Rome. She was serving about 50 kids ages 2 through 6 who had been left without adequate care from their parents. She didn't begin with the perfect classroom or perfect curriculum. She observed the kids and created an environment around what they actually needed — real-life activities, independence, exploration, and allowing kids to work at their own pace.

Sometimes our job isn't to force our original plan to work. It's to observe our kids and our circumstances and ask — what do they need right now?

Don't Underestimate Real Life as Learning

A sick child can learn about the body by taking care of their body. Moving to a new place can involve geography, budgeting, planning, writing, and research about where you're going. Caring for grandparents teaches compassion and responsibility. Cooking gives you math, reading, science, and lots of practical skills.

A difficult season can still be an educated season. Don't write it off.

If you're in this season of life, make a life as school list. Write down three things your kids can learn from the season you're in right now. If it's moving — map the new area, calculate the distance, write about the experience, start a travel journal. Real life provides so many educational opportunities. Take advantage of it.

Charlotte Mason was educated at home as an only child, and her later educational philosophy was built on a broad education through books, nature, history, literature, and experiences — not dry facts. If you're moving, you can read books in the car. You can visit new parks. You can look at the history of the area. You can find literature set in the places you're driving through. That's natural. That's real learning.

Protect Your Relationships

It's not we have to get school done. That becomes a checklist. If everyone is exhausted, no one is going to learn anything and there is no lesson there. Use this time to read together. Eat lunch together. Go outside for a walk. Go to the backyard, eat lunch in the fort, or have an outside picnic.

Even that can be educational — you can look at the nature around you, listen to what you hear, see what's happening, and go back inside and research some of those things. But more than anything, your relationship with your children is not an interruption to your homeschool. It is the most essential part of it.

Pray — and Read the Psalms

Hard situations require prayer. Two things — pray and read the Psalms. The Psalms are soothing to the soul when things are hard. Open up and just start reading, and it will be calming.

Go to God and ask for peace and wisdom. I would encourage you to have silent prayer — put a timer on for two or three minutes, ask God what He wants you to do in your situation, and then be quiet and listen. Write down any thoughts you receive during that time. When it's over, evaluate them. If those thoughts don't contradict the Bible, I would say go for it.

That is what I do pretty much every morning right here at this table as I plan my day. When I started it with a genuine desire — God, what do you want me to know today, what do you want me to do today — it changed my prayer life. And I think it will change yours, especially in a hard season.

A hard situation does not mean you failed at homeschooling. Sometimes faithfulness looks like doing less and knowing what matters most. Your homeschool can change as seasons change in your life. That's not failure — that's wisdom.

I have a few things to help you right now. The Don't Worry Prayers are scripture-based prayers moms can use when they're in the middle of a hard situation and feeling worried. I'll put a link in the show notes. Our new Homeschool Encouragement Circle is centered around what matters most — that's the theme, and I'll leave a link to that as well. And if you'd like help with read-alouds, the Read Aloud Magic pack gives lists of books and shows you how to use read-alouds in any season of life. All links are in the show notes.

Let’s celebrate - 200 episodes!

You’re doing everything you think you’re supposed to do — finishing the curriculum, adding more activities, checking every box — but still wondering if it is enough. The homeschool help you actually need is not another thing to add. It is permission to do less and purpose to guide what stays.

After 200 episodes of conversations with homeschool moms, this episode shares 5 things that actually matter in your homeschool — and most of them will surprise you with how much they simplify instead of adding to your plate:

✅Why you do NOT have to teach every subject every day or even every year — and what to do instead

✅Why more curriculum & activities almost always lead to more burnout, not better kids

✅How to shift from teaching your kids what to know to teaching them how to think

✅Why character and leadership must be built intentionally — not left to chance

✅The simple purpose filter that helps you make every homeschool decision easier

Click the link below to join Raising Leaders Not Followers and get the framework that finally makes your homeschool feel purposeful.

Resources for You

• Raising Leaders Not Followers fall class
• Homeschool Encouragement Circle

Show Notes:

200 Episodes — 5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner

200 episodes. When I recorded my first episode back in 2022, I couldn't even imagine that. Almost four years later, here we are — years of conversations about homeschooling, thousands of moms listening, asking questions, struggling, learning, trying to figure it all out.

And meanwhile, my kids are grown adults raising their own kids, and I'm getting to do some of the homeschool activities with my grandkids now.

These are not five things to add to your schedule — that would be completely overwhelming and would never give you that coffee break. These are five things to help you take things off your plate so you can do what's most important.

#1: You Don't Have to Teach Everything, Every Day, or Every Year

Homeschool moms feel like they're constantly behind. You're looking at the curriculum thinking — we didn't finish this, we haven't covered that, we're already behind in this subject.

But when I was a public school teacher for six years, I never finished a curriculum. Not once. Does that give you some grace and permission to take a step back?

Your kids have years to learn. Not everything has to happen this week. Not every subject needs the same amount of attention every single year. Some seasons require more academics. Some seasons require more rest, relationship, and character building. Simply getting through life.

The verse of the day when I was preparing this episode was Galatians 6:9 — let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. There are seasons of dormancy, and what's happening under the earth is preparing for growth. When you slow down, your kids will be more prepared to grow into whatever God has called them to do.

Rest isn't failure. Homeschool is not a race to see how much you can get done in 180 days. Homeschool is to truly prepare our kids for life.

I took Hunter off math from 1st grade through 5th or 6th grade. In 6th grade, he caught up in a year and a half. When we sent him to a private school in 10th grade, he won the math award his first year. I took Gentry off math in 7th grade because she had a real negative attitude and struggled with her times tables. We started again in 8th grade. By Algebra 1, she knew her times tables — and in college, she helped her friends with their math homework.

You don't have to teach every subject, every day, or every year.

Look at tomorrow's homeschool plan and circle one thing that absolutely has to happen. Everything else is negotiable.

#2: More Isn't Necessarily Better

More curriculum, more activities, more field trips, more co-ops, more extracurriculars, more worksheets, more enrichment — I was tired just making that list. Sometimes more simply means more overwhelmed for you, more rushing, more frustration for you and your kids, more mom burnout, and less time actually spent with your children.

When your children are grown, what do you think they're going to remember? Will they remember that you finished every workbook page? Or will they remember reading together?

Both of my girls read to their children. My grandkids love being read to. I think that goes all the way back to the memories of reading aloud together. Or they'll remember the spontaneous trips. The family conversations. Our family loved sports, and we had big back-and-forth debates around the dinner table. Ashley brought Jesse home for the first time — now her husband — and Gentry immediately started bantering with him over the Yankees and the Red Sox because that was just normal for us. I was mortified. But those are the conversations my kids still remember.

Or maybe the crazy breakfast traditions. Every first day of school, we had ice cream sundaes for breakfast. Even Hunter's senior year. My grandkids had it for the first time last year and were thrilled because they'd heard all about it from their parents.

Your kids are going to remember more about time together than all the activities. Here's the what-can-we-remove challenge — look at your coming week, pick one activity or commitment that really isn't necessary, and cross it off your schedule. Use that time to reconnect with your children.

Each of our kids could have two outside activities. That was it. They had to choose. Because I was driving them to two activities a day sometimes, and I said — this is not happening anymore.

More is not better.

#3: Your Child Needs to Learn How to Think — Not Just What to Know

Information is everywhere. My grandkids ask Hey Google a question and get the answer instantly. The question isn't does my child know this. The questions are — can my child think about this? Can they evaluate it and come up with a wise judgment call? Can they make a wise decision? Can they look at it through a biblical worldview? Can they solve a problem without mom standing right here?

