Category: Homeschool

Planning a Homeschool Year with Prayer. (+ Free Printable Planner Pages and Editable 2025-26 Calendar)

Planning a Homeschool Year with Prayer. (+ Free Printable Planner Pages and Editable 2025-26 Calendar)

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When we first began homeschooling, I earnestly believed the most important thing was finding the perfect curriculum. I spent hours and hours researching lesson plans, charts, posters, planners, etc. Overwhelming at best! But the truth is – what my homeschool really needed was not a flawless plan. It was prayer.

Prayer reminds us that God is the one leading our homeschool, not us. It shifts the focus from getting all the things done, to walking with Him and letting Him lead.

That is why this year instead of simply mapping mathematics or history timelines, I am starting with prayer and I want to remind you mama, you can start here too.

Start with praying before the planning. Before you open your planner, open your heart and ask the Lord to guide you in the process. You can ask Him:

  • What do my children need this year – not only academically but spiritually and emotionally too?
  • Where do we need to slow down? Where can we grow deeper?
  • How can our homeschool point to You, in every lesson and every day?

Next, plan with purpose and not pressure. Planning with prayer means shifting from rigid checklists to purposeful rhythms. Instead of asking, “What do we need to get through?” ask:

  • How do I want the days to feel?
  • What values do I want to weave into our learning?
  • Where can we create space for joy, rest and connection?

Be willing to change your plans. Homeschool is full of surprises. Sickness, field trips, life interruptions – God uses them all. When you plan with prayer, you give yourself freedom to adjust and trust that detours can be divine. Instead of trying to control the year, commit it to God and hold your plans loosely. (I am telling myself this daily while planning – I need to let God more than I let me!)

Dedicate your year to the Lord. Once your planner or calendar is filled – pray over them. Lay your homeschool, and the hearts of you and your children at the feet of the saviour. Ask him to lead you, teach you and let the whole year be His. Pray together before your year starts – as a whole school household. Ask him to bless your learning, conversations and growth.

Our homeschool year officially starts next week with a back to school party with fellow homeschool friends. However we always launch in August with a mini unit to get back in the school day rhythm. In planning these last few weeks, I have created a 2025-26 calendar, daily planning sheet (that I will laminate and use daily), our read aloud booklist (we are a read aloud family – curious? Check out my previous article), and a booklist sheet for each of my children.

Calendar
Daily Planner
Read Aloud Booklist
Child Booklist
Child Booklist
Child Booklist

Like what you see? You are welcome to access the Earnest Mom Homeschool Planner Bundle – FREE! Click the link, then select ‘Use template’ to open and edit your own copy in Canva. That’s it!

Remember mama, we are in this together, one Earnest (and prayerful) MOMent at a time!

Love, Earnest Mom

Dear Earnest Mom: A Letter to the Me Who Just Started Homeschooling.

Dear Earnest Mom: A Letter to the Me Who Just Started Homeschooling.

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Dear Earnest Mom,

Five years ago, you were tired and overthinking. You’ve doubted all of your abilities. You were definitely holding a cup of coffee that went cold hours ago. You said “yes” to something both exciting and terrifying: homeschooling.

I see you. You are second guessing EVERYTHING. You are listening to those around you tell you things you actually believe. “Children need socialization.” “You can’t, you have a toddler.” “You do not have the space.” “It is expensive.” “I am worried they won’t learn.”

You feel the overwhelming need to have 100 printed worksheets. Little desks should be lined in row. This space definitely needs a chalkboard. You are imagining creating a mini public school in your home. You are planning schedule charts, you have thousands on pins on your newly minted “Home School” Pinterest Board. You need to school for 6-8 hours a day per kid. Plus, you need to do it perfectly.

Let me just stop you. Hold on to both your shoulders. I would look you straight in the eye. Then take a deep breath in; and exhale “mama, you do not have to do any of this.” Breathe in again, and exhale, “you are more capable than you know.”

Here is what I would tell you, if I could sit across from you at the dinner table. The soon to be home school table. If I could, I would pour you a fresh hot cup of coffee. Your amazing children would be playing to and fro. Their couch fort would collapse to the sound of their laughter.

