Let’s Homeschool!
What we need to know right from the start is this. Christian homeschooling is just an extent/arm of Godly parenting. They are two in the same and inseparable, supported through scripture. (A great resource for this is Israel Wayne’s book, Education, Does God Have an Opinion?) In his book, Israel shows you where education is mentioned in the Bible and that it is a direct charge to Christian parents in raising up the children God blesses to us. If you haven’t read it, I hope you will.
Biblical Parenting
Deut 4 tells us to teach our children all throughout the day and night, all across their upbringing. It is an all encompassing call from the Lord. Read Here
Train up a Child
Train up a child. This verse holds the secret to “education” as found in the
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Just Not Now
We don’t teach our newborns to potty train because it’s not time, they’re not ready. We don’t teach our newly walking toddler to cook, same reason. It’s not that they won’t ever need to learn those things, just not “now.”
The Problem of Trying it out to see how it goes
Often I see moms approaching homeschooling as “trying it out to see how it goes.” Here’s the problem with that, when our children are so little, it’s not time for formal approach to teaching; it is both setting an unrealistic expectation on their response, and it sets us up with a false sense of failure (and maybe even success) in trial and error.
Fail at Homeschooling
We can no more fail at homeschooling than we can at parenting the children God has given us. HIS expectation is that we bring them up in HIS ways. Godly parenting is a JOURNEY over childhood. And it’s not easy…there will be hard times; count on it!
It’s an Obedience Issue
The real problem with this approach-see how it goes-is an obedience issue. When God tells us to do something, anything other than full obedience is sin. If we considered our marriage vows as contingent on how the first months or years go, we’d probably push the divorce rate to the upper 90s percent. God’s ways are right, and they require a response of obedience from each of us.
An Answer Key
This parenting role is one that doesn’t have an answer key. It doesn’t have check boxes to tick off one by one. We can’t do it alone, and our best laid plans-as we seek the Lord through it each day-are just that, OUR best plans, but it is God who directs our steps.
A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
Provers 16:9 NKJ
The One Who Orders our Steps
We have very little control over what’s going to happen throughout the miniscule but so very big 18 or so years of our child’s lifetime, but we can trust the ONE who does: The One who orders our steps. The One who has tasked us with overseeing and teaching these precious souls.
The Urgency of Teaching
(Let’s not confuse the importance of academics with the urgency of teaching them {and learning ourselves} to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love one another. )
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deut 6:4-9
School Things
Parenting toddlers shouldn’t be worrisome over “school” things. They have plenty of years ahead of them to be “taught” more formally. That’s not to say you cannot or should not use a Biblical prelearning program, if that’s what you want to do. Just don’t pretend it’s any insight to how the formal years of schooling will go when it is (typically) necessary to teach academics.
As an aside, this is even true as the children get into formal learning. If they don’t understand something as it’s introduced, very often the best practice is to wait. Put it aside and come back to it later. Our brain’s development is incredible, and we are uniquely put together…no need to perform to the curriculum’s timeline!
Little Children NEED to Play
Little children learn through play and creativity. They NEED to run, crawl, babble, imagine etc. They do NOT need to color, cut, sit and do “work,” so keep your expectations in line with where your child/ren is in life. Even if they’re “advanced” for their age…don’t skimp on play. It’s far more valuable than you may realize.
I haven’t seen updates to it, but I always loved Before Five in a Row because it was all about good literature and fun, active, lessons to go with one book for the entire week. Some of our fondest memories over the past 20+ years revolve around us “rowing.”
Reading to your Children Fosters a Love for Learning
Reading to your children is probably the single best thing you can do to foster a love for learning, and a love for God’s Word as we read scripture together. It’s something you should keep doing; it’s that important. Read! Read Scripture and also *good* literature.
And Pray
And pray. This life isn’t one God wants us to live without His blessings, help, guidance. Grow in Him, intentionally, Momma. You can’t do this without Him. And the blessings of walking with the Lord outweigh any of the hardships or troubles that come our way. Yes, even in homeschooling. According to scripture, what we call homeschooling is obedience in Godly parenting. Not only can you homeschool, you should!
With God Nothing is Impossible
With God, nothing is impossible!
Happy Homeschooling