I wanted my kids to grow up and influence the people around them — influence the world for Jesus, at least their neighborhood, at least their family. I wanted them to make wise, biblical decisions. I wanted them to be prepared for adult life.

When our kids were in high school, they did a humanities class every year — watching two lectures a week, going through time periods. Steve and I listened to the same lectures so we could have discussions with them over dinner, guiding their thinking biblically. One of the first books they read in high school was More Than Dates and Dead People by Stephen Mansfield — recovering a Christian view of history.

At dinner tonight, replace what did you learn today with what made you think today? And then zip your lips. Let them think. Don't fill the silence. Silence encourages them to get their brains working.

#4: Character and Leadership Can't Be Left to Chance

Academics matter, but character is the foundation for adult life. You can have a child who knows a lot and learns a lot but still struggles with perseverance, work ethic, self-control, integrity, and responsibility. Character is something we need to intentionally develop — not just hope for.

I used the Bible and took it off my shoulders and put it on God's. His shoulders are a lot bigger.

Ashley participated in 4-H skeet shooting — she didn't always win, had to deal with defeat, but also had leadership opportunities there. Hunter didn't make a basketball team in 6th or 7th grade — he had to figure out how to handle that. But he later went to a week-long high school sports leadership program in New York City. Gentry was the only homeschooler on a public school basketball and softball team in high school. She became captain — voted by her peers — as a junior and a senior, and won the Bear Award in both basketball and softball her senior year.

I believe all of those things happened because of their character foundation.

Look for one responsibility this week that actually belongs to your child. Don't micromanage it. Don't immediately rescue them. Let them experience responsibility, work ethic, consequences, and problems. If the dog doesn't get fed, the dog's going to be hungry — and whose responsibility is it?

This is where we move past how to homeschool and start thinking about who our children are becoming.

#5: A Simple Framework Makes Homeschooling Easier and More Purposeful

About five years into homeschooling, I discovered leadership education. And all of a sudden I had purpose. I had intention. I knew why we were homeschooling because I could see the end goal.

Do you know why you're homeschooling? More than just getting away from the public school — do you know the real end goal?

Andrew Pudewa put me onto leadership education, and it changed the way we homeschooled for the rest of the journey. I figured out our vision. I figured out our mission. I set annual goals for each of the kids. And I became a lot more intentional.

When you know your purpose, you can make decisions on curriculum — does this help me accomplish what I'm trying to accomplish? On books — will this help my child think, grow, develop character, understand God's world? On activities — does this serve our purpose as a family, or are we doing it just because everyone else is? On schedule — does our schedule allow room for relationships and real life?

Suddenly you're not asking am I doing enough? You're asking what matters most to my family?

Use a purpose filter. Before you add something to your homeschool — books, activities, whatever — ask does this help me raise the child I want to raise? If the answer is no or you're not sure, don't automatically do it.

A Note for Episode 200

When I started this podcast back in 2022, I wasn't thinking about episode 200. I was thinking about one episode at a time. One conversation. One homeschool mom who needed to hear — you're not failing. You don't have to do everything. You don't have to do it alone.

Thank you to everyone who has downloaded an episode, shared one, left a review, sent a kind message, or told another mom about it. That means the world to me.

Here are the five things I'd go back and tell myself:

You don't have to teach everything every day or every year. More isn't necessarily better. Teach your kids how to think. Build character and leadership intentionally. And have a purpose for your homeschool.

Enrollment for Raising Leaders, Not Followers is open for the fall class right now. We start next week. If this is the kind of homeschool you want, I would love to help you put it all together — the things I learned the hard way, so you don't have to.

The link is in the show notes wherever you're listening. If you have questions, send me an email or leave a comment. Here's to the next episode, the next 200, and the next season of your homeschool.

Most schools reward kids who give the right answer — but real life rewards kids who know how to ask the right question. If you want your child to lead instead of simply follow, thinking differently about education is where everything starts.

This episode shows you exactly how to shift from raising compliant students to raising confident thinkers, with 3 practical changes you can make starting this week:

✅Why followers wait for answers but leaders learn to ask better questions

✅The difference between checking memory and developing real thinking skills

✅How discussion builds discernment, communication, and confidence in your kids

✅Why one better question this week can do more than an entire curriculum change

✅What two brothers with no college degrees teach us about thinking differently

✅One practical thing to do this week that builds wisdom instead of knowledge

Click the link below to join the Raising Leaders Not Followers Early Access List and get a private homeschool chat.

Resources for You

• Raising Leaders Not Followers Early Access List
• FREE Masterclass - Start School Right in 2026 STOP your overwhelm and find confidence for this school year

Show Notes:

Followers Wait for Answers. Leaders Ask Better Questions.

Imagine your child is 25 years old. The boss gives them a problem no one has seen before. How does your child react? Do they say — well, what am I supposed to do? Or do they say — let me think through this?

That's the difference between followers and leaders. Most schools reward students with the right answer. Leaders become leaders because they learn to ask the right questions.

Today I want to challenge you with one of the biggest assumptions we've inherited from the current school system.

The School System Was Built for Workers, Not Leaders

Traditional education often rewards memorization, compliance, following directions, and getting the right answers. Those skills have value. But leadership requires something different. Leaders evaluate. Leaders solve problems. Leaders make decisions where there isn't one correct answer.

The Wright Brothers Never Had Engineering Degrees

Most people think of the Wright brothers as one person. There were really two of them — and they used their individual giftedness together.

Wilbur Wright was steady and focused. His father described him as never rattled in thought or temper. He was highly intelligent, an avid reader, a talented writer, and a gifted speaker. After an accident in high school, he was uncertain of his health and future, dropped his plans to attend Yale, and spent most of his time alone — reading and thinking.

Orville Wright was curious, optimistic, energetic, and impulsive. He had a wide range of interests, a quick mind, and was always coming up with new inventions. He actually chose a series of advanced college prep courses in his junior year of high school — but that meant he couldn't graduate at the end of his senior year. So he just decided not to attend school that term.

That's right. The co-inventor of the airplane never graduated from high school.

Despite their lack of formal diplomas, both brothers committed to broad learning. All the reading they did would have been equivalent to — or bigger than — a modern four-year college degree. And they did it on their own, outside of school.

Neither one had an engineering degree. They owned a bicycle shop. They questioned accepted scientific ideas instead of assuming the experts were right. They built wind tunnels, tested hundreds of wing designs, and learned by experimenting. Their willingness to think independently led to the first successful powered flight.

They weren't simply collecting information. They were learning how to think through problems. And that's what I want for my kids — and I think that's what you want for yours too.

The Questions That Develop Thinking — Not Just Memory

Instead of asking what did you learn today, ask what surprised you today? What question do you still have?

There's a real difference. What did you learn just repeats facts. What surprised you and what questions do you still have make your kids think. One checks memory. The other develops thinking.

For older kids, ask what do you think about this topic? That forces them to have an opinion. And opinion is a higher-level thinking skill.

Followers wait for answers. Leaders ask better questions. And great education is less about you, mom, giving answers — it's about teaching children to investigate. It's about asking questions and letting them discover answers. Instead of saying here's what to believe or here's what to know, teach them to ask — is that true? How do we know? What's the evidence? Does this line up with Scripture? What are the consequences?

Charlotte Mason understood this over a hundred years ago. She believed education is the science of relations — that children connect ideas, not just memorize facts. She encouraged narration, living books, nature study, and discussion because those require children to think instead of repeat information.

Louis Braille Changed the World by Refusing to Accept the Problem

Louis Braille lost eyesight in one eye at age three, and by the time he was five, an infection took his sight in both eyes. But instead of giving up, he kept learning. Schools for the blind had almost no useful books. And so he thought — there has to be a better way.