  1. You DO NOT need to recreate school at home. Your children will learn. It may happen slowly, but that real learning often happens curled up on the couch, or reading aloud at the kitchen table. It happens in the kitchen, baking bread and talking fractions. Together you will learn taking walks in the gorge, visiting museums and delivering a kind card to a friend. Learning happens everywhere – do not let the idea of institutional school inspire what you need to do. You know your children, you love your children, you will teach them just the ways they need.
  2. You are allowed to go slow. There is NO “behind” in home school. There is ONLY your pace and your children – exactly where they are at. Some years will feel productive and done in ease. Others will feel like you are playing a game of Jumanji. Both count-remember learning happens everywhere.
  3. You will grow right alongside them. Home school is not just about shaping their minds. It is also shaping your heart. As you walk, the Lord as your lead, you will learn to let go and let God. You will learn to see where you lack, He gives the increase. You will gain the opportunity to know them deeply. This journey will be sacred, though not always smooth. You will learn with patience, humility, and the blessing of slowing down. You will mess up, but grace – sweet grace will meet you there every time.
  4. It’s okay to change things up. Best laid plans, and all that. That color coded calendar, printed out curriculum – it all could change by November. That routine that you planned so well, it could crumble with a stomach bug. You are not failing – you are using your wisdom. You will pivot things in prayer, trust your instincts, and learn to do what works for YOUR family.
  5. You do not have to do this alone. Find your people mama. Your community will carry you. It could be your bestie who has decided to home school too. It could be an encouraging mom from your local MomCo group. Perhaps it’s your sister who picks up every time you call. You were never meant to carry this by yourself, you were called for more.
  6. Fruit takes time mama, be patient. There will be days, SO MANY DAYS when it feels like nothing is sticking. You will wondering if anything that you do matters. You’ll worry they are not learning anything. Then, one day, you’ll hear them explain something you taught them, or a prayer you prayed with them. You will receive compliments of how mature they are. They carry conversations with adults easily. Their respectfulness shows in their top-notch manners! Then, right then, you will see it. The fruit. Lovely. Quiet. Steady. Beautiful.

So, breathe deep mama. You don’t need to have it all worked out today. God’s mercies will be new again tomorrow morning. There will be coffee and the read-alouds. The mess and the wonder will be there too.

You’ve got this — not because you’re perfect, but because you’re called. One Earnest MOMent at a time.

With love and grace, Earnest Mom. (Just a touch greyer, a bit softer, and still in awe of this wild, holy home school life).

Grace over Chaos: Earnestly Homeschooling Multiple Ages.

Grace over Chaos: Earnestly Homeschooling Multiple Ages.

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In my wee early home school days, I was overwhelmed. The idea of having to break my day up between three children was daunting. Their age levels and individual curriculum made it even harder. I didn’t want to feel exhausted. I thought to schedule each separately. I wanted to leave lots of time for independent work. However, I learned quickly that independent work was not reasonable for a then 9, 5 and 2 year old. It’s worth noting the 2 year old was not being schooled. Then I found Gather ‘Round.

This is not a sponsored review just a recommendation from one home school family to another. Gather ‘Round has saved my sanity. This is curriculum is a Charlotte Mason approach that is rich in literature and hands on activities. What I love most is that there is one lesson, yes, ONE LESSON for all children. Keep in mind that a parent reads the lesson. This takes about 20-30 minutes if you use resources. Then each child has their own developmentally appropriate workbook. With a high-schooler, upper elementary and early reader, their time spent on each lesson in their workbook varies.

Our home school day starts in the afternoon. I let my children sleep and get all of the rest their growing brains need. This means wake up times are staggered. It looks like 8 am for our 7-year-old, 9 am for our 10-year-old, and sometimes 9:30/10 am. We get chores and breakfast done before noon. Then lunch followed by lessons from 1-3:30. I love having slow, easy mornings. This is especially true in the summer when the best time to be outside is before 11 am!

Starting at 1 pm we have a read aloud, a chapter book that goes along with our unit that month. We choose all of our units at the start of the school year. This way, each kiddo gets a say in what we learn. I find if they choose they stay interested longer. After the read aloud, we jump right into the lesson. Then workbook time, while the younger two finish up earlier than my high school kiddo, they get math in. Once my oldest is done his workbook, he moves into independent math work. The rest of the day is ours to spend in any way we would like! Some days we get it all done perfectly, other days we finish early due to life demands. What I love most about home school is we get to make it work for our family and our needs.

When we first started I thought I had replicate what institutional school looked like, at home. I learned after year 2 that it does not have to be that way. If I am being honest, I felt more pressure from others to make home school look like the institution. The freedom we found when we realized it does not have to be that way was liberating. We get to go at our pace, in our time, with our interests. I had to stop letting people influence us. These people are not teaching our children. They are not raising our children. We did it. We started our own path. Of course, following all of our state home school laws in the process.

The sanity saving for me was letting go of the performance mindset. Performing how education, socialized, etc, that my children were for others to see. Stop performing institution school at home, and allowing my children to bloom into the people God made them to be. Giving us the freedom to go at our pace, never behind, just always right where we should be. This grace is something I have to remind myself of daily. For my children, I found it is necessary to offer grace and lots and lots of snacks!

Every home school is just as diverse as the families are every where. This is simply what works for us!