“I don’t care about anything else. I just want my kids to be Christians.” These were the words of a man who was frustrated when he saw his three children making bad choices after they started attending their local private Christian school. This man believed his children would have a terrible education if he homeschooled them, but at least, he reasoned, they’ll be taught the gospel more clearly with fewer distractions. This man was my father. And this was the start of my parent’s Christian homeschooling journey.
While many people start homeschooling for different reasons, a Christian home educator often starts with the conviction that the God-given responsibility of educating children belongs to parents.
I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. If you want to do my course on how to homeschool, click here.
As Christians, we believe that education should lead children to a solid knowledge of the Bible.
As such, a Christian home education aims to give a child a biblical understanding of the world around them.
Christian homeschooling aims to impart a biblical worldview reflected in the curriculum and the examples of parents and other influential people in the students’ lives.
In the world, each parent’s journey is quite different, and many people educate for different reasons.
Christian homeschoolers, however, share a common goal.
And that is to train up children for the Lord.
Quick Links to Christian Homeschooling Resources
Although we’ll chat about how to start home education below, here are some quick links to relevant resources you might need
Christian Homeschooling Resources
- A massive free resources website from an Old Fashioned Education
Christian Curriculum Reviews
- Choose a Christian homeschooling curriculum from some of today’s popular choices.
Christian Homeschooling Videos
- Check out answers to many of your questions in these videos and subscribe (it’s my channel!).
Parenting Podcast
- Although not about homeschooling, I believe Focus on the Family has the best Christian parenting blog I’ve listened to, hands down!
Marriage Podcast
- Again, this is from Focus on the Family, and it is very good! It helps you strengthen your marriage, helping you troubleshoot many common problems and issues.
Christian Homeschooling Blog and Articles
- Get answers to all your common questions.
How to Start Christian Homeschooling
Before starting anything, it’s helpful to pray that God will lead you on the right journey and give you wisdom.
I’ve outlined a few specific things to pray about if you start homeschooling further down the page.
But, first, here are a few steps to consider before starting.
1. Have a Brainstorm Session with Your Spouse
Sit down with your spouse and talk through the pros and cons of home education. Also, write down your fears and hopes for your children as you begin this unique educational journey.
2. Add a Mission Statement
When the days get hard and you wonder, “Why am I stressing myself out when I could just send my kids to public school!”, it’s useful to review your mission statement.
Here’s a quick guide on how you can write a good homeschool mission statement.
3. Write your Christian Homeschooling Goals
A good way to accomplish your mission statement is to make SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
In other words, they’re not fluffy goals.
Start by sitting down with your spouse and writing down your goals and what you want to accomplish. If you’re a Christian, you should include biblical character goals for your children and (hopefully) for yourselves.
Some of these SMART goals might include:
- identifying morally weak areas and working on those (for you and then for your children)
- teaching Christian apologetics
- sourcing a homeschool curriculum that promotes the gospel
- creating humble kids
And you might have other goals too like:
- sending your children to college
- finding an entrepreneurial pathway for your kids by age 14 (I recommend this!)
- achieving a certain level at a particular sport
While the sky is the limit as far as goal setting goes, the fewer goals you have, the less stressful things will be. And you’ll find you have more fun if things are less stressful!
4. Laws, Homeschool Methods and Curriculum
Research homeschool laws in your state (a great place to do this is by going to the HSLDA).
Then check out what homeschool method you want in your homeschool. You can take my quiz to fast-track that process.
Then pick a homeschool curriculum.
Also, decide if you’re the sort of person who wants or needs a homeschool schedule or routine. You can look at how to set up a:
Some people also like to set up a four-year high school plan. I think this could be a good idea, so long as you’re willing to throw it all out of the window (for example when your teenager does something that’s too wonderful to fit into your plan and decides he wants to start up his own business).
5. Organizing a Homeschool Room
Make sure you also think about the homeschooling space your children are going to learn in. There are many things you need in your room and many things you don’t!
Check out this article on things you can include in your homeschool room.
Remember
One of the best pieces of advice I heard from a veteran homeschool mom was, ‘Remember! Homeschooling is as much about your growth as it is about your children’s growth.’
This mom was talking about character growth but also about learning how to let your children lead their own education in a responsible manner.
One of the goals of home education should be to create a lifelong learner who loves to find out the why, what, how, when and where of relevant topics.
In a way, this reflects our love for discovering the amazing creation God has given us!
Prayer Points Before Starting
There are so many things to pray about, but here are a few that are particularly relevant if you’re planning on Christian homeschooling. Pray:
- you’ll have lots of patience
- you’ll be on the same page as your spouse
- your children develop a love for the Bible and prayer
- the goals you’ve set for your family would become a reality
- homeschooling would be a fun experience for you and your family
- God would lead you to the best homeschool program for your family
- God would give you wisdom in parenting, marriage and educational matters
- your homeschool won’t be a legalistic one, but one filled with grace and forgiveness
- you can defend homeschooling gracefully and you’ll know what to say when you’re (inevitably) criticized for your choice and
- the gospel becomes rooted in your children’s minds and they develop behaviours and morals that reflect their redeemed status before Jesus
Christian Homeschooling Curriculum
There are so many Christian homeschooling curriculum packages on the market today. As home education is becoming more popular, this list increases and the programs become more and more specialized.
Here are some of my favorites:
- Bob Jones University (BJU) – a fantastic Christian program for new homeschooling parents
- Schoolhouse Teachers – an affordable Christian option
- Memoria Press – a classical curriculum
There is an extended list of Christian H0meschooling programs here too.
Online Christian Homeschool Course for Parents
For many years I’ve been involved in homeschool circles, but I’ve seen parents making many mistakes that can easily be avoided.
I’ve written a lot about these on my blog, but then it gave me the idea of making a course to show parents the fundamentals of homeschooling.
This is now a reality in the Homeschool Parenting Program.
It’s a very affordable program and will help you start homeschooling on the right foot.
Are There Christian Homeschool Curriculum Options?
There are many Christian homeschool curriculum options including:
You can see a full list of Christian homeschool curriculum programs here.
Is There a Free Christian Homeschool Curriculum?
Yes. There are several free homeschool curriculum programs, including:
- Easy Peasy,
- Ambleside Online, and
- Puritans Homeschool.
See a full list of free homeschool curriculum programs here.
Conclusion
Christian homeschooling is a great tool that parents can wield if they want to impress a knowledge of the Bible, habits of prayer and an example of Christianity on their children’s hearts and minds. But, it’s important to remember that home education is not a panacea. It is not the Saviour. Jesus is. We need to remember we are powerless to effect change in our children’s lives. Only God can do the impossible. So, place your trust in Jesus, don’t be anxious and He will do the rest.