His curiosity changed education around the world. At age 15, he invented the Braille reading system, which has impacted millions — possibly billions — of blind readers around the world.

His education wasn't just about covering subjects. It was about persistence, creativity, and solving real problems. Followers in life accept problems. Leaders solve them.

The Power of Discussion

One reason homeschooling is so powerful is that you can have real conversations with your children. Discussions develop thinking in ways that lectures, worksheets, and fill-in-the-blank assignments simply cannot.

Try asking — why do you think the character acted the way they did? What would you have done? Was it wise? Is this what God would want? Those open-ended questions build discernment, communication skills, and confidence — all part of leadership education.

Katherine Johnson was a NASA mathematician featured in the movie Hidden Figures. She was known for asking serious, careful questions and checking her calculations before accepting anything. Even after computers arrived, astronauts trusted her mathematical reasoning. John Glenn specifically requested that Katherine run the same numbers by hand — and said if she says they're good to go, I'm ready to go.

Leadership often begins by asking better questions. That's exactly what Katherine Johnson did.

What to Do This Week

When your child asks a question this week — don't answer it. Ask them instead — what do you think? How could we find out? You might be amazed at what happens when your children have permission from you to wrestle with ideas.

Replace one answer this week with a question. Just watch what happens.

The goal isn't smarter kids. It's wiser leaders. Twenty years from now, would you rather your child know every state capital — or know how to make wise decisions?

Knowledge matters. But wisdom matters more. In Proverbs it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That is the direction we need to go if we're raising godly Christian leaders — not simply educated children, but leaders who love God, think biblically, and influence the world around them.

Every discussion, every read aloud, every family conversation, every dinner table question can become leadership training.

Leadership education is at the heart of my Raising Leaders, Not Followers course. Right now there's an early access VIP list open. Join it and you'll be invited to my private VIP chat, get early access to Raising Leaders, and receive $150 in early bird bonuses.

Good grades can open a door — but wisdom determines what your child does after they walk through it.

Your child could finish every curriculum, earn good grades, and still walk into adulthood completely unprepared — and most homeschool moms never see it coming until it is too late. The trap is real, and this episode shows you exactly how to avoid it.

We are breaking down why good grades are not enough and sharing 2 practical things you can start doing this week to raise kids who are ready for real life, not just the next test:

✅Why good grades measure compliance and memory but miss what actually determines adult success

✅The difference between knowledge and wisdom — and which one the real world rewards

✅What the most influential problem-solvers in history had in common that no test could measure

✅ONE dinner table question that trains wisdom starting tonight

✅How to stop solving your child's problems & start building real independence instead

Click the link below to join the Raising Leaders Not Followers Early Access List and get up to $150 in bonuses plus a private homeschool chat.

Resources for You

• Raising Leaders Not Followers early access waitlist (FREE fireside chat, FREE Back to School Pack, & up to $150 in bonuses)

Show Notes:

What If Your Child Got Straight A's and Still Wasn't Prepared for Adulthood?

What if your child got straight A's, completed every assignment, finished every curriculum — and still wasn't prepared for adulthood? That would be really sad and scary. And yet, some of us as homeschoolers, that's exactly what we're focused on — getting good grades.

But do good grades really prepare your kids for what they need in adult life? When someone is 45 years old and looking for a job, does anyone go back and look at their high school transcript? I don't think so. Real life success and good grades are not the same thing.

The Trap Many Homeschool Moms Fall Into

A lot of homeschoolers assume that good grades mean success. Advanced academics, harder and harder curriculum — that'll be a better education. But none of that is automatically true. That's what most of us were taught because we grew up on the conveyor belt. Always checking off the boxes. If we check off all the right boxes, everything will be fine.

But many top students struggle when nobody tells them what to do. They can follow really well — but they can't necessarily think for themselves.

David Green Started Hobby Lobby in His Garage

David Green, who founded Hobby Lobby, grew up in a poor family and did not attend college. After high school, he started a business by learning through hard work and hands-on experience. In 1970, he started building frames in his garage and selling them to family and friends. Two years later, in 1972, he founded the first Hobby Lobby store.

His business became one of the top privately held retail companies in America. But he didn't build Hobby Lobby by chasing grades or accumulating knowledge. He focused on principles that mattered — honesty, serving customers, treating employees well, and honoring God through his business.

The skills that actually grew that company were not good grades. They were vision, perseverance, leadership, problem solving, and the ability to make wise decisions.

Education is not only about what someone knows. It's about who they will become and how they will use their giftedness to serve others.

What Good Grades Actually Measure

Good grades measure the ability to remember information, complete assignments, follow directions, and perform on a test. Those aren't bad skills — they're just incomplete.

Real life requires other types of skills. Making decisions without a teacher or parent nearby. Managing your time. Solving problems. Following God's direction. Leading a family. Evaluating culture through a biblical lens.

Your kids may not become CEO of Hobby Lobby or president of the United States, but they will influence the people around them. And almost all of them will grow up to be moms and dads who need to lead their families well. That is what leadership is — influence. Nothing more, nothing less.

It's not the ability to pass a test, but the ability to lead well, that will send your kids into adulthood ready for real life.

Florence Nightingale Didn't Save Lives With Good Grades

During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale arrived at a military hospital where soldiers were dying at alarming rates. Most people assumed the dying was just from wounds. But Florence looked further. She observed what many overlooked — the hospital was filthy. The sewage contaminated the water, ventilation was poor, beds were crowded.

Instead of accepting that, she asked — what is causing this problem and how can we fix it? She organized nurses to clean the wards, improve sanitation, increase ventilation, and improve patient care. The death rate plummeted.

Florence wasn't remembered for the medical information she knew. She became a leader because she observed, thought critically, and had the courage to do what needed to be done. She revolutionized nursing through observation, leadership, and courage — not through a test score.

The Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom

Knowledge is knowing facts. Wisdom is the ability to apply truth. Let me give you a few examples.

A smart person knows how compound interest works. A wise person avoids unnecessary debt. A smart person can win an argument. A wise person knows when not to argue. A smart person memorizes Bible verses. A wise person lives them out.

Louis Pasteur is another great example. In the 1850s and 60s, French winemakers kept losing their wine because it spoiled, and most people just accepted it as the way things were. But Pasteur wasn't satisfied. He started observing under a microscope. He discovered microbes were causing the wine and milk to spoil. He asked how we could stop it. He found that heating the liquid would kill harmful microbes without ruining the taste. That discovery is called pasteurization.

Pasteur didn't become influential because he memorized a science textbook. He became influential because he learned how to ask good questions, investigate carefully, and work toward a solution. That's what I want for your kids — to see problems, collect information, observe, think, persevere, and find solutions.

What to Do Tonight

At dinner this week — and I hope you're eating dinner together — ask your kids one day this week: what decision did you make today, and why did you make that decision? You're training wisdom, not just knowledge. You might be really surprised at what they say.

And when your kids are stuck and don't know how to figure something out — don't solve it for them. Ask them — what do you think? Why? Give them a chance to work through it on their own.

Good grades can open doors. But wisdom determines what happens after they open that door. The goal isn't academic kids. The goal is prepared adults.

That is something we teach in Raising Leaders, Not Followers. Right now, there's an early access opportunity — join the VIP list and you'll get an exclusive private homeschool chat with me to help you become confident this year and make wise decisions for your upcoming school year. You'll also get early access to Raising Leaders and up to $150 in bonuses.

The link is in the show notes wherever you're watching or listening.

