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Top 5 Best Books for the New Homeschooling Mom

June 2, 2024 by Lettie Leave a Comment

Looking to craft your homeschool vision as you begin this new educational journey? Here are the top 5 best books for new homeschooling moms who need encouragement and inspiration.

Take the time to read and fill your cup

If you’re new to the homeschool scene, the whole process can seem overwhelming. I get it! Trying to narrow down the right curriculum for every child, getting all the supplies, and what in the world am I even doing?! It’s easy to lose sight of the reason why we are even homeschooling in the first place. That’s why taking the time to sit down and fill your cup with the best books of wisdom from other homeschool moms is crucial! Let’s jump in: here are the top 5 best books for new homeschooling moms.

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace

If you only have enough time to read one book on homeschooling, make it Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie. This book is short but packs a big punch of encouragement. It is a rich reminder of grace for those of us who frequently feel inadequate for the job of educating our children.

The 4-Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life

In The 4-Hour School Day, Durenda Wilson provides a down-to-earth approach to teaching your children at home. With plenty of encouragement for giving your kids real life opportunities and experiences, this book will give you many ideas and inspiration for all of the possibilities that homeschooling provides. This book was a great reminder for me of what effective homeschooling can look like apart from all the fuss of curriculum choices.

The Convivial Homeschool: Gospel Encouragement for Keeping Your Sanity While Living and Learning Alongside Your Kids

The Convivial Homeschool by Mystie Winckler has become a yearly read for me. It is chock full of practical wisdom from a seasoned homeschooling mom and each chapter is devotional in style. Mystie addresses the hard realities of homeschooling as opportunities for sanctification and growth for both mom and child. She casts a Gospel-centered vision of what educating our children can be like.

For the Children’s Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School

For the Children’s Sake is considered a classic among Charlotte Mason homeschoolers and is definitely one of my favorites. Susan Schaeffer Macaulay offers a rich philosophy of education that is inspiring and enlightening. I promise it will transform the way you approach your homeschool. It will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about education. For me it shaped and helped define my understanding of how and what we should be teaching our children.

Mere Motherhood: Morning Times, Nursery Rhymes, and My Journey Toward Sanctification

Cindy Rollins has inspired many homeschooling moms. Her vision of setting a feast of beautiful ideas before our children has guided the way many of us teach our children. This little book is more of a narrative about Cindy’s experiences as a homeschooling mother of 9. You will find great encouragement in reading about Cindy’s journey; it is relatable, funny, and a beautiful reminder of the joy in everyday motherhood.

A practical tip for Reading as a Homeschool Mom

I always try to read at least one or two homeschooling or education-related books every year that encourage me to carry on in the good work that the Lord has given me. As a practical tip, I always try to read one through the summer (as I’m preparing for the upcoming school year) and another one in the winter (when it feels like I’m losing my drive to keep on!). Need more practical tips for your reading life as a mom? I’ve created a resource for you right here.

Filed Under: Homeschool Reading Lists

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Welcome

The Bookwise Mom is a place for moms to find the best books for their homeschool and be inspired as she cultivates her heart and mind through her own reading life. I hope you’ll find encouragement here as you dig deeper into the world of books and pursue your own education through great reading alongside your children.

My husband, Michael, and I are 2nd-generation homeschoolers and have 6 children (all boys!) ranging from 7th grade down to toddlers.

Looking back at my own experience as a homeschooler, I found that it wasn’t through expensive curriculum that I learned the most. My real education came from reading really great books. And I’ve found this to be true for my kids as well!

I know how tempting all of the beautiful curriculum is. Don’t get me wrong, I still love using formal lesson plans for our homeschool! But what I always come back to is that a really solid education comes when your child truly cares about what he is learning. And most of the time, this happens when they are given a feast of wonderful living books and great classic literature.

It also happens when we, as moms, are actively invested in our own reading lives! Nothing, in my opinion, is more contagious than sharing a love of books and reading alongside our children.

I hope that your visit here will encourage and motivate you as you seek out new reading for yourself as well as for your children!

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