If this meant anything to you, would you please share it with one or two other homeschoolers or in a co-op? And if you're listening on a podcast, it would mean the world to me if you'd leave a five-star review.

There’s a quiet difference between a child who checks a box and a child who actually understands — and most homeschool moms don’t realize they’ve been getting one when they thought they were getting the other. Real education looks different than what most of us grew up with, and it’s time to talk about why that matters in your homeschool.

This episode gives you 3 practical things to try this week to shift from assigning work to cultivating real education — without overhauling your whole curriculum.

✅Why a completed worksheet is not proof your child learned anything

✅Why checking boxes feels like success but often isn’t

✅ONE question to ask after every read-aloud that changes everything

✅How to remove one piece of busy work tomorrow — without replacing it

✅What Beatrix Potter’s childhood reveals about real education

✅How to shift from completion tasks to conversation that builds critical thinkers

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough, this episode will shift your focus from checking boxes to building thinkers. Click the links below to grab the Raising Leaders waitlist and lock in your VIP bonus.

Resources for You

• Raising Leaders, Not Followers — VIP Waitlist
• New Homeschool Community Support Group

Show Notes:

Checking the Box Is Not the Same as Real Education

It's 3 p.m. on a homeschool day. Your dining table is covered with textbooks, workbooks, and colored pencils. Your child proudly draws a thick black line through that last math box. And you're thinking — thank goodness, we did it, we finished the day.

But if we're completely honest — did actual life-changing education take place in your home just because your child checked the box? Or was he just trying to get you off his back so he could go play video games?

There is a massive and quiet difference between checking a box to finish a lesson and a child who deeply understands a concept.

The Problem With Falling in Love With Curriculum

A lot of homeschool moms want the best for their kids, but accidentally fall in love with curriculum. You buy whatever the thickest, current teacher manual is. You assign every problem on page 42. You treat that scope and sequence like it came down from Mount Sinai.

Today I want to talk about doing something better.

Beatrix Potter Didn't Need a Checklist

Long before Beatrix Potter was a literary icon — before Peter Rabbit and all those wonderful books — her education was completely devoid of a rigid checklist. She was left as a child to explore her family's extensive library and to wander the fields of Scotland. She spent hours meticulously observing, sketching, and dissecting flowers, trees, and nature. The bunnies.

How do you think she learned to draw and paint Peter Rabbit?

Her parents prioritized deep, independent observation over rigid schoolwork and busywork. And she developed an elite, self-taught mastery of scientific illustration. Her storytelling is beyond wonderful — and it came from real learning, not a prepackaged curriculum.

Does that sound like your homeschool? Do you want it to?

Checking a Box Feels Productive — But Is It?

Checking a box feels incredible. It's a dopamine hit. We are all busy juggling laundry, dinner, and toddlers. A completed worksheet is tangible proof that we're doing enough. And that is one of my biggest questions — am I doing enough? Am I doing the right things?

But public school systems are built like automated factories. They want you to conform and complete whatever they tell you, instead of think critically. They teach your kids what to think and how to pass a standardized exam, instead of how to navigate real life.

When we force our kids to complete every single line of a prepackaged curriculum just because it's there, we accidentally keep them on that conveyor belt. We're training them to be professional rule followers — people who wait until the boss tells them what to do because they can't really think for themselves. True leaders do not wait for a worksheet. They look at a problem, analyze it using the tools of learning, and formulate an original solution.

One Baby Step Off the Conveyor Belt

Go find your student's daily planner, spreadsheet, or schedule book right now. Look for one recurring assignment block — maybe an automated daily vocabulary worksheet or a repetitive review page. Find one. And draw a single line through what it will be tomorrow.

If you're listening in the summer, think of one thing you usually do during the school year that you could cross off. Don't replace it. Remove it.

When you intentionally skip one piece of textbook filler, you're making a conscious choice to quit the checklist, quit the conveyor belt, and let your kids find real meaning in learning. Sometimes that's exactly why they're not excited about school — it's boring. It's just boxes to check.

The Difference Between Assigning Work and Cultivating Real Education

There's a myth that if you sit and teach your kids everything, or get videos to teach them everything, that's successful educating. It isn't.

If your child can instantly recite a definition word for word but can't explain what it means — they're not really being educated. All they've done is memorize it to survive the afternoon.

The next time you finish a read aloud, ask your kids — can you explain to me what we just read in your own words? What do you think? Why do you think this matters?

I remember when Hunter was in sixth grade, we were reading a church history book — just one page, a story, not facts and figures. I said, Hunter, what was that about? I don't know. We really had to work on that. Your kids may look like a deer in headlights and say, I don't know. I just read it. If that's the case, you've been assigning work — but not cultivating education.

Maria Montessori saw this problem, just like Charlotte Mason did, at the turn of the 20th century. They both realized that children excelled when educators stepped back and let kids follow their natural instincts and interests — and then learn how to solve problems within those interests. That produces highly confident, self-directed thinkers who have the actual tools of learning.

Turn Completion Into Conversation

Stop asking your kids — did you finish your schoolwork today? Instead, pick one topic they read about and ask — what was most surprising about that science lesson? What was the weirdest thing about that history book we read?

Turn it from a completion task to a conversation. Not only will you develop critical thinking — you'll build relationships with your kids as well.

If you've listened to this and realized — I think I've just been assigning work — don't feel guilty. You are not alone. Plenty of people are there. I've been there too.

But you now have the total freedom in your homeschool to change that mindset. Jump off the conveyor belt, quit checking the boxes, and start creating an environment where kids learn to think critically, communicate persuasively, and love learning for a lifetime.

If you're still not sure where to start, Raising Leaders, Not Followers is a six-week biblical model framework that gives you a completely different game plan. We're opening doors for the fall class soon and the waitlist is open now. VIPers get $150 in bonus items just for being on the VIP list, plus a special VIP session before the class opens.

Get on the VIP waitlist here.

If you also just want to dip your toe in, I'm working on a brand new homeschool support community — early access means a discount. That link is in the show notes as well.

Please share this with a friend who feels like they're not doing enough, or a co-op that's trying to get away from the conveyor belt. That would mean so much to me.

Your kids are glued to screens all summer and you are running out of ideas to pull them away. But what if 3 items from your kitchen pantry could spark more curiosity than any tablet ever could? Shark Week is the perfect excuse to make it happen.

This episode walks you through 3 hands-on shark week activities that bust common shark myths, teach real marine biology, and get your kids off screens without a single worksheet or complicated plan:

✅Why hands-on observation builds deeper thinking skills than any screen or textbook

✅Discover how Shark Week can spark curiosity beyond marine biology, inspiring kids to ask better questions and pursue learning on their own.

✅How following your child's natural interests develops confidence, critical thinking, and the drive to keep learning long after the lesson ends.

✅Practical ways to replace passive learning with hands-on exploration that encourages curiosity, resilience, and independent learners.

Resources for You:

Shark Unit Study Flash Sale — save $10 with code SHARKWEEK (you pay only $5)

Show Notes:

Your Secret Weapon for Getting Kids Off Screens This Summer

It's a hot summer morning in July. You planned for a peaceful, screen-free summer. Instead, you're exhausted, and that phrase — Mom, I'm bored — is just echoing through your house. There's a magnetic pull between your kids and their tablets, the TV, the video games. And somehow that is winning the battle, especially with high-energy boys. They're zoning out in front of those screens and you feel guilty because you want them to love learning, not consume a bunch of pixels.

I've got a secret weapon for you today. You don't need a complicated curriculum or a lecture to fix this. You need a topic that instantly captures their imagination. And with Shark Week coming up next week, we're going to use sharks to get your kids off those tablets and into real learning — right at the kitchen table.

Mary Anning and the Power of Curiosity

Before we dive in, I want to give you a little historical background. There was a woman named Mary Anning in the 19th century. She was completely self-taught. She lived in England, gathered fossils, and had no formal science background. Out of 9 kids, only Mary and her older brother Joseph survived to adulthood. Life was hard.

But she had a dad with great influence. Her father Richard was a cabinet maker and an avid fossil collector. His five-year-old sidekick Mary would come along and he would show her how to collect fossils at the beaches where they worked. He meticulously taught her how to locate specimens, get them out safely, and clean the delicate finds. Then he would put what they found in the storefront of his cabinet shop.

Dads, you have a great impact on your kids.

Mary was denied formal education — like most women and girls of her time — but she taught herself to read. And she used curiosity, drive, and perseverance to make contributions to science that are still recognized today. That is what I want for your kids in this episode.

Before You Start — Grab Three Things

Go to your kitchen cabinet right now and get these three things. A bottle of cooking oil. A small empty plastic bottle. And a handful of pennies. Just put them on the counter. Physically setting them out says — today is a hands-on learning day.

Myth Buster #1: Sharks Sink Like Stones If They Stop Swimming

The myth is that sharks sink like stones if they stop swimming. Here's the truth — bony fish have swim bladders filled with gas to float. Sharks don't have swim bladders. Instead, they have a massive, oily liver that acts like a natural flotation device. Oil is lighter than water, so that giant oily liver keeps them buoyant.

Here's the activity. Fill your sink with water. Drop in your empty bottle and let your kids watch. It sinks. Now ask them — what do you think happens if I fill the bottle with oil? Don't tell them. Let them observe and be curious. Fill the bottle with cooking oil, close it tightly, and drop it in. It floats. The oil is lighter than the water and rises to the top. Super easy, but so powerful.

Myth Buster #2: Sharks Can Smell Blood From Miles Away Through Magic

It's not magic — it's a highly acute olfactory navigation system. Sharks track scent gradients through water currents. God gave them the ability to smell, and that is essentially their steering wheel. Like we drive a car with our eyes, sharks navigate with their smell.

Here's the activity. Get a bowl of warm water. Have your kids sit perfectly still. Drop red food coloring on one side and watch what happens. The current in that warm water carries the food coloring across the bowl — just like the way a scent pathway travels to a shark through the ocean. Let them observe, ask questions, and come up with conclusions.

This is exactly what Charlotte Mason was talking about when she said kids learn best when they're allowed to interact with the real world — not reading dry textbook summaries. When kids use their own senses to observe nature, they develop deep analytical skills. No prepackaged textbook or screen can duplicate this.

Myth Buster #3: Losing a Tooth Is an Emergency for a Shark

For us humans, we get two sets of teeth. Lose one from the second set and it's gone for good. Sharks are completely different. They have a conveyor belt system of teeth and can grow up to 35,000 teeth in a lifetime. Their teeth don't have deep roots, so they fall out easily while hunting — and new ones just move right into place.

Here's the activity. You'll need Play-Doh or modeling clay and your pennies — or small pebbles. Roll the clay into a thick strip representing a shark's jaw. Push the pennies in one by one, layered behind each other like shingles on a roof. Have one of your kids pull out the front tooth and watch how the others shift right into place. Simple visual, powerful concept.

What to Do From Here

Those are your three myth busters — the oily liver, the olfactory steering system, and the conveyor belt tooth system. From here, get your library card and spend no more than five minutes searching sharks online. Pick up two or three books, or a documentary if you have DVDs. Give your kids immediate, high-quality material to dig into right after they make a mess at the kitchen table.

Hands-on learning gets kids off the screens. I know for a fact — when I go visit my grandkids, they are not on their screens. They're not even watching TV. But it does take energy to plan, to find the books, to build activities, and to organize a week from scratch.

If you want to skip the planning completely and be ready for Shark Week with everything done for you, grab our Shark Unit Study. Today is day one of our flash sale — use the code SHARKWEEK by Friday and save $10, which means you pay only $5. You get shark life cycle activities, a curated list of books and videos with activities to go with each one, these three myth busters, shark-themed snacks, crafts, shark binoculars, and an ocean unit tie-in as well. It's plug-and-play for your summer.

If this sparked one little idea, would you share it with one homeschool mom or your co-op? That would mean the world to me.

Some homeschool graduates launch into adulthood with confidence, while others finish all the curriculum and still feel stuck. The difference is rarely grades — and this episode is going to show you exactly what it is.

We are breaking down the shift from raising students to raising homeschool graduates who are truly prepared for real life, with 3 practical things you can start doing this week:

✅Why completed curriculum and good grades do not equal real-life readiness

✅1 question every homeschool mom needs to ask about building life skills in your kids

✅What truly successful adults have in common — and how to build it before they leave home

✅Why character, initiative, and problem solving matter more than any test score

✅How to let your child solve one problem this week without stepping in — starting today

Grab the Free Character Building Mini Chart mentioned in this episode and start building what really matters in your homeschool today.

Resources for You

• Free Character Building Mini Chart
• New homeschool support community early access

Show Notes:

Why Some Homeschool Graduates Launch Into Adulthood With Confidence — And Others Don't

Have you ever wondered why some homeschool graduates launch into adulthood with confidence while others seem stuck — even though both finished their curriculum and both made good grades? What if you are checking off all the boxes but missing the thing that actually prepares your child for adult life?

Today we're talking about the difference between information and preparation for real life.

What Traditional Education Rewards vs. What Real Life Rewards

Many graduates know facts, but they struggle with decision-making, responsibility, work ethic, communication, and initiative. Traditional education — at least for the past 200 years — rewards compliance and completion. Real life rewards wisdom, perseverance, and leadership.

We tend to measure success by completed curriculum, grades, transcripts, and test scores. Those things are easy to measure, so we feel secure in them. And yet that isn't always what is best for our kids. The things that are easy to measure aren't always what will prepare them for real life. Character, wisdom, initiative, responsibility, leadership — those are harder to measure. And yet those are the qualities that determine success as an adult.

So I want you to ask yourself this question today. What adult skill are you intentionally building in your children right now? Time management? Communication? Problem solving? Responsibility? Grab a piece of paper and write down three things you want your kids to be able to do or be known for at the age of 25. Then see if those are things you're actually working on with them right now.

You might notice that most of what you write down are character qualities — not academic achievements.

Clara Barton Didn't Change the World With a Transcript

Clara Barton started the American Red Cross. She was educated largely at home because she was very shy and struggled in traditional settings. She had very little formal schooling compared to what standards are today. Why? Because her family focused on character, service, and practical responsibility.

She later founded the American Red Cross and became one of the most influential humanitarians in our history. Her impact didn't come from a high school transcript. It came from compassion, leadership, courage, and a willingness to take responsibility when others wouldn't. Does anyone remember Clara Barton because she completed a curriculum? No. They remember her because she had an impact on others. She served others well.

The Real Question Is Not Can They Find Information

Information has never been more readily available. Kids can find any fact they want instantly on their phones. The question is not can they find information. The question is can they use that information wisely? Can they solve problems? Can they make wise decisions? Can they think critically? Can they follow God when life gets hard?

Those are the things I wanted for my own children. Now that I watch them going through some trials — they're all in their 30s — I am thankful that God is still working in them and they are making wise decisions.

What qualities consistently show up in successful adults? The ability to think critically and biblically. To communicate. To solve problems. To keep learning. To have a strong character and a strong work ethic. To persevere. To have integrity and dignity. These are not measured by a worksheet or a test score.

Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee Model

Booker T. Washington is one of my favorite historical characters. He was born into slavery. He had very little formal education. He pursued learning relentlessly and went to Hampton Institute, where he was trained not only academically but in discipline, responsibility, and leadership.

He later founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. When you went to Tuskegee, yes, you chose an academic major — but you also had to choose a practical activity you would use to help build the university. Some students were construction workers who built the new buildings. Some were cooks who cooked the food all the students ate. Some were gardeners who grew the food. It was a dual pathway to graduation — academics and real-world responsibility together.

Booker T. Washington's success came from perseverance, leadership, and responsibility. And in one particular year, there were more millionaires from Tuskegee than from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton combined — because his system worked. He didn't just teach academics. He taught life skills that students could use for the rest of their lives.

The education that changes life isn't just information. It includes character formation and practical wisdom.

Who Is Your Child Becoming?

Many moms can plan subjects, lessons, and activities. But few intentionally plan character building, leadership opportunities, decision-making practice, independent thinking, real-world responsibility, work ethic, self-discipline, communication, and biblical wisdom. Those are all things your children need to be successful as adults.

Most homeschool moms ask — what should my child learn? But the real question is — who is my child becoming?

Make a list of who you want your child to be when they leave your home. If they're five, you have lots of time. If they're 15, that's okay too. There is still time. God is gracious and He has the Holy Spirit — and that is what can take you through and get your kids prepared.

Most adults don't struggle because they forgot algebra. They struggle because they can't manage money, relationships, priorities, or decisions.

If your child graduated tomorrow, what would you want people to say about them? I know what I wanted. I wanted someone to say they're following Jesus. They honor Jesus. They live a life of godly character. They have perseverance, work ethic, and integrity. It's not what your kids are memorizing — it's who they become.

What to Do This Week

Let your child solve one problem without you. Don't step in immediately. Give them time to think it through. That builds lifelong skills. If they're not sure where to start, ask them — what do you think you should do first? Let them find the answer.

That one shift — from solving it for them to asking them to think — is the beginning of everything.

If this episode helped you, would you please share it with someone? That would mean the world to me.

I also have two things for you. First, a free character building mini chart — the link is in the show notes. Second, I'm building a limited community of homeschool moms where we can encourage each other and answer questions about where you are right now. If you'd like early access, there is a sign-up link in the show notes as well. year?

You have been researching homeschool curriculum for weeks, filling carts, reading reviews, and asking everyone what they use. What if none of that matters as much as what you do before you ever open a single book?

This episode shares 3 simple tips that will make a bigger difference in your homeschool this year than any homeschool curriculum purchase ever could:

✅Why your attitude and atmosphere are more important than the curriculum you choose

✅How to take a CEO planning date that prepares you for the whole year

✅1 tradition that creates lasting memories your kids will still talk about decades from now

✅3 questions to ask about each child before buying any homeschool curriculum

✅Why knowing your learner always comes before choosing any program

Join the waitlist for the new homeschool support community mentioned in this episode and be first to know when it opens.

Resources for You

• Raising Leaders Not Followers Course waitlist
• New homeschool support community waitlist

Your Biggest Homeschool Decision This Year Is Not Curriculum

Raise your hand if you've already started looking for curriculum. Maybe you've already spent hours reading reviews or filled up an online shopping cart. What if I told you your biggest decision in your homeschool this year is not curriculum? It's the atmosphere and the expectations you create before you ever open a book. Today I'm sharing three simple tips that will make a bigger difference in your homeschool than which curriculum you buy.

Tip #1: Prepare Yourself Before You Prepare for School

There are moms like yourself that spend weeks organizing books, labeling bins, printing out schedules — but almost no time preparing themselves. What kind of mom do you want to be this year? Peaceful? Flexible? Intentional? Joyful? You really do need to decide that before you move forward, because when you are ready, your kids will automatically follow along.

I want to strongly encourage you to take a CEO homeschool planning date. I used to do this. I still remember one particular planning date — we were living in Idaho, and there was a coffee shop called Bootser's. I went up there for a whole Saturday morning and worked on things to prepare for our homeschool that year.

Get somewhere you can be by yourself with a notebook and a calendar. You're not going to plan the whole year — I don't even understand when people say they plan the whole year in a day. What if your child, three weeks in, doesn't understand the Pythagorean theorem and you've got to go back? Plan an overall idea of what you'll cover each month, but the weekly details? Plan one or two weeks at a time. Life happens. My past two weeks, I had no idea I was going to spend two weeks helping my mom recover from surgery. That just wasn't what we expected. But I had the freedom and the blessing to go be there for her.

One of the most important things you can do before that planning date is pray. Ask God what He wants you to do, how to plan for this year, what is special about each of your children right now. When mom is prepared emotionally, the whole homeschool changes.

Charlotte Mason was having dinner at her home once and asked her guests — what is the most important thing in your home? Someone said bookcases. Someone said the cradle. She said no. Space is the most precious thing, because that will help you clarify your attitude and create a life-giving atmosphere.

Mom, a life-giving atmosphere starts with you. For some of you that may mean purging the clutter. Have a garage sale before September. Maybe it means getting rid of some extra activities — even that tournament team your kids are on. You need to look and see what is really life-giving and what will make a lifelong impact on your children.

Charlotte Mason said — education is an atmosphere, a discipline of life. And a mother's attitude shapes the home more than the curriculum you choose. She spent enormous time preparing mothers, not just preparing lessons.

Tip #2: Create Traditions Your Kids Will Remember

Almost all of you get on social media and take a first-day-of-school photo — and those are cute, I love them too. But I want to challenge you to create at least one tradition that goes deeper than a photo.

My mom took each of us four kids out for an individual back-to-school lunch before school started. I still remember sitting in a little restaurant in the mall with the windows open where you could watch people walk by. We'd go buy school supplies after lunch. I do this with my grandkids now — usually Jason's Deli because they can get a free ice cream cone with their meal.

But the number one tradition in our home? Ice cream sundaes for breakfast on the first day of school. The first year I did this, my kids came to the table and their eyes got wide as saucers. Hunter, the youngest, as a senior in high school, still expected ice cream sundaes. Last year I started it with my grandkids, and they came downstairs and were thrilled — because they'd heard all about it from their parents.

These weren't educational moments. But they are something my children remember. And something my grandkids are already hearing about and looking forward to.

Choose one tradition this year — not ten, just one. Maybe it's pancakes shaped like their age. Maybe it's donuts with dad. Maybe it's a special prayer or a family blessing over the children on the first day. Maybe it's a lunch date or buying something new.

You see, God knows children remember experiences better than lectures. In Deuteronomy 6, God created annual family traditions around Israel's calendar. In Joshua 4, they built a stone memorial so that when children asked, what do these stones mean, the parents could tell the story of what God had done.

I have a memory from 50 years ago — I was in a high school youth group, we went to Colorado, we were studying Joshua, and we each brought back a small stone and built a stone memorial in the churchyard. I don't know if it's still there. But I still have that memory. That's the thing about memories. They come back and jog your mind. What experiences are you giving your children?

Tip #3: Don't Choose Curriculum Until You Know Your Family

Many of you are going backwards. You're choosing the curriculum first and then trying to fit your family into it. Instead of asking what curriculum should I buy, ask these questions first.

Who are my children? How do they learn? What season is our family in? What kind of homeschool do I want?

If you're homeschooling a six and eight-year-old while a two and four-year-old are running around, that is going to look completely different than when those older ones are teenagers. You need to know your family before you ever start choosing homeschool curriculum.

What is your personality? Are you willing to change something if it's not working for your kids? I remember using a particular math program all the way through, but when it came to algebra, it just was not clicking for one of our kids. I changed it and found something that worked. Are you so tied to the choices you already made that you'd fit the child into the curriculum instead of the other way around?

What is your family's schedule? Do you have special needs in your family? How big is your house? What is your stress level? Just because your friend loves a curriculum doesn't mean it will be right for your family.

Before buying anything, write down these three questions for each of your children. What is one strength of this child? What is one struggle of this child? What do I want this child to love this year? Then buy the curriculum.

Maria Montessori developed her educational ideas at the turn of the 20th century by observing children before she ever created any materials. She didn't begin with the curriculum — she began with the child and their needs. Her students became confident, enthusiastic, and self-directed learners. They had the tools of learning. They could think critically, work collaboratively, and act boldly. Great educators always start with the learner, not the program.

What You Actually Need

As I've talked to hundreds of homeschool moms, I've realized something. You don't need another curriculum recommendation. What you need is encouragement. You need a community of other people walking beside you. You need accountability.

So instead of asking what should we study, ask — who are we becoming as a family? What atmosphere do I want in our home? What traditions will my kids remember? What actually fits our family — not everyone else's?

Those questions will shape your homeschool far more than another curriculum purchase. Moms don't need more curriculum. They need support. You don't need another planner — you need confidence. You don't need more information — you need community.

If you'd like to hear first when our new homeschool support community opens — with a special founding member discount — join the waitlist at http://howtohomeschoolmychild.com/wait. The link is in the show notes wherever you're listening.

And if you're watching on YouTube, would you please leave a comment and let me know your biggest takeaway? What is the one thing you're going to implement this week as you plan for your next homeschool year?

What if the sport your child plays every week is one of the most powerful character development tools you have — and you are not fully using it yet? Character development through sports goes so much deeper than winning and losing.

This episode pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to raise coachable, confident, resilient kids, sharing 5 practical insights from a coach with 26 years of experience at the college and NBA level:

✅The number one life skill that separates great players from average ones — and it is not talent

✅Why 70 percent of kids quit youth sports by age 13 and the surprising reason behind it

✅The one thing every parent should say after a game — and nothing more

✅What you say on the ride home after a game matters more than you think

✅How to turn failure into the most powerful character-building moment of all

✅The simple 3-step approach to test taking and decision making that builds real confidence

Check out the resources mentioned in this episode and start building character development through sports in your family today.

Resources for You

• On the Right Path website and all resources
• On the Right Path six-book series for kids ages 3 and up
• Life and Basketball 12-week interactive curriculum for middle and high school
• Online educational classroom with videos from NBA players on life skills

Show Notes:

Building Leadership and Life Skills Through Sports — A Conversation With Brett Gunning

Today I have Brett Gunning here, and we're talking about building leadership skills and life skills through sports. I love sports. My kids grew up in a sports family. And Brett has spent 26 years coaching — 14 years at the college level and 12 years in the NBA. What he's sharing today goes way beyond basketball. These are life skills that apply to any sport and really to any area of life.

The Number One Life Skill: Be Coachable

Brett spent years watching what separated great college players from great NBA players. And it kept coming back to one thing — being coachable. Being teachable.

When a parent, teacher, or coach gets on you, it's most likely rooted in a desire to help you. But a lot of kids can't get past the ego part to see that. They can't move from why are they getting on me to — this person loves me, they care about me, what is the message they're trying to give me?

For as simple as it sounds, most kids are not coachable. So that's where we have to start. Whether it's basketball, football, gymnastics, music — whatever it is — being coachable is the foundation.

Honesty and Letting Kids Make Decisions

Brett learned from a great coach who used to say — the greatest gift anyone can ever give you is the truth. And that's a biblical principle. When you're honest with your kids, you may not get the result you want immediately. But over time, when they start seeing on their own — every time dad told me something, he was right — that's when it sinks in.

Let them make the decision. Then sit down and have the difficult conversations about what happened. Let them learn the natural consequences. Instead of making your kid do something, be honest with them and give them the freedom to make the choice — then hold that conversation afterward about what they could do differently next time.

That's what coaches do. Right after a game, the best coaching moment is watching the film and evaluating the decisions. Then sitting down and saying — next time you're in this position, here's something to think about. You can do the same thing at the dinner table.

For a spelling test — if they waited until Thursday to study for a Friday test, have the conversation about how to prepare differently next week. That's not punishment. That's coaching.

The Ride Home — The Gut Punch That Changed Everything

70% of kids quit youth sports by the age of 13. And the number one reason? The ride home.

When Brett Gunning heard that statistic, he said — I'm done. Because making it to the college or professional level is about as likely as winning the lottery. So let's take that pressure off the table. What matters is that your kid has a great experience playing the sport through their high school years.

Here's the advice — after every game, say one thing. Just one thing. I loved watching you play today. Not — why didn't you do this? Why didn't you pass to Johnny? Why didn't you catch that?

Just — I loved watching you play. Let the ride home be that. Then maybe later that night or the next day, circle back to one teaching moment. But the ride home is where we are losing kids. Don't let that be the moment.

Building Confidence and Resilience

Brett's eight-year-old son was playing in a basketball game, down one with 10 seconds left, bringing the ball up for the last shot. He missed it. And Brett said — right away I flipped a switch and thought, this is going to be a much bigger teaching moment than if he made it. Because it's easy to handle success. It's hard to handle failure.

How do you build resilience? You have to embrace the hard moments. You can't run from them. You don't tell your kid — it was the ref's fault, you got fouled. You say — you missed the shot. It's okay. You're not going to win every game. Keep a great attitude. Shake their hand. You're going to have other opportunities in your life to hit the game-winning shot.

And guess what — one week later, same scenario, last game of the season. His son hit the game-winner. He said, "Dad, how did you know?" Brett told him — I didn't know it was going to happen next week. I just knew at some point you were going to be in that spot again.

Whether it's a failed test, a hard season, or a breakup — the only way kids become resilient is if we let them face the difficult moments, accept them, and learn from them. If we go through a failure and don't take the lesson from it, it's a wasted opportunity.

Teamwork, Humility, and Helping Others

If you don't want to be part of something bigger than yourself, go play tennis or golf. If you're going to play a team sport, you are part of something. And that requires humility.

In basketball, someone sets a screen so you can get open for a shot. If they don't do their job, you don't get the shot. Having the humility to recognize — I am part of something bigger than myself — is everything.

After 26 years in the game, Brett has seen it over and over. When you help someone else get open, the ball moves, your defender goes to help, and you end up getting the shot. You helped someone else and it came back to you. That's a biblical principle. When you help someone, it always comes back.

As parents, praise the unselfish things. Don't just say great job, you scored 10 points. Say — great job helping your teammate up when he fell. Great job cheering for your buddy when his head was down. Great job passing. Every kid already knows how many points they scored. Emphasize the things that don't show up in the box score.

Be Knowledgeable — Go Seek the Information

The second life skill Brett Gunning teaches is being knowledgeable. There has never been more information available. Whatever you want to be great at, every morsel of information is out there. Go get it.

Don't wait for someone to hand it to you. Go seek it. Whether it's cooking, basketball, coding, music — no matter what the profession, there are no secrets. It's all available. Our job as parents and coaches is to help kids understand they have to go pursue it. Learn as if you're going to live forever.

On the Right Path — Brett's Nonprofit and Book Series

Brett started On the Right Path based on Proverbs 22:6 — train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. He uses basketball to guide kids on the right path at the beginning of their journeys, tying every life skill and basketball skill together with a Bible verse.

He has three resources available. A six-book series for younger kids — each book teaches a life skill through basketball in a way kids and parents can read together. A 12-week interactive curriculum called Life and Basketball for middle school and high school ages — a great parent-child learning experience built around the game. And an online educational classroom on the website with videos from current and former NBA players talking about humility, resilience, and being coachable.

The Lesson From John Wooden

Brett Gunning once had the privilege of spending two to three hours with John Wooden — one of the greatest coaches of all time — about a year before Wooden passed away. At the end of that visit, Brett asked him one question. Coach, you've been through it all. What is the most important thing for a young coach to remember?

Wooden thought for a moment. Then he said — patience. Patience with your team. Patience with your players.

And that is a great place to close. For as much as we want our kids to get it as fast as possible, because we care about them and we know what's on the other side — we also have to hang in there with them. There's a dynamic of patience that we cannot overlook.

You can find Brett's book series, 12-week curriculum, and online educational classroom at https://ontherightpath.org/. Links to all of it are below this video.

What if one simple daily habit this summer could reduce screen battles, spark meaningful conversations, and build your child's character — all at the same time? Summer reading activities do not have to be complicated to be powerful.

This episode shows how 10 minutes a day of read alouds can transform your summer into something your kids actually remember . . . with practical ideas for every age from elementary all the way through high school:

✅Why read alouds are the single most powerful summer reading activity you can do

✅Age-by-age ideas for elementary, middle school, and high school that actually work

✅How one question after any chapter sparks real conversations without any pressure

✅Simple hands-on activities that pair perfectly with any book your family is reading

✅Why stopping read alouds when kids can read on their own is one of the biggest homeschool mistakes

✅Why 10 consistent minutes beats any elaborate summer learning plan every time

Grab the FREE Read Aloud Magic and start your summer reading activities this week.

Resources for You

Read Aloud Magic(free resource — favorite read aloud books, tips, and ideas, linked in show notes)

Show Notes:

One Simple Summer Habit That Does More Than Any Curriculum

What if I told you there is one simple habit this summer that could reduce screen battles, build family relationships, improve reading skills, spark meaningful conversations, and create memories your kids remember for years? It doesn't require expensive curriculum, elaborate lesson plans, or hours of preparation.

Many homeschool moms during the summer are thinking — should we keep schooling? What if they forget something? Do I have enough time to take a break? What if summer learning could feel more like family connection and less like school?

Summer is the perfect time to shift from worksheets to stories, from checklists to conversations, and from assignments to curiosity.

The One Habit: Read Alouds

Read alouds give you so much more than just reading. They give you leadership. They give you learning. They give you character development. They give you family bonding and family conversation. And best of all, one book can work for many ages.

I still remember when Steve was reading the Little Bridges series to our kids. We were driving in our giant van and all of a sudden the kids started talking about how that grandpa in the story was so crotchety. They said they'd never want their grandpa to act like that. Did I ask them questions? Did I give them a multiple-choice test? No. They had been so involved in the story that they were comparing the grandpa's character to their own grandpa's. That is family bonding, character development, and family conversation — all happening naturally.

How to Get Started This Week

If you are not reading aloud, especially in the summer when things slow down, I want to challenge you to pick a book today or tomorrow and start reading 10 minutes a day. Before breakfast, after breakfast, before bed, during lunch while the kids are eating and you have their full attention.

Don't overthink it. Consistency matters more than length. It is better to do 10 minutes every single day this summer than to do 30 minutes today and then nothing for five days. Schedule it. Put it on your calendar so it actually happens.

What C.S. Lewis Knew About Stories and Imagination

C.S. Lewis lost his mother when he was very young, and books became a refuge for him. He spent countless hours in mythology, fairy tales, and classic literature. That imagination was what inspired the Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, and The Screwtape Letters.

He said — reason is the natural organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning. He believed this is where children grasp meaning. Through stories, children encounter courage, sacrifice, honesty, loyalty, and faith before they are even able to explain those things. Read alouds feed both the mind and the heart. They do more than teach reading skills. They shape your kids' imagination, character, and faith.

Too often when we start school, we squash that imagination — sit down, do a bunch of workbooks, read this short story and answer these questions. That is not education. We need to protect curiosity and imagination. How did we get to where we are with technology and creativity? Because someone had imagination. And a lot of times that starts with really good books.

Summer Reading Activities for Elementary Ages

For elementary-aged kids, focus on wonder, curiosity, and family connection. Picture books, chapter books, family read alouds are all great places to start. Read under a tree. Go up in a backyard fort. Spread out a blanket at the park. Read during popsicle time. Build a blanket fort and read underneath it. Listen to audiobooks in the car.

Make it fun. Draw your favorite characters. Create a craft related to the story. Act out scenes. Create a treasure hunt based on a book.

Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother Caroline was a certified school teacher who believed in education and literacy as essential, not optional. Even during the difficult frontier years, no matter where they lived, she prioritized teaching her children to read. And those family experiences became the inspiration for the entire Little House series.

What if you read Little House in the Big Woods this summer? Make homemade butter. Learn a pioneer chore. Cook over a fire. Compare pioneer life to modern life. Easy, fun, and meaningful — not just reading and writing.

Summer Reading Activities for Middle School

Middle schoolers often become passionate about specific topics. Right now my 11-year-old is into history and has been reading historical fiction. Maybe your kids are into horses, planes, ancient history, missions, nature, or sports.

Let your child pick the topic — not you. They will be so much more interested. Then let them read three kinds of books on that topic — a fiction book, a biography, and a nonfiction. For Hunter, that looked like a fictional baseball story, a biography of Derek Jeter, and a book on the science and math of baseball.

Ask one question after reading each day — what surprised you? What would you like to learn more about? What would you have done differently in that story? Then maybe do one extra activity. Watch a documentary, go to a museum, cook a related meal, build a model.

These things develop critical thinking skills, ownership, and independent learning. I didn't want my kids to always have to do everything a teacher told them. I wanted them to think for themselves, plan for themselves, and make choices for themselves.

Summer Reading Activities for High School

Many moms stop reading aloud when their kids can read on their own. Big mistake. Many stop in high school. Even bigger mistake. Teens still need discussion. They still need to develop their listening skills. They need exposure to great ideas. And they still need family connection.

We still read aloud in the morning, and Steve would read to them several evenings a week. For older kids, try a Christian biography, a mission story, historical fiction, great literature, the classics, or an apologetics book. Don't be afraid of a classic just because the vocabulary feels heavy — the ideas are worth it.

Ask questions like — what character stood out today? What would you have done in that person's place? How does this compare to Scripture? What leadership lesson do you see? Choose one biography or one classic and read it together, then discuss it once a week. Over ice cream. At a coffee shop. On an evening walk. Keep it simple.

Bringing It All Together

Pair your read alouds with simple summer experiences. If you're reading about Harriet Tubman, go outside at night and look at the North Star — she followed it to guide enslaved people to freedom. If you're reading about a historical time period, bake something from that era.

Just last week we were reading Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? and we made Johnny Cakes for breakfast — which we found out are actually called journey cakes because you could take them on a long journey and they wouldn't go bad. She was telling her dad all about it when he got home that evening. That is learning that sticks.

Summer becomes intentional, relational, and memorable — not just educational.

You don't have to recreate school. You don't need elaborate plans or expensive curriculum. One book. One conversation. One family read aloud can inspire a love of learning. And inspiring a love of learning? That's the easiest thing read alouds do.

To help you get started, grab my free Read Aloud Magic resource in the show notes. It has 20 to 30 of our family's favorite read aloud books, tips for how to run read alouds, and simple ideas for turning books into meaningful family learning experiences — no workbook required.

Will you take the read aloud challenge this summer? Start this week — just 10 minutes a day. That's all it takes